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My Brother Sam Is Dead
A young rebel's decision to fight against the British affects his Tory family
239 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
James Lincoln Collier
132 books68 followersJames Lincoln Collier (born June 27, 1928) is a journalist, author, and professional musician.
Collier's notable literary works include My Brother Sam Is Dead (1974), a Newbery Honor book that was also named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. He also wrote a children's book titled The Empty Mirror (2004), The Teddy Bear Habit (1967), about an insecure boy whose beatnik guitar teacher turns out to be a crook, and Rich and Famous (1975), sequel to The Teddy Bear Habit. His list of children's books also includes Chipper (2001), about a young boy in a gang. His writings for adults include numerous books on jazz, including biographies of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. He has also contributed entries on jazz-related subjects to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
In addition to his writing, Collier is an accomplished jazz musician who plays the trombone professionally.
Collier's notable literary works include My Brother Sam Is Dead (1974), a Newbery Honor book that was also named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. He also wrote a children's book titled The Empty Mirror (2004), The Teddy Bear Habit (1967), about an insecure boy whose beatnik guitar teacher turns out to be a crook, and Rich and Famous (1975), sequel to The Teddy Bear Habit. His list of children's books also includes Chipper (2001), about a young boy in a gang. His writings for adults include numerous books on jazz, including biographies of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. He has also contributed entries on jazz-related subjects to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
In addition to his writing, Collier is an accomplished jazz musician who plays the trombone professionally.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,068 reviews
October 21, 2007
This book is about a guy who's brother, Sam, is dead. Wait, he's not dead yet. He dies on the very last page of the book. Another title for this book could very be something along the lines of "My Brother Sam is in the Army and he's not Coming Home Until He Dies." That just about sums the book up. This book doesn't really have a plot. It's really about a guy (who's name I can't remember) who's brother goes off to fight in the army. After that, the guy talks to Sam's old girlfriend, gets his father killed, runs a tavern, talks to a general, and a whole lot of other stuff that has no overall relevence to the plot. If you're into the Revolotionary War, try something else, like, a history book or something. It's probably more interesting, doesn't need a plot, historically accurate, and has some pictures of what the war was like.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2023
I've never been to the state of Connecticut; but I traveled there, quite intimately, this past week, with this middle grades novel.
It makes sense: this work of historical fiction, that takes place during the American Revolution, was the brainchild of two brothers who grew up in Connecticut and who were, collectively, writers, educators, and historians.
It's a fascinating story, one that brings the Revolutionary War to life, and a quirky one, too.
The protagonist, young Tim, is a bit unformed, and his dialogue isn't always believable. The female characters, in general, are few and far between and unformed, to boot. I felt, a few times, like the authors, who were brothers to a younger sister, might have done themselves a favor and reached out to their sister, while writing this novel in the early 1970s, and asked her some questions and then listened, closely, to her answers.
These little niggles of mine that I've mentioned above are often notorious “deal breakers” for me while I'm reading and I tend to get testy with such issues. . . but, somehow, that didn't happen to me here.
To be honest, I was so completely immersed in the setting, it felt like the main character to me, but I was fascinated to learn that all of the characters in the book (minus the actual protagonist and his immediate family) were real people in Connecticut history, too.
By the end of the story, I was ugly crying. The authors weren't lying: his brother Sam really is dead. You'd think that the huge spoiler alert from the start might have curtailed my tears a bit, but I'm not thwarted, easily, from despair.
My 13-year-old thought the title was cruel and that the story was “too sad” to like better. She said she'd only give it a 3.5, since she had to watch me cry for an embarrassing length of time.
I'm rounding it up to four stars. For whatever reason, this story captured me, right from the start, and I'm not sure if I've ever been more interested in the Revolutionary War than I was while reading this.
It makes sense: this work of historical fiction, that takes place during the American Revolution, was the brainchild of two brothers who grew up in Connecticut and who were, collectively, writers, educators, and historians.
It's a fascinating story, one that brings the Revolutionary War to life, and a quirky one, too.
The protagonist, young Tim, is a bit unformed, and his dialogue isn't always believable. The female characters, in general, are few and far between and unformed, to boot. I felt, a few times, like the authors, who were brothers to a younger sister, might have done themselves a favor and reached out to their sister, while writing this novel in the early 1970s, and asked her some questions and then listened, closely, to her answers.
These little niggles of mine that I've mentioned above are often notorious “deal breakers” for me while I'm reading and I tend to get testy with such issues. . . but, somehow, that didn't happen to me here.
To be honest, I was so completely immersed in the setting, it felt like the main character to me, but I was fascinated to learn that all of the characters in the book (minus the actual protagonist and his immediate family) were real people in Connecticut history, too.
By the end of the story, I was ugly crying. The authors weren't lying: his brother Sam really is dead. You'd think that the huge spoiler alert from the start might have curtailed my tears a bit, but I'm not thwarted, easily, from despair.
My 13-year-old thought the title was cruel and that the story was “too sad” to like better. She said she'd only give it a 3.5, since she had to watch me cry for an embarrassing length of time.
I'm rounding it up to four stars. For whatever reason, this story captured me, right from the start, and I'm not sure if I've ever been more interested in the Revolutionary War than I was while reading this.
June 9, 2010
This is apparently an often-banned YA book. Since it was written in 1975, it has appeared on many annual banned-book lists. The reasons are varied, and IMO mostly ridiculous. One reason given was 'foul language' - the word damn was used once or twice, and perhaps even bloody, a British cuss word. Another reason given was 'extreme violence' - the Revolutionary War was going on, and descriptions were given of what had been seen in battle, including a beheading during a fight between British soldiers and armed Patriot sympathizers. 'Unpatriotic behavior' was another reason used for banning the book, because one of the characters in the book expressed her scorn and dislike of both sides of the conflict - her civilian husband had died in a British prison for selling beef to the wrong side, and her son was about to be executed by the Patriots on a false charge of stealing a cow.
This Newbery-winning book is worth reading on its own merits, but perhaps even more because so many people have tried to make sure it isn't read.
This Newbery-winning book is worth reading on its own merits, but perhaps even more because so many people have tried to make sure it isn't read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2014
I wish it was possible to give less than one star, or even negative stars. This book was just that bad.
For one thing, the title? I mean, seriously? It gives away what happens in the book. I am not even going to mark this post for spoilers because the title already does that for you.
I have never liked historical, but when we read this book for English class, I was so scarred I was afraid to even touch another book of the same genre.
To start off with, Tim, the main character, is a tiresome boy who looks to his obviously flawed brother like he hung the sun. I would accuse Tim of dating Sam, but apparently they are exes seeing as Sam ran away from home to join the army fighting against what his family belives in (what a way to show loyalty to your family, Sam).
Then, nothing happens in the book for a long time. And when I say a long time, I mean A LONG time! Long enough so I wanted to grab the audio player that was reading the book to us and break it. Long enough as to where I counted the seconds till class was out. Long enough to make my class doodle, shuffle their feet, tap their pens, and hum while not paying attention.
We start getting some action when Tim and his father set off to Verplanks point, apparently seeing the looming threat of cowboys as not important (really men, really? You are a loyalist riding through very progressive coutry-surely nothing is going to go bad there). And, soon enough, something bad did happen. Tim's father is captured, and then the cowboys come for Tim. Tim, exhausting what I fear was his last braincell, concocts a lie about how they are expecting escorts, and they leave Tim alone.
After the cowboy incident, nothing happens for a while and then we find out that Life-Tim's dad- is dead. The ironic part is that he said exactly what killed him would kill his son (if anyone is curious, he contracted cholera on a prison ship). By now, Tim is conflicted as to what side he is on after seeing the torries shoot a good man. He decides he won't be on a side! Gee, what clever thinking Tim!
Then, after a series of events so dull I almost fell asleep on my desk, Tim's brother Sam comes home, sneaks off duty to see his family, chases away come cattle theives, but fearing for their own safety, the cattle thieves beat Sam up and accuse him of stealing the cattle.
Sam is shot because he is suspected of cattle theivery. His brother Sam aint living anymore.
What a disappointing way to end the book! Being accused of being a cattle theif isnt exactly the heroic way that you would want to go.
Well, whatever. I cried at that point, not because I was sad about Sam dying, because I was so happy this book was done with.
Please, I beg of you all, never read this book.
For one thing, the title? I mean, seriously? It gives away what happens in the book. I am not even going to mark this post for spoilers because the title already does that for you.
I have never liked historical, but when we read this book for English class, I was so scarred I was afraid to even touch another book of the same genre.
To start off with, Tim, the main character, is a tiresome boy who looks to his obviously flawed brother like he hung the sun. I would accuse Tim of dating Sam, but apparently they are exes seeing as Sam ran away from home to join the army fighting against what his family belives in (what a way to show loyalty to your family, Sam).
Then, nothing happens in the book for a long time. And when I say a long time, I mean A LONG time! Long enough so I wanted to grab the audio player that was reading the book to us and break it. Long enough as to where I counted the seconds till class was out. Long enough to make my class doodle, shuffle their feet, tap their pens, and hum while not paying attention.
We start getting some action when Tim and his father set off to Verplanks point, apparently seeing the looming threat of cowboys as not important (really men, really? You are a loyalist riding through very progressive coutry-surely nothing is going to go bad there). And, soon enough, something bad did happen. Tim's father is captured, and then the cowboys come for Tim. Tim, exhausting what I fear was his last braincell, concocts a lie about how they are expecting escorts, and they leave Tim alone.
After the cowboy incident, nothing happens for a while and then we find out that Life-Tim's dad- is dead. The ironic part is that he said exactly what killed him would kill his son (if anyone is curious, he contracted cholera on a prison ship). By now, Tim is conflicted as to what side he is on after seeing the torries shoot a good man. He decides he won't be on a side! Gee, what clever thinking Tim!
Then, after a series of events so dull I almost fell asleep on my desk, Tim's brother Sam comes home, sneaks off duty to see his family, chases away come cattle theives, but fearing for their own safety, the cattle thieves beat Sam up and accuse him of stealing the cattle.
Sam is shot because he is suspected of cattle theivery. His brother Sam aint living anymore.
What a disappointing way to end the book! Being accused of being a cattle theif isnt exactly the heroic way that you would want to go.
Well, whatever. I cried at that point, not because I was sad about Sam dying, because I was so happy this book was done with.
Please, I beg of you all, never read this book.
May 13, 2022
"It's a funny thing. You'd think that if there was a war going on in your own country, it would change everything, it would make your life different. You'd think that there'd be men marching and drilling and people hurrying back and forth and lots of talk about fighting. But it wasn't that way at all; it wasn't any different from usual, it was just normal." (PG. 38)
2.5
Newbery Honor Award- YA- 1974
"And he's thinking that it doesn't matter very much who he executes to do it. So many men have died, so many mothers have wept, so many brothers and sisters have cried. He [General Putnam] is thinking that in the long run if he executes somebody, he'll have to shorten the war and save more lives. It doesn't matter to him very much who he executes; one man's agony is like another's, one mother's tears are no wetter than anybody else's. And that's why he's going to have Sam shot." (PG. 194)
This is a very interesting time period for me. The Revolution of pre-United States against the King of England through the years of 1775-1783. Unfortunately, the writing did not work for me. I didn't like the narration or his storytelling. Instead of talking about his experiences he kept interrupting to give the reader facts of this time period. Luckily I read the author's note and discovered the brother's modernized the writing because the King's English would be too hard to follow. The modernized writing was getting on my nerves because for this time period there wasn't cursing. There was lots of damn and G-damnit among these pages. My kids never take God's name in vain and I wouldn't be comfortable for them to read this, it was throughout the book not just once or twice. I Googled curse words of that time period and they were hard to find which led me to believe that only convicts and "sinners" talked this way.
The mother also felt modernized. She was grieving, yes, but throwing back some rum shots and talking back to men during a war period wasn't ladylike in the company of men and could've gotten her kicked out of Redding in a minute. The girlfriend of Sam was also too modern, following a boy around and speaking her mind against the Tory's. Women were too behind the scenes during this period and their personalities didn't fit the narrative.
This is also the first book that the cover title is the spoiler. WHY? Which brother author thought this was a great idea? Spoiled the ending and the suspense of how he died.
I did like that the authors put in real historical figures and worked them in to suit the novel. Benedict Arnold makes an appearance.
It was Meh. I hope to find a better YA of the Revolutionary War. History needs to be taught and holes need to be filled in.
"History is written by Victors."-- Winston Churchill (unknown origins) Implies that history is not grounded in facts, rather it's winners' interpretation of them that prevails. The victors can force their narrative down on the people. (Google)
2.5
Newbery Honor Award- YA- 1974
"And he's thinking that it doesn't matter very much who he executes to do it. So many men have died, so many mothers have wept, so many brothers and sisters have cried. He [General Putnam] is thinking that in the long run if he executes somebody, he'll have to shorten the war and save more lives. It doesn't matter to him very much who he executes; one man's agony is like another's, one mother's tears are no wetter than anybody else's. And that's why he's going to have Sam shot." (PG. 194)
This is a very interesting time period for me. The Revolution of pre-United States against the King of England through the years of 1775-1783. Unfortunately, the writing did not work for me. I didn't like the narration or his storytelling. Instead of talking about his experiences he kept interrupting to give the reader facts of this time period. Luckily I read the author's note and discovered the brother's modernized the writing because the King's English would be too hard to follow. The modernized writing was getting on my nerves because for this time period there wasn't cursing. There was lots of damn and G-damnit among these pages. My kids never take God's name in vain and I wouldn't be comfortable for them to read this, it was throughout the book not just once or twice. I Googled curse words of that time period and they were hard to find which led me to believe that only convicts and "sinners" talked this way.
The mother also felt modernized. She was grieving, yes, but throwing back some rum shots and talking back to men during a war period wasn't ladylike in the company of men and could've gotten her kicked out of Redding in a minute. The girlfriend of Sam was also too modern, following a boy around and speaking her mind against the Tory's. Women were too behind the scenes during this period and their personalities didn't fit the narrative.
This is also the first book that the cover title is the spoiler. WHY? Which brother author thought this was a great idea? Spoiled the ending and the suspense of how he died.
I did like that the authors put in real historical figures and worked them in to suit the novel. Benedict Arnold makes an appearance.
It was Meh. I hope to find a better YA of the Revolutionary War. History needs to be taught and holes need to be filled in.
"History is written by Victors."-- Winston Churchill (unknown origins) Implies that history is not grounded in facts, rather it's winners' interpretation of them that prevails. The victors can force their narrative down on the people. (Google)
January 12, 2009
This book is the best.
June 2, 2017
I like the book but it gave the end a way from the title
February 15, 2009
I had been told by authoritative sources that this was an excellent book to add to our collection of American historical fiction. I did not like it because I found it unbelievable. Their is one young lady in particular that had a mouth and manners that would have been regarded as tremendously rude and uncouth in a young lady at that time. (I think would be equally so in today's world but unfortunately more common.)
This book has the distinction of representing the Loyalist point of view during the American Revolutionary War, but I have found several others written for a younger audience that are much better in my opinion.
This book has the distinction of representing the Loyalist point of view during the American Revolutionary War, but I have found several others written for a younger audience that are much better in my opinion.
January 13, 2008
My Brother Sam is a story that takes place during the American Revolution. It is the story of a boy named Sam who decided to join the Rebel army. His family owns a tavern and do not agree with Sam’s decision to join the army because they support the British government. There is additional conflict when Sam needs a weapon before he leaves, so he makes plans to steal his father’s gun. Sam’s journey is a long one with many difficult times. He quickly grows up because there is no longer time to act like a child when you are fighting a war. He experiences the excitement of winning a battle, but at the same time learns and experiences the tragedy of war and sees many friends die. It is story that brings to life the history of America, while making it a personal journey of one boy fighting for what he believed was the right thing to do for America.
The tone of the story is a mixture of excitement for the possibilities of what America can become, but at the same time there is a great deal of tragedy in Sam’s experience. He and his family experience many difficult times just as families did at that time. The characters in the story, Sam, his brother Tim, his mother and father, and his girlfriend Betsy, would seem to be the members of any family living in America at the time of the American Revolution. They each have their own belief about what is right and wrong, and if the fighting between the colonists is good or bad for the country. There is conflict as well as the support for each other that families provide. It was a difficult time, but the story is well told with the theme of the American Revolution and the lessons learned from it. By providing images of real battles and places you get a better understanding of how difficult life must have been during that time in America.
I would suggest this book to everyone. It is probably most interesting for someone who enjoys American History. It is also a good read for anyone who doesn’t normally like history because you can learn a lot about the American Revolution by living it with Sam. Although it is fiction, the writer has used real battles and real places in history to tell the story which make it interesting and educational at the same time. This book offers the excitement of a mystery, in what will happen next. The joy of love and the tragedy of death, with the details of the history of our country are all in this book. I give this book 4 stars!
The tone of the story is a mixture of excitement for the possibilities of what America can become, but at the same time there is a great deal of tragedy in Sam’s experience. He and his family experience many difficult times just as families did at that time. The characters in the story, Sam, his brother Tim, his mother and father, and his girlfriend Betsy, would seem to be the members of any family living in America at the time of the American Revolution. They each have their own belief about what is right and wrong, and if the fighting between the colonists is good or bad for the country. There is conflict as well as the support for each other that families provide. It was a difficult time, but the story is well told with the theme of the American Revolution and the lessons learned from it. By providing images of real battles and places you get a better understanding of how difficult life must have been during that time in America.
I would suggest this book to everyone. It is probably most interesting for someone who enjoys American History. It is also a good read for anyone who doesn’t normally like history because you can learn a lot about the American Revolution by living it with Sam. Although it is fiction, the writer has used real battles and real places in history to tell the story which make it interesting and educational at the same time. This book offers the excitement of a mystery, in what will happen next. The joy of love and the tragedy of death, with the details of the history of our country are all in this book. I give this book 4 stars!
November 17, 2017
This was such a good yet heartbreaking story about a family living through the Revolutionary War. I greatly enjoyed reading a book that showed that there were no good or bad sides as there are both no matter which side you are on. So much of this book has truth to it which is heartbreaking to know but helped me visualize the events and life during the time of war. I'm so glad that I had to read this book during school as it was one of the best books I read during that time. It was hard to read as a child but maybe that is why I remember it so much.
November 15, 2015
1.5 stars
Why you should not read this book:
1. Depiction of American patriots as immature and uninformed
2. Underlying innuendos of American Revolution being a pointless war
3. Colorless characters. As one reviewer said,“They were not loved and lost to me, just there and lost, or not…”
4. Unrealistic dialogue
5. Use of language and cursing inappropriate to time period (and inappropriate read for/to middle school and younger age kids.)
6. Story is just a series of disjointed events with no emotion
7. The ending is abrupt and poorly done. it left a feeling of, “and that’s it?”
8. It is a short box that dragged.
9. Poor writing
10. Audio version is just awful . . . narrator has unpleasant voice and speaks slooowly with looong pauses between events.
Not totally a lame book as it does give some important insights regarding the resulting devastations that war brings to communities and families. However an implication easily drawn from the story is that the American Revolution was a sad and unnecessary event. Seriously. Near the end of the book the family doesn't really care who wins . . . they just want the war to be over. It really bothers me this is on many 4th-9th grade required reading lists, not only because of the points listed above but because there are better books on the subject for children and young adults.
Why you should not read this book:
1. Depiction of American patriots as immature and uninformed
2. Underlying innuendos of American Revolution being a pointless war
3. Colorless characters. As one reviewer said,“They were not loved and lost to me, just there and lost, or not…”
4. Unrealistic dialogue
5. Use of language and cursing inappropriate to time period (and inappropriate read for/to middle school and younger age kids.)
6. Story is just a series of disjointed events with no emotion
7. The ending is abrupt and poorly done. it left a feeling of, “and that’s it?”
8. It is a short box that dragged.
9. Poor writing
10. Audio version is just awful . . . narrator has unpleasant voice and speaks slooowly with looong pauses between events.
Not totally a lame book as it does give some important insights regarding the resulting devastations that war brings to communities and families. However an implication easily drawn from the story is that the American Revolution was a sad and unnecessary event. Seriously. Near the end of the book the family doesn't really care who wins . . . they just want the war to be over. It really bothers me this is on many 4th-9th grade required reading lists, not only because of the points listed above but because there are better books on the subject for children and young adults.
March 16, 2023
I've been aware of this book since . . . forever? but never actually read it or been that interested. However, my youngest's 5th grade teacher started the audiobook for them the other day, and then stopped it because she hadn't read it either, and didn't realize a) that they say "damn" so much and b) that it is really upsetting. She is reading it herself, and I thought, I should read that, too! And yeah, it's so different from kids' books these days.
I mean, sure, it's all there in the title, you know it's about the Revolutionary War, and that his brother will die. But the frank talk about the soldiers from both sides stealing from the people. The father being beaten and threatened by the Continental soldiers, and eventually taken, imprisoned, and then dying in filth of cholera. The presentation of this would be VERY different in a book about the same topic written in the last ten years or so! There's talk of the soldiers running wild in the countryside, "raping the women, stealing the cattle, killing for food." I feel like if this were written today, either the narrator would be aged up and it would be young adult, or these details would be sanitized if it were aimed at middle grade readers.
I really liked it, as it showed the confusion and futility of war, and the deprivations on both sides. Tim felt like a real person, his uncertainty over which side was "right" after seeing the horrors perpetrated by both sides, and pointing out that neither King George nor the Continental Congress affected him in his daily life was very real. I think this book really holds up, and I think it would be a good one to assign and discuss in talking about the Revolutionary War.
I mean, sure, it's all there in the title, you know it's about the Revolutionary War, and that his brother will die. But the frank talk about the soldiers from both sides stealing from the people. The father being beaten and threatened by the Continental soldiers, and eventually taken, imprisoned, and then dying in filth of cholera. The presentation of this would be VERY different in a book about the same topic written in the last ten years or so! There's talk of the soldiers running wild in the countryside, "raping the women, stealing the cattle, killing for food." I feel like if this were written today, either the narrator would be aged up and it would be young adult, or these details would be sanitized if it were aimed at middle grade readers.
I really liked it, as it showed the confusion and futility of war, and the deprivations on both sides. Tim felt like a real person, his uncertainty over which side was "right" after seeing the horrors perpetrated by both sides, and pointing out that neither King George nor the Continental Congress affected him in his daily life was very real. I think this book really holds up, and I think it would be a good one to assign and discuss in talking about the Revolutionary War.
August 23, 2019
I should have been leery when the ending of the book is spoiled in the title. Not a good sign.
The beginning started out OK, but the moment Tim's older brother Sam runs off to join the Revolutionary War, the writers spent the next 185 pages telegraphing the ending.
There were two major deaths in the family and one of a close friend of Tim. I understood that the writers were trying to demonstrate the futility of war and conflict, but an actual reason for the death of a 10 year old child would have been useful.
Spoilers
In an effort to get on the good side of the local community, an American General executes one of his own men, Tim's brother Sam, for stealing cattle that belonged to Sam, Tim, and their Mother. If that sentence makes no sense to you, then you see the problem I had with the book.
Not Recommended.
The beginning started out OK, but the moment Tim's older brother Sam runs off to join the Revolutionary War, the writers spent the next 185 pages telegraphing the ending.
There were two major deaths in the family and one of a close friend of Tim. I understood that the writers were trying to demonstrate the futility of war and conflict, but an actual reason for the death of a 10 year old child would have been useful.
Spoilers
In an effort to get on the good side of the local community, an American General executes one of his own men, Tim's brother Sam, for stealing cattle that belonged to Sam, Tim, and their Mother. If that sentence makes no sense to you, then you see the problem I had with the book.
Not Recommended.
January 16, 2009
My Brother Sam is Dead by Collier and Collier
Newberry Honour Book
Rating: 9/10. I love anti-war books.
Basic plot: Tim, the narrator, is a preteen boy who idolizes his brother. But when Sam defies his father and leaves Yale to fight in the American Revolution, Tim is torn between loyalties. Tim's father is captured by "cow-boys" (men who steal cattle for the Patriots/Rebels) but Tim manages to get home to his mother. Father, who was against the war from the beginning, ironically dies aboard a British prison ship. Toward the end of the novel, Sam is executed by his commander for allegedly stealing cattle, when in reality he was trying to save his family's cattle from other soldiers. Tim has to grow up a lot over the course of the novel, and in the epilogue you find out that he lives to have grandchildren and be very prosperous in the new America, but he still wonders if there could have been a better way than war to obtain freedom.
Why Challenged? My Guess? Anti-war sentiment, violence, language, injustice.
Research says: because of profanity
Profanity and graphic depictions of war.
complaints over violence and profanity.
the book's language and references to rape, drinking and battlefield violence.
Offensive Language, Unsuited To Age Group
Newberry Honour Book
Rating: 9/10. I love anti-war books.
Basic plot: Tim, the narrator, is a preteen boy who idolizes his brother. But when Sam defies his father and leaves Yale to fight in the American Revolution, Tim is torn between loyalties. Tim's father is captured by "cow-boys" (men who steal cattle for the Patriots/Rebels) but Tim manages to get home to his mother. Father, who was against the war from the beginning, ironically dies aboard a British prison ship. Toward the end of the novel, Sam is executed by his commander for allegedly stealing cattle, when in reality he was trying to save his family's cattle from other soldiers. Tim has to grow up a lot over the course of the novel, and in the epilogue you find out that he lives to have grandchildren and be very prosperous in the new America, but he still wonders if there could have been a better way than war to obtain freedom.
Why Challenged? My Guess? Anti-war sentiment, violence, language, injustice.
Research says: because of profanity
Profanity and graphic depictions of war.
complaints over violence and profanity.
the book's language and references to rape, drinking and battlefield violence.
Offensive Language, Unsuited To Age Group
February 26, 2009
this is one book that i enjoed that is historical fiction.
December 11, 2018
boring....
June 18, 2025
I’ve been putting off this book for a long time. I hate to give this a one star, but let’s be honest, this book is trash.
Read
October 30, 2025I really don’t remember reading this book nor why I rated it five stars because I am unfortunately DNFING this book because there’s parents hitting and fighting their children. As of right now, I just recently DNFED Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan due to the same reason the first time I was reading it. It’s also a Trigger Warning for this book as well.
March 2, 2015
I did not like this book, I thought it was boring, tasteless and had no high or low points through out. When i read a book I like to have the feeling of wanting to read the next page, but this book did not do that. It might be because it was assigned to me in class. So maybe if I read it by myself i would like it, but i feel I would never take this book of a library shelf. The book and its title is so blunt there is no where to go in the story. The title itself tells you the climax which is usually supposed to be an unknown point and very entertaining. Overall it was a decent book, but I did not like the style or the plot. The only reason I would recommend this book to someone is if they needed to finish it for their english/history grade.
August 21, 2019
Not one of the better Newbery books. The writing is very heavy-handed.
The first person perspective doesn’t work because the author keeps inserting random historical trivia into the mouth of a 13-year-old. We needed the boy’s thoughts, and then separately a narrator describing the surroundings for us. Having the boy's emotions + historical facts all mashed together into Tim’s inner voice doesn’t work. It loses realism.
There are scenes of graphic violence and some swear words. But I don’t see why it would be banned — maybe just selected for older readers instead of younger ones. But again, that doesn't work because Tim's voice is so young.
Spoiler side note: There's a scene when Tim takes a musket from Sam while he's asleep, and threatens him with it. "I'll shoot you," Tim says, and Sam reacts as if he really could shoot the gun, and this is mentioned by other characters later. I find this incredibly fake because: 1) there's no way a smart solider would sleep with a loaded gun under his head, therefore 2) the gun likely wasn't loaded, and Sam would know this, and 3) it takes a good 5 minutes to load a musket (any gun from the 1700s, really). So therefore Tim's threat is hollow, because he couldn't actually shoot the gun. The most he could do is hit someone with the butt of the gun, and Tim himself says he could barely hold the thing properly. This annoyed me to no end.
For a better Revolutionary book, read Phoebe the Spy.
Newbery Honor book in 1975.
The first person perspective doesn’t work because the author keeps inserting random historical trivia into the mouth of a 13-year-old. We needed the boy’s thoughts, and then separately a narrator describing the surroundings for us. Having the boy's emotions + historical facts all mashed together into Tim’s inner voice doesn’t work. It loses realism.
There are scenes of graphic violence and some swear words. But I don’t see why it would be banned — maybe just selected for older readers instead of younger ones. But again, that doesn't work because Tim's voice is so young.
Spoiler side note: There's a scene when Tim takes a musket from Sam while he's asleep, and threatens him with it. "I'll shoot you," Tim says, and Sam reacts as if he really could shoot the gun, and this is mentioned by other characters later. I find this incredibly fake because: 1) there's no way a smart solider would sleep with a loaded gun under his head, therefore 2) the gun likely wasn't loaded, and Sam would know this, and 3) it takes a good 5 minutes to load a musket (any gun from the 1700s, really). So therefore Tim's threat is hollow, because he couldn't actually shoot the gun. The most he could do is hit someone with the butt of the gun, and Tim himself says he could barely hold the thing properly. This annoyed me to no end.
For a better Revolutionary book, read Phoebe the Spy.
Newbery Honor book in 1975.
October 15, 2020
I think its really good book, I really recommend it because its really nice, it has a lot of good information, and I think others will like it.
January 6, 2015
The book "My Brother Sam Is Dead" was a very reasonable book over the American Revolution. This book was interesting at first ,but the book kinda lost me towards the ending. One of the things I didn't like about this book was the title. I believe the author," James Lincoln " could have used a better title, I think the title tells you a little to much about the story. It tells the reader that a man or brother named Sam dies. As a reader you imagine who is Sam and why did he die. Well in the book it does tell you about Sam and his family, but I believe that the author could have gave us a little more about Tim's personal feelings. I think that it did not give us enough details about his emotions. This story is told in Tims piont of view ,but it does not tells us about what Tim's thinking, or doing. I surely reccomend this book to fans of American History.
March 7, 2019
Oh brother. That ending. 🙄
I might have given it three stars if it hadn’t been for the ending which I thought was pretty contrived and stupid.
I liked the bits based on historical facts and how the author explained them at the end. I just can’t believe the ending. It was too far.
Tim wasn’t exactly a great character. He didn’t have any strong ideals or anything that made you root for him. His dad wasn’t likable at all and his mom was a non-entity, completely flat.
I suppose the point is War is bad no matter what side you’re on, but I didn’t need to read this book to get that point. And I’ve read better books that prove that point.
Definitely wouldn’t recommend to anyone. I’ve read a lot better historical fiction that I would recommend first.
I might have given it three stars if it hadn’t been for the ending which I thought was pretty contrived and stupid.
I liked the bits based on historical facts and how the author explained them at the end. I just can’t believe the ending. It was too far.
Tim wasn’t exactly a great character. He didn’t have any strong ideals or anything that made you root for him. His dad wasn’t likable at all and his mom was a non-entity, completely flat.
I suppose the point is War is bad no matter what side you’re on, but I didn’t need to read this book to get that point. And I’ve read better books that prove that point.
Definitely wouldn’t recommend to anyone. I’ve read a lot better historical fiction that I would recommend first.
January 7, 2015
This book was easy to follow. Some things were bad like the title. Why name it My Brother Sam is Dead when he only dies at the end of the book? Other than that it was okay. It shows how life in the war wasn't that great. People struggled with the way it caused all the prices to go up. Besides the title giving it away right as the tension was creating, the book was a good book. I believe this book would also be a good book for a class if you were strugling or even needed it for a prodject. It gives you an inside look on how it really affected people. It will change the way you look at how the war really was.
March 29, 2021
This is one of the most depressing books I ever read as a child. I can still remember reading this book with my 5th grade class, and being horrified at the description of the death Sam recieves. I mean, we all saw it coming (the title kind of gives it away), but the lead up to that point was just so depressing. Since I did read it a while ago, there probably were some good parts that I enjoyed at the time but that have by now slipped my mind. However, when I think of this novel now, the only parts I can remember are the bad ones, as well as the overwhelming feeling of sadness I felt throughout the novel for all this poor family.
November 21, 2019
Historical fiction set during the American Revolution. Of course, it isn't really about the revolution, it's about the generation gap of the late 60's early 70's. Sam fights for the revolution, even though his stick in the mud father is loyal to the crown. The protagonist of the book, Sam's younger brother, doesn't know what to make of the situation. It's definitely anti-war, as was the fashion at the time.
April 23, 2016
WHAT THE FRICK IS THIS BOOK. IT INTRODUCED ME TO NEW BAD WORDS AND MADE ME HATE 5TH GRADE. I NEVER WANT TO SEE THIS AGAIN AND IF I DO I WILL RIP IT IN HALF AND SHOOT IT UP A CANNON INTO GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BUTTHOLE. AND PS SAM DIED.
March 10, 2020
This is the only book I've ever read where the title spoils the ending.
January 20, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up for nostalgia. My 4-6th grade teacher read this book to us, so I always had it in the back of my mind as my *first* Revolutionary War book. I distinctly remembering having a discussion about what being "tarred and feathered" meant, as this was the first time most of us kids had heard of such a punishment. It may have also been the first time that we were presented with the notion that the war wasn't just "good guys" versus "bad guys", but that there were good and bad on both sides or on neither side.
As for the story itself....it's decent for a middle-reader book. It's not an exciting, battle-heavy war book, but rather a book about the lives of ordinary people during the war. The war itself was happening off elsewhere, and these are just regular folks dealing with the fallout.
Being somewhat of a "classic", this might not appeal to the average middle grade reader these days, but kids who are interested in the time period should still appreciate it.
As for the story itself....it's decent for a middle-reader book. It's not an exciting, battle-heavy war book, but rather a book about the lives of ordinary people during the war. The war itself was happening off elsewhere, and these are just regular folks dealing with the fallout.
Being somewhat of a "classic", this might not appeal to the average middle grade reader these days, but kids who are interested in the time period should still appreciate it.
Read
January 6, 2010A terrible, brilliant historical novel about the reality of war on the homefront, how it disrupts and destroys families and how it forces young people to grow up quickly. Tim, the narrator, is 13, the son of a tavern owner in Connecticut, when the American Revolution begins.
"So there were a lot of changes in our lives, but the biggest was the one that was happening inside myself. Ever since I had got the wagon home by myself I hadn't felt like a boy anymore. You don't think that things really happen overnight, but this one did. Of course I was dead tired when I went to bed that night, and Mother let me sleep late in the morning. And when I woke up I was different. I noticed it first at breakfast. Usually I sat there over my porridge moaning to myself about the chores I had to do or having to go to school or something, and trying to think of some way to get out of whatever it was. Or when Mother turned her head I'd scoop up a fingerful of molasses from the jar and stir it into my milk. Or I'd eat breakfast slowly so I could stall off going to work.
"But that morning after the terrible trip home, right from the first moment we got finished saying grace, I began planning the things I had to do - which things had to be done first and what was the best way to get them done. It was funny: it didn't even cross my mind to stall or try to get out of the work. I didn't wait for Mother to tell me what to do: I brought the subject up myself. ....
"We discussed it all, and about half way through breakfast I began to realize that I had changed. I wasn't acting my usual self, I was acting more like a grownup. You couldn't say that I was really an adult, but I wasn't a child anymore, that was certain. I thought about showing off in front of [my older brother:] Sam when he came home. I'd say things like, 'Well, Sam, we've decided not to put in oats this year, we're going to use the space for corn.' Or, 'We're not keeping the kitchen fire going all the time - I haven't got enough time for woodcutting as it is.' I would be the one who knew about things, not him." pp. 132-133
"So there were a lot of changes in our lives, but the biggest was the one that was happening inside myself. Ever since I had got the wagon home by myself I hadn't felt like a boy anymore. You don't think that things really happen overnight, but this one did. Of course I was dead tired when I went to bed that night, and Mother let me sleep late in the morning. And when I woke up I was different. I noticed it first at breakfast. Usually I sat there over my porridge moaning to myself about the chores I had to do or having to go to school or something, and trying to think of some way to get out of whatever it was. Or when Mother turned her head I'd scoop up a fingerful of molasses from the jar and stir it into my milk. Or I'd eat breakfast slowly so I could stall off going to work.
"But that morning after the terrible trip home, right from the first moment we got finished saying grace, I began planning the things I had to do - which things had to be done first and what was the best way to get them done. It was funny: it didn't even cross my mind to stall or try to get out of the work. I didn't wait for Mother to tell me what to do: I brought the subject up myself. ....
"We discussed it all, and about half way through breakfast I began to realize that I had changed. I wasn't acting my usual self, I was acting more like a grownup. You couldn't say that I was really an adult, but I wasn't a child anymore, that was certain. I thought about showing off in front of [my older brother:] Sam when he came home. I'd say things like, 'Well, Sam, we've decided not to put in oats this year, we're going to use the space for corn.' Or, 'We're not keeping the kitchen fire going all the time - I haven't got enough time for woodcutting as it is.' I would be the one who knew about things, not him." pp. 132-133
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