First published 1964
Sam Shelby is fourteen when he decides to join the Mexican War. The boy expects the military campaign will broaden his understanding of the world beyond his small town. He teams up with Blaine, another volunteer who shares similar hopes about what the war might teach them. The two young men quickly discover that actual combat bears no resemblance to their romantic notions about military service. They face black hearted villains and witness the savage realities of battle. The conflict with Mexico proves both brutal and valiant, testing every assumption the boys held about war and heroism. Sam must navigate the surging violence while trying to hold onto his humanity. The campaign becomes a harsh education in survival, loyalty, and the true cost of armed conflict.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Guadalupe
Period: Mexican War
Hardcover · Doubleday & Company
Content warnings: violence, war