The Journal of Sean Sullivan: A Transcontinental Railroad Worker, Nebraska and Points West, 1867

My Name Is America

by William Durbin

In 1867, fifteen-year-old Sean experiences both hardships and rewards when he joins his father in working on the building of the Transcontinental Rairoad

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Diary

190 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

William Durbin lives on Lake Vermilion at the edge of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Wilderness. A winner of the Great Lakes Book Award and a two-time winner of the Minnesota Book award, he has published short stories, essays, and poetry, as well as fourteen novels for young readers, including The Broken Blade, Wintering, Blackwater Ben, The Darkest Evening, The Journal of Otto Peltonen, and El Lector, which has been optioned for film by Jane Starz Productions. His latest novel, co-authored with his wife, Barbara is The Hidden Room. For more information visit his website at williamdurbin.com.
Durbin's honors include a Junior Library Guild Selection, Bank Street College Children’s Book of Year list, the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer list, New York Library Books for the Teen Age list, Maud Hart Lovelace nomination, Jefferson Cup Series of Note Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award, America’s Award commended title, Book Sense Summer Pick, Boy’s Life magazine serialization, St. Petersburg Times serialization, nominations for numerous state awards lists, and starred reviews in the major journals.
“William Durbin’s attention to detail—both historical and fictional—make him one of today’s masters of historical YA fiction.” -- David Gill of the NCTE

Reviews

[ϟEvelynϟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books now. This boy is so likable.

The characters were so credible. I mean, Sean melted my heart throughout the whole book. His personality got to me. Well, there were a bunch of things he said that made me want to go and hug him. Though, none of the things he said were petty and sad, but just so...right. He was a good boy, I should say. What I am trying to say is that he wasn't a jerk to the Chinese like the other Irish. He used to write in his journal about how he got mad when the men would talk smack about them. That made me want to go hug him and say, "You are so sweet."

Another thing I loved about Sean was his way of describing everything with such detail. I mean, I could just picture the nitro bombs going off and all of those men eating at those tables with the plates nailed to it, ect. Sean was a serious young man, but with the right ideas. I like Sean A LOT. I love Sean.

Pa was such a heart-warming character. Even though he was cruel to the Chinese workers, he was a good, caring father. A big reason why I liked Pa was that I pity him. I pity him because he lost his wife that he loved so much. Sean would mention how he would act strangely on Maggie's(his mum's name)birthday or their anniversary. I mean, I could feel Patrick's pain. Not only about Maggie but about the Civil War trauma he got. I just wanted to go up and hug him too! These were so huggable characters! ;)

The racism. I didn't get too offended this time. I just get so angry when people are racist! Here's what I love about this book: Sean was totally against the racism!! Oh, how I loved that. He used to say that he was ashamed to say that his pa joined in with the teasing. He also said that if Bill Flanagan(a friend of Pa's) made another joke about the Chinese(they are really cruel jokes!), he would go after him with a pick handle. All of this made me proud of Sean. He was such a polite, respectful young man. Oh, what a good story.

Overall, this book was amazing. It had such great history, great characters, and just a great narrator. I absolutely love Sean Sullivan.

~Evelyn

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into reading this book a little skeptically, unsure if I would enjoy it as much as the Dear America books. I was pleasantly surprised, though. The My Name is America series seems to have all the same charm! This book had strong character and plot development, and the writing style transported me back to the late 1800s. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more from the series.

[Erin Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heck of an entry in the My Name is America cannon. Sean Sullivan is a 15 year old boy from Chicago who has joined his father on the Union Pacific's race to build a railroad connecting the eastern United States with points west. Sean works his way from water boy up through various jobs, allowing Durbin to provide a detailed view of the wide variety of roles involved in building the transcontinental railroad. Through correspondence with his younger brother, and memories of home, we learn how different life is between the settled eastern states and the rough and tumble western railroad towns.

Sean's father is a Civil War vet who experiences post-war trauma, providing this story some historical backdrop. The historical note also provides good context for how the Civil War and the South's efforts to protect slavery impacted the development of a western railroad.

My favorite aspects of this book is the way Durbin incorporates racist dialogue and behavior, while simultaneously judging and educating about racism. I haven't seen this is any of the other Dear America books! Rather than having the pov character uncritically reflect prevailing social attitudes, Durbin writes a character who is critical of others' racist statements and actions (including his father's!). This jumped off the page at me already by page 7, when Sean remembers his mother lecturing his father about speaking "badly of the Indians", and continues throughout, with Sean criticizing his co-workers behavior and attitude towards Chinese railworkers.

And then, when you think Durbin has packed the maximum amount of history and social commentary into 150 pages, near the end of the book he exposes the massive fraud carried out by the railroad owners, and has Sean spend his adulthood working as a union organizer!

This one gets a huge 5 stars from me!.

[Nicholas Stensland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was great! I liked it a lot cause it was mainly focused on the railway, and it’s in the beginning of railroads, so steam engines, I like steam engines. My only complaint is that they kind of poke fun at the Chinese, but it was in the past and it was a race.

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provided a unique look at the day-to-day life of railroad workers while building the transcontinental railroad. The main character was believable and his relationships with his father and brother managed to evolve quite a bit for such a short book. This isn't my favorite My Name Is America because it was a bit slower than normal, but not bad.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read about Railroads and the Immigrants who built them.
I remember reading about how this young man washed the plates and had to do so quickly because the men ate in three shifts and slept in bunk railway cars.
It talked about the shortcuts and the accidents within the railroad crews and rail lines.

[Pam Hettinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything historical fiction for young people should be! Loved it!

[John Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Journal of Sean Sullivan is a journal written by, you guessed it, Sean Sullivan. But what you didn't expect was that it wasn't written by Sean Sullivan, in essence. “Dear America” books, come on. By William Durbin? At least write, by Sean Sullivan, told by William Durbin, I mean, all the guy did was just do some copy and pasting and called it his own, right? I don't have anything wrong with the book, I like how he progresses and sends letters to little brother, but, WHO IS THIS GUY?? In my edition, I don't know about others, they supplied pictures of the railroad that he writes about in the book, but none of them even show him! And what great thing did he do? He did what everyone else did in the story! Worked on a railroad! Whoop dee doo! Why does he get credit? I bet others kept journals! And you would think that they chose his because something great happened, but no! He brings people water and gets promoted a couple of times, sends letters, tells us that he's “Too tuckered out to write”, and hits one of the last pegs into the rail way, which everyone did by the way! Precious few people knew he existed let alone did anything. Why couldn't you do someone interesting from that era, like Ulysses S Grant, or, Abe Lincoln? I bet it was supposed to be about working hard, you can do anything, but he didnt do anything cool! He just told us what did happen! Copy and paste O'Grandy's journal, it would have been better! Plus, at the epilogue, it said he visited EUGENE DEBS and agreed to all his ideas and started a labor foundation! He was a commie! Nonetheless, i enjoyed reading it and would recommend to people who like learning about random people.

[Wild Stev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Journal of Sean Sullivan is a very interesting book that takes you back to the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Sean is our main character an the book is written from his perspective as a diary. At a relatively young age of 13 (I think) his mother dies and he goes to live with his father a year later, who's working on the transcontinental railroad. After two or three years of work (I couldn't find the exact number) he progresses through the line of work on the railroad, starting as a water worker and going all the way to a railroad spiker. One of the seemingly most coveted jobs you can get there.

One of the very interesting things about this book is the way it's written. Im actually not sure if this book is a real journal or not. I assume it's historical fiction, based off of the character development being very unrealistic. But I could be wrong. It's written like an actual journal, there's even parts where he says he forgets to write and/or is too tired to. But overall I generally find this a very entertaining book, and I enjoyed reading it, even if it was for a school assignment.

[Richard Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Journal of Sean Sullivan is a historical novel about a young boy who is working to build the Transcontinental Railroad. I think this book is very well written and the characters are believable in their thoughts and sayings. Sean's Pa is a civil war veteran and a widower, and he is working on the railroad for pay. Later, his son joins him and starts as a water-carrier. Sean's strength increases through the book both physically and mentally, as he gets promoted, eventually, to a stake driver. This book also displays the social aspect and dynamics of the workers together, as the Chinese and Americans always get at each-other; Eventually leading to them blowing each other up.
Over-all, this book is a good read if you wish to understand the story of the Transcontinental Railroad.

-Richard

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad or poorly written, by any means. It just wasn't my preferred genre and was kind of boring and forgettable in my opinion. In some parts of the book, non-White people are treated poorly, which I disprove of, but I know that Europeans have done some pretty awful things that are worth mentioning in American history so that we don't repeat it. If you really like historical or diary fiction, then this book is probably one you would enjoy. Curse word warning: The N-word is spoken once and Chinese and Native American people are referred to with offensive names.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series, and this book was no exception. It's a more personal way of experiencing, albeit superficially, a period in American History. It's a gateway for exploring more on the subject. I enjoyed Sean, and his experiences in various jobs building the railroad. He was interesting!

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

An all-around good fictional diary. There are touches of humor to lighten up the sometimes grisly surroundings, and the famous events and people of the day are included in ways that usually feel organic.

[Addisyn White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that tells about the life of people that were trying to get money to help support their families needs.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and educational! It was really good!👍

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history, does end a bit abruptly but I enjoyed it.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still don't really have a grasp on just how laying tracks work, but it was an interesting story nonetheless.

[Terry Filkohazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative book. I like the illustrations on the book cover.

[Kit McAlear · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

[Randy Grossman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting story of the Transcontinental Railroad work, written in a journal form by a fictional character. Some actual historical people were mentioned and some historical events. I thought the author's conclusion of how the system was actually brought about was interesting, particularly the greed that was involved by most of the ones who backed the project. It didn't read like a novel, but still had some action and humor...it was reasonable enough.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean lives in Chicago with John, his brother and Aunt Katie and Uncle Willy. His mother died 3 years earlier in childbirth. His dad is working on the Transcontinental Railroad. When he is 15, his dad sends for him.

Sean begins as a water boy, then a butcher, then a grader, and finally a spiker. His journal records Indian attacks, run away traincars, and wild living. He is appalled as the the Central Pacific nears the Union Pacific and nitroglycerin is used by both, with fatalities on both sides. He also throws suspicion on the greediness of the financiers of the venture.

The Epilogue is a real eye opener. Who would have thought men would be so greedy in 1867, just 2 years after the Civil War???

The Railroad was the dream of Theodore Judah as early as 1856. He financed his own western trip to survey a rail line through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He was ridiculed until gold was discovered in California. In 1860, four wealthy California businessmen were willing to listen. They were Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Chas. Crocker, and Leland Stanford. They were the organizers of the Central Pacific. Then the Civil War began.

Lincoln urged Congress to pass the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 and they did. They appropriated $16,000/mile for flatland, $32,000 for foothills, and $48,000 for mountains. How in the world could they do that and pay for the War?

The Big Four immediately began scheming to make more $$$. They established a corporation to charge $90 million for $32 million. When Judah learned his partners were dishonest, he set sail for NY, but died in Panama. The Union Pacific was just as bad. Thomas Durant partnered with Geo Train and agreed to charge U.P. $50,000 for $30,000/mile. Both U.P. and C.P. made gargantuan contributions to Congress to slow down investigations.

By the time investigations occurred, those involved had taken their $$ and ran. A NY Sun article examined records and claimed the Big Four had pocketed $63 million and the U.P. $73 million. Amazingly no charges were filed.

HUNTINGTON claimed a fire destroyed his records OR maybe he bought a
shoreline.... HUNTINGTON BEACH
STANFORD endowed a university that bears his name
CROCKER built a million plus mansion
DURANT hid out in the Catskill Mts.

ALL CROOKS

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read of this series that uses "diaries" of young teenage boys to chronicle different historical events in U.S. history. This diary by Sean Sullivan follows his time with his father working on the transcontinental railroad and his adventures as he helps to construct this massive technological endeavor. I greatly appreciate several things about these books. The first is that the main protagonists are boys, which clearly has been done to entice more young male readers to pick up the books with a historical bent. I also like that the books have featured diverse characters. I like that the books don't sugarcoat or pander. The authors don't gloss over the violence, racism, or hardships present at this time in the United States. It presents it very straightforward and realistically. I like that Sean comments on the racism towards the Chinese and doesn't understand it and surprised when his own father displays a dislike of Chinese people. Finally, the books present the idea that boys and men are allowed to show emotions like sadness, anger, regret, and hope without any embarrassment. It tells boys who are reading the books that their feelings aren't anything to be ashamed of and that it's okay to access the whole range of emotions they have.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series as well as adding it to my classroom bookshelf.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

I've never heard of the "My Name is America" series but I think it's a great idea. What an interesting way to introduce various people and time periods and vocations to children.

This particular book covers the building of a section of the transcontinental railroad. The writing definitely fits the perspective of the main character - a teenage boy. The details are numerous, it's easy to picture the settings, and some of the events are shocking in their realistic portrayal.

Some of the material is a bit rough for the intended age group - 10+ years. The first few pages contain a scalping, a murder, and "fancy women." These things were not described in great detail but it was enough to get an accurate sense of the hazards and realities of this time period.

Overall, it was a good introduction to what it was like to work on the transcontinental railroad.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

[Diana Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading these because I love history. They are actually Scholastic kids books, but I love reading them. They are journals and I learn a lot about stories of the past...I have a whole collection of these books that I bought at the swap meet (very cheap) and am putting them on my "to do" list!

[Robby Madden III · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was The Journal of Sean Sullivan by William Durbin. This book would be a historical fiction, biography, and a novel. This book is about Sean Sullivan's job at the railroad. He worked with his pa and worked for two years. I rated this book four out of five stars because it was about real life events that was published.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slight anachronism as Sean seems to have a better understanding of germs than is realistic for the time. Also noticed one sentence with redundant wording. Story is good and stays interesting throughout.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. I'm not a huge fan of history books but this was just really good. It showed that people in life can move up in life like Sean did, and that all people are the same and should be treated equally. I think this is a book that more people should read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for this series. I feel like some of the story was drawn out, but that's to be expected. Well written and engaging. I did enjoy it quite a lot. Mr. Durbin did a great job. I would recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don't particularly like this series. but this one was very good!