Historical and Fiction

 For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson 

 

    For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson is a comprehensive look at why soldiers fought in the Civil War. McPherson began investigating this literary journey in 1976 on a trip to Gettysburg. After examining thousands of letters, memoirs, and firsthand accounts, he found the explanation for the motivation of these soldiers: duty and honor and their commitment to their fellow soldiers.     The primary sense of duty and honor were closely tied together. Men from the Northern states felt it was a duty to protect the Union, while Southern men thought defending their homes and way of life was honorable. Many men's sense of duty came from the pressures from their community. "Nine-tenths of them enlisted just because somebody else was going, and the other tenth was ashamed to stay home" (McPherson 28). Men who would not fight were labeled cowards. Refusing to fight was seen as dishonor in the eyes of the family and the community. Despite the hardships and cruelty of the Civil War, many men were "sustained alone by a strong sense of duty" (McPherson 169). At the same time, McPherson shows the reader how attached the soldiers became to one another through shared experiences and trials of War. Each military unit grew closer and became a "true band of brothers" (McPherson 85). Any man in the unit that refused to fight endangered his life and the life of others and faced exile by the group. One soldier wrote, "Those men on the line were my family" (McPherson 86). As the Civil War wore on, these men fought more for each other than for any other reason. McPherson masterfully weaves the two themes of duty and honor and commitment to one another together to give the reader an understanding of the soldiers' powerful sense of responsibility towards one another.     For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War is a work of literary art. The theme is broken down into 12 subjects and carefully written to give value to each aspect of life the soldiers faced on the battlefield. Each topic provides the reader with a unique and in-depth look into why men chose to fight in the Civil War and their motivations to continue fighting. McPherson gives insight into the human side of the Civil War and helps the reader see the firsthand experiences, trials, and heartache the soldiers faced. Whether a person is a student of the Civil War or just a history buff, this book should be read to learn about the emotional toll that the War took on individuals. The Institute by Stephen King The Institute is a story based on the lives of several children with the gifts of telekinesis and telepathy. Each child is kidnapped from their family and friends and placed in a home simply known as "The Institute." While in this home, the children are forced into experiments meant to strengthen each "gift" they have. 12-year-old Ellis was preparing for his future as a young college student when his parents were murdered, and somebody took him to the Institute. The children, bonded through tragedy, formed a plan of escape. They had no idea how powerful and vast the Institute was. They also had yet to learn that a small town in South Carolina and a volunteer named Tim Jamieson would be crucial to their freedom. The Institute has many twists and turns, and readers are hooked from start to finish. Stephen King is known for his suspenseful writing. Since 1974, King has written 65 novels and over 200 short stories. King has won approximately 100 awards and made many of his books into movies. King was a victim of an accident as he was walking on the side of the road in June 1999. He suffered many broken bones and had to be airlifted to a hospital for life-saving treatment. Since this near-death experience, Stephen King's writing has undergone a significant transformation, moving away from his early focus on macabre horror and delving into the more nuanced themes of mortality and the human condition. Despite this shift in tone, King has retained his signature ability to create tension and suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.