First published 2007
Joshua Chamberlain stands before his students at Bowdoin College, teaching languages and music in peaceful Maine. When war erupts across the nation, this quiet academic makes a choice that will transform him completely. He leaves his classroom, his farm, and his family to join the Union Army. The bookish professor must learn to command men in battle, make split-second tactical decisions, and lead soldiers through the bloodiest conflict in American history. Chamberlain discovers abilities he never knew he possessed as he evolves from scholar to strategist. The man who once parsed Latin grammar now reads battlefield terrain. The musician who conducted choruses learns to orchestrate military campaigns. Through fierce combat and impossible odds, Chamberlain grows into a leader his men will follow anywhere. This is the story of an ordinary man finding extraordinary courage when his country needs him most.
Genres: biography, american-civil-war, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: extraordinary-ordinary, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Bowdoin College, Maine, Union Army
Period: Civil War
48 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown Books for Young Readers