The Underground Railroad and the Civil War

Gr 5-8-Two competently written, but dry titles. Each book includes black-and-white maps and average-quality archival photos and reproductions. Brooks examines participation by blacks in service to the Union and Confederate causes. While this is an aspect of the war that is not well known, the treatment here is sketchy at best. The rationales behind allowing African Americans to serve as well as the debates that held up their deployment on both sides of the conflict are explored in greater depth in Jim Haskins's Black, Blue and Gray: African Americans in the Civil War (S & S, 1998). Nofi presents the history of the Underground Railroad, its most famous participants, escapes, and rescues. He details the various jobs of the Railroad's workers and reasons why people supported it and participated in its activities. Correspondence among the members of this loosely knit organization round out the presentation. Jim Haskins's Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad (Scholastic, 1995) remains a more readable, better-developed account.-Virginia R. La Juene, Schenectady County Public Library System, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

These unevenly written but informative volumes focus on aspects of the Civil War not often covered in middle grade social studies texts. Despite repetition of some material in a few of the books, as a whole they provide a solid resource for students in search of Civil War history. All books are illustrated with archival photographs and drawings. Each book includes a Civil War chronology and a list of related websites. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This book tells of the collaborative system of antislavery sponsors who assisted fugitive Southern slaves in their flight to freedom in the Northern states or across the border into Canada. Excerpted from The Underground Railroad and the Civil War by Albert A. Nofi All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.