Taking a closer look at 1860s America, Sheinkin unravels the complicated string of events that had led to The Civil War. It is a time and a war that had threatened America's very existence, revealed in the surprising true stories of the soldiers and statesmen who had battled it out. Illustrations, .
New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor recipient Steve Sheinkin gives young readers the causes and curses that divided America into Union and Confederate nations in Two Miserable Presidents: The Amazing, Terrible, and Totally True Story of the Civil War, illustrated by Tim Robinson.
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A Beacon of Freedom Award Winner
Get the feeling something big is about to happen? Welcome to the Civil War--one of the scariest, saddest, and occasionally wackiest stories in American History.
1856: Northern and Southern settlers attack each other in Kansas.
1858: Congressmen start sneaking guns and knives into the Senate chamber.
1860: President James Buchanan is heard wailing, "I am the last president of the United States!"
Unraveling a very complicated string of events--the small things, the personal ones, the big issues--Steve Sheinkin takes readers behind the scenes that led to The Civil War. It is a time and a war that threatened America's very existence, revealed in the surprising true stories of the soldiers and statesmen who battled it out.
"Chatty and accessible, this book does double duty: it introduces Civil War history for readers who don't know much about it and supplies browsable commentary for those familiar with the big picture...Beginning with a look at the role cotton played in the history, his fast-paced narrative is broken into short, tersely titled vignettes...The horrors of slavery and battlefield slaughter are clear, as are achievements of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and many more." --Booklist
Also by Steve Sheinkin:
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War
Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion
King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution
Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America
“"The author's very readable effort combines the clear prose, objectivity, and good organization of a textbook with a chatty style and stories and quotes that will make historical figures real to readers. Chapters have intriguing titles, and the text is broken into easily digested segments. The book is supplemented with a variety of cartoons, illustrations, maps, and diagrams. . . . Sheinkin's book is a good choice to introduce students to the Civil War." - School Library Journal "Chatty and accessible, this book does double duty: it introduces Civil War history for readers who don't know much about it and supplies browsable commentary for those familiar with the big picture. . . . the informational content easily pushes this into the recommended category." - Booklist "Steve Sheinkin has done it again, with his enthralling tale about the bloodiest war in American history. Sheinkin does all of the legwork, researching and sifting through hundreds of primary and secondary sources in order to deliver a book about the Civil War that children will actually want to read. The two most "miserable" presidents in United States history, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, are humanized through Sheinkin's concise, fast-paced narration. . . . This is exactly the type of material that makes history interesting for readers and learners of all ages. Though the stories are full of humorous circumstances, quotations, and illustrations, Sheinkin's manuscript does not at all diminish the brutal reality of the Civil War. . . . Would recommend it to any teacher, student, or history lover." - Children's Literature”
"Chatty and accessible, this book does double duty: it introduces Civil War history for readers who don't know much about it and supplies browsable commentary for those familiar with the big picture. . . . Beginning with a look at the role cotton played in the history, his fast-paced narrative is broken into short, tersely titled vignettes. . . . The horrors of slavery and battlefield slaughter are clear, as are achievements of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and many more." --Booklist
Steve Sheinkin is the award-winning author of several fascinating books on American history, including The Notorious Benedict Arnold, which won the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for nonfiction, and received three starred reviews; and Bomb, a National Book Award finalist and recipient of five starred reviews. He lives in Saratoga Springs, NY.
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