Guts & Glory: The American Civil War

Guts & Glory #1

by Ben Thompson, C.M. Butzer (Illustrator)

History comes alive for kids like no textbook can in this epic account of the American Civil War that's perfect for history buffs and reluctant readers!

From courageous cavalry rides deep into enemy territory to harrowing covert missions undertaken by spies and soldiers, the events of the American Civil War were filled with daring figures and amazing feats. This exhilarating overview covers the biggest battles as well as captivating lesser-known moments to entertain kids with unbelievable (and totally true) tales of one of America's most fascinating conflicts.

History buff, Civil War reenactor, and popular blogger Ben Thompson uses his extensive knowledge and vivid storytelling style to bring the Civil War to life in this first book in a thrilling new series featuring incredible people, events, and civilizations. Get ready to learn just how awesome history can be!

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Civil War, American History, Middle Grade, Historical

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2014

About the author

I write stuff about badasses.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous piece of nonfiction, and written in a way that young readers will find interesting and accessible. Thompson infuses pop-culture comparisons and young adult language in a way that makes the Civil War come alive for young readers. Some of my favorites:

"The Union naval blockade was part of the US strategy known as the Anaconda Plan. Completely unrelated to the Ice Cube/Jennifer Lopez movie..."

"The dude's commanding officer came by the next morning to see what the goat cheese had happened there..."

"He [Lincoln] wasn't a guy who was about to give up and run home to Mama just because a few people came out and said they didn't like his attitude or whatever."

The book is filled with important Civil War staples--Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Appomattox Courthouse--but it also includes littler-known gems such as Belle Boyd, a female Confederate spy, and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first African-American regiments officially recognized by the Union army.

I also found myself tearing up multiple times. First, because reading about the events of the Civil War always shocks me, no matter how many times I hear about the brutal battles and loss of life--so many young men and women fought to hold a fledgling country together, and so many lost their lives. But I also found myself feeling nostalgic--I visited nearly all these places (Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville) with my dad before he was killed. A history buff and someone as knowledgeable about the Civil War as any scholar, my dad would tell us similar stories in the same way as the author of this book--in a way that left my brother and I waiting for the next one. Well done.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend if you are a homeschool parent teaching on the American Civil War! The audiobook was well done!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about the Civil War and my 13-year-old had to read this for school, so I borrowed it when she was done. I was very impressed with the work. It is certainly a surface reading of the war -mostly the battles - but it does a good job of covering a lot of ground.

What I really liked about this was that it went into more than just the major battles that are familiar to everyone. Thompson wrote about naval battles, and provided more information about the respective navies than I had read previously. He wrote about nurses and medical care on both sides, highlighting the first female medical officer in the U.S. armed forces. He even wrote about spies and their work during the war. Overall, he provided a good overview that, in my child at least, has encouraged further reading.

The only quibble I have with this is his language. Not that it's bad, but he's trying very hard to be hip and cool to middle-schoolers. Sometimes that works, but often it seems very clunky. And he needed to use the word "dude" about half as much as he did. Thompson does a very nice job of writing in an understandable way for that age group. I don't think he needed to work so hard with the language.

[Cedrik Vb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guts & Glory: The American Civil War


The Guts and Glory of the American Civil war by Ben Thompson, is about the coolest stuff in the American civil war. It tells of train raids, brave guys, and awesome attacks, along with some cool facts to go along.

The book is a great one, it is 100% nonfiction, it is great for civil war reports, and is fun for all to read, and enjoy.

[Snazzy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview with some interesting little known factoids thrown in for good measure.

[BADASSBOOKWORM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best history book I've ever read.

[Noah Lesser]

United States American cavalry rides deep into enemy territory to for fill missions provided by government. And undertaken by spies and soldiers, the events of the American Civil War were filled with daring figures and amazing battles against the Confederate States of America lasting from 1861-1865.

The beginning of this war began with eleven of the states moving to the southern side from 1860-1861 which caused the war.The most known general/the president of the United States Abraham Lincoln led his armies into battle but that was not the cause of death someone shot him in a theater. The second most known leader was Robert E. lee was a Confederate general who led the South.

[Alex Swaim · Rating 5 out of 5]

it told me more about the civil war ten i though

[C Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Guts and Glory, there are two sides, the Confederates and the Union. The Union is from the north and wants to abolish slavery and keep control. The Confederates are from the south, they want to keep slavery and gain control. They fight many battles of the years with each side taking victories as well as many casualties. The final battle was fought in Palmito Ranch, Texas where eventually General Lee of the confederate army surrendered. The Union kept control over the US and worked to start abolishing slavery.

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guts and Gory the Civil War is about The North side of the Unites states fighting for no slavery, and the south side fighting to have slavery. These two side split up and thus the Union (North side) and the Confederate (south side) was born. The very First fight was fought and It was called Bulls Run and the result was Confederates win. Then something happens the Union just keeps on winning and winning with some losses here and there. With that the Final fight called The end of the Line with the Union winning.

[Peyton Burke]

The Civil War lasted from 1861-1865, in the United States of America. The Union (North) wanted to ban slavery, while the Confederates (South) wanted to keep slavery. This caused tension between the two sides and eventually led to a war. The Union and The Confederates fought many battles, where some were lost and won for both side. In 1865, The Confederates finally surrendered to The Union and slavery was banned for the United States.

[Alexander Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far my opinion of “Guts and Glory The American Civil War” by Ben Thompson I really like the book and how he talks about stuff in the civil war that we don’t learn in school.
The book is written in the civil war and it talks about both the Confederate and the union sides of the war.
All through the book, the author talks about key players in the civil war and he talks about the people that you don’t learn about in school. An example is he talks about the president and the emancipation proclamation, But he also talks about how all these women disguised themselves as men and enlisted in the war. An example “Jennie Hodgers joined the Ninety-Fifth Illinois Infantry as Albert D.J. Cashier” Another example is the author talks about the only women in history to earn the Medal of Honor the highest achieving medal you can get in the Army she served as a surgeon.
I like the book because of how he goes into stuff about the civil war that I’ve never learned about. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about U.S. history.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, easy to read overview of the Civil War. It focuses on battles which are usually incredibly boring to read somehow in most books but limiting each battle to a few pages leaves no room for unnecessary detail. The writing still leaves room for characters and emotional stakes for the soldiers so it doesn't read like a encyclopedia. I really appreciate the Union and Confederate solider/casualty count after each battle. Each chapter has appendices relating other interesting stories and lives from the war. I'd read another of these on the Civil War.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly engaging but hardly unbiased walkthrough of key points and highlighting key (Confederate, mostly) characters. While it was an approachable and surprisingly entertaining read, given that the author claimed he wasn't backing a horse here, it definitely doesn't deliver on the "I don't pull any punches" on both sides claim that he makes in the introduction. To be fair though, I think noting that a family member has discharge papers from the Confederate Army on a wall in their house was probably an indication of where this was heading.

It does make you wonder at just how far the unreliability stretches. As an adult, I'm all too aware of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Klan connection, but it feels weird to see him mentioned at least twice prominently here with nothing more than a blink-and-you'll miss it vague reference to some controversy in his personal history. As if this could be maybe some youthful hijinks or getting in a fistfight not him being the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Somehow that seems an irresponsible omission in a book aiming to educate middle graders.

Did it tell a good story? For sure. Could I recommend it? Not without anything to counterbalance it at the very least.

I'd give it a solid 4 stars for readability, solid two for reliability/balance/accuracy. So here we are.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book for it’s humor, short story format, and the information spread throughout. The jokes sprinkled throughout every chapter keep every reader intrigued and helps avoid the book being labeled as bland and textbook-like. The short story format also allows for the author to cover events more “scattered” throughout time without confusing the reader, which is well done. This also allows for the book to project to more demographics by giving more variety to what content is in the book (I.e if you don’t enjoy reading about a certain character you can skip to the next chapter as there will be a completely new story). Even with this format though, the author still maintains an overarching story throughout, and while most people reading will know the ending of the story (the South loses), the author still creates suspense and excitement all the way along the last chapter. The listed reasons above paired with the educational text allows me to learn, laugh, and enjoy the book from start to finish.

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for history buffs or anyone who wants to know a little more about the Civil War.

This book is filled with accurate information from the first shots fired at Fort Sumter to the Confederate surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse. You will be waiting for more events to come. This book is packed with illustrations, facts, statistics, and quotes. The book is split up into stories, such as “Grant Versus Lee”, that are all connected together. There are facts about the war at the end of each chapter. These facts tell about things such as : “Women in the war” which tells about the unusual ways women served in the war. A good book for ages 10-15.

I enjoyed the illustrations that show what is happening in the story. They clearly show what you are reading. I give this book 4 stars.

Review by Young Mensan Cole P., age 11, Permian Basin Mensa

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting! I got a copy of this free in a book order, and I decided to read it, since later this year I cover the Civil War in my English class. (Lots of fascinating literature from the time, I promise!)

I'm sure my middle schoolers will love this. One critique I've seen of this book is that it's maybe not 100% factual at times. But to be fair, when you're condensing a 4 year war into a 352 page book, some things are going to be left out or accidentally skewed because of lack of space.

Frankly, I loved Thompson's modern speech, saying things like, "some dudes", "that's lame", and my personal favorite, "his amazing mustache" which came up at least 10 times throughout the book. It's humorous. It's a great way for kids to learn enough about the Civil War to research some more. And at the middle school level, that's perfect.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

History buffs will love this book! I know I did. Such fascinating details into America's most costly war. I love how the author brings in specific people to highlight - some who are not the ones we think of immediately when we hear "Civil War." I also like how he brings in what's going on in the world outside of the states at this time. It helps put things in perspective.

The voice is sarcastic at times and uses current day phrasing to add humor, when appropriate. I think my students will really enjoy this one.

Booktalk strategy: read some of the synopses written for each chapter title. Not only do they give a good overview of the chapter, but it also shows the voice of the author, which is compelling.

[Diane Carrozzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written for young people, but this old person really liked it. I have always had a tough time with anything Social Studies, and this book helped me understand so much about the Civil War. It's written in an interesting manner that young people would appreciate, but this old person likes to be entertained too, so I would recommend it for everyone.....that is, if you want a brief description of the major battles, major players, and lots of trivia concerning the American Civil War. It was right up my alley.

[Eric Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but I rounded up. The cover of this book says "100% not boring" and I'm tempted to agree. Each major battle and major character of the civil war is told in interesting and charismatic language. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Heroes on both sides of the war have their stories told in an interesting and engaging way. The only problem I had with this book was that occasionally his hyperbolic language made it confusing about whether something was fact or his own exaggerated way of saying something. Definitely a book I will refer to often and read again.

[Heikki Levasalmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It had so many stories of different tales, people, etc., but most of all, I loved how they wrote it. It had a great choice of what stories and it had facts saying what the size of the armies were, how many casualties, and who won if it was a battle. It also had some interesting facts in between the stories and was one of the greatest fun reading books I've read. 5/5 stars.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES. YES YES YES. First person nonfiction with a sense of humor, a sense of wonder, a healthy appetite for the absurd, and enough facts to bury Rush Limbaugh 12 feet deep.

Written so naturally and with such genuine interest in the subject and respect for the reader that I had to hold up a couple times and remind myself it was written for kids. YES again and DAMN.

[Josh McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thompson is a fantastic storyteller who inserts witticism and humor in amidst non stop action. This is not a history book that ponders theories - it's like a knowledge packed action movie. He's the sort of fantastic teacher that gets people into history by bringing it to life.

[Richard Lamont · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read quite a bit of historical books, so to me it was decent overall. I did like the way that he wrote it so younger readers could understand it though. Nevertheless, I rated it three stars because like I said, I have read better.

[MARY MASON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. It's like listening to a really cool history teacher. Lots of interesting, obscure information and very informative. I would recommend to anyone who says they don't like history.

[MitchellSev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guts and Glory Civil war was a phenomenal book. The stories about the north and the south were great. It surprised me how much bravery their was on both sides. It also included how the Confederacy tried to get Europe to help them out in their cause. These are some of the multiple reasons why I liked this book.
Guts and Glory Civil War book was a good book but there were some things in it I didn’t like. I did not like how they mainly stayed in the eastern theater. I wish the author would have put more western theater stories. Maybe even further west stories because their were some battles in the Arizona or New Mexico area. This are really the only problem I had with the book.
Guts and Glory Civil War was a great book. Overall I would rate this five stars. This probably the best Guts and glory book that I have read so far. I would recommend this book to people who like history or like to study battles. Guts and Glory Civil War was a great book and I would definitely recommend this book to anybody.

[E Paul]

It starts with Yankee Soldiers charging forward and fighting with, Colo Sergeant Alexander Campbell leading them into the battle front. A confederate soldier by the name of James Campbell, Alexander's Brother, fought on the opposite side of the war. This war was between the North and the south USA states; the south wanting to keep slavery and the North wanting to abolish slavery. The Second chapter talks about how the author has multiple family members who have fought in wars. The original attack plan for the Union (North side) was to come from behind the Confederacy but was caught off guard when they were met with 415 prisoner-turned-soldiers. Olysses S. Grant had the objective of finding and capturing any rebels (South side) on the Mississippi river, he broke bridges and captured many while simultaneously making a clear path for supplies into enemy territory. At the end of it all the Southern side submitted and The north side won while Slavery was abolished a few years after.

[Travis J. Coner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book (!) with one caveat, now that I've started his WW2 version, Slavery was not taken seriously enough. Compared to the somber, very well written intro to WW2 version about atrocities, the Civil war book was a little playful and glorifying of the Lost Cause, and I wish there had been a cold opening (just a page or two) just like WW2 helping young and old readers alike understanding this.

Besides that I enjoyed this history and had a breakthrough of understanding. I'm 33 and a teacher now but I just think the way college academic books are written bore more people away from this than they attract. In an age of constant distraction and endless sources of entertainment, this book really grabs you.

BONUS for the world history Civil War pages. That was fantastic!

[Suzanne Brayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a Scholastic book sale at my Junior High(where I work). I have not pushed through to finish quickly, rather, I have been stopping at intervals to google the place or people to fill in my understanding of the different battles etc.

The book is written like a newspaper, with articles and boxes with small amounts of info in them. It covers important battles, and important people and things in the Civil War, in chronological order. I have enjoyed this book a lot. It fills in a lot of gaps from other books. Also, it was written by the ancestor of a Civil War Soldier who adds his own interesting take on many of the events.

One small complaint, the author uses current day "hip" slang in order to make the text feel more relevant to young people. I could live without that. The text is interesting enough without it. At least it is used infrequently.