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A review by speculativeshelves
The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali
4.0
This is a fantastic middle grade looking at the erasure of marginalized communities in American History. The topics introduced are handled with a lot of care a nuance which I really appreciated and I can tell that this book has potential to make a big impact on young readers (especially considering the current issues facing LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities/topics in schools throughout the United States). While it doesn't shy away from addressing homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, etc. it's a very hopeful and positive story at its core. It's empowering and an excellent introduction to intersectional activism.
One thing that particularly stood out to me was the brief exploration different Christian churches and the LGBTQ+ community. The small town has two churches - one that is progressive and LGBTQ+ affirming and one that is clearly a conservative evangelical church. I don't think enough contemporary books (or films or tv) explore this difference often enough as most Christian storylines/characters are of the Conservative Evangelical variety and more progressive, LGBTQ+ affirming churches are rare to see.
The historical reenactment setting was fascinating and unique, the friendships explored were excellent, and I loved the relationship between Amos and his mom throughout.
The dual-timeline aspect didn't completely work for me in the beginning, It occasionally killed the momentum of each of the timeline's plots and I sometimes got confused about which each chapter was happening. I do think that plot structure worked better in the second half when I had finally adjusted to it, but I can see this being something young readers may struggle with. The good thing is that the chapters are short so it's easy to push through.
One thing that particularly stood out to me was the brief exploration different Christian churches and the LGBTQ+ community. The small town has two churches - one that is progressive and LGBTQ+ affirming and one that is clearly a conservative evangelical church. I don't think enough contemporary books (or films or tv) explore this difference often enough as most Christian storylines/characters are of the Conservative Evangelical variety and more progressive, LGBTQ+ affirming churches are rare to see.
The historical reenactment setting was fascinating and unique, the friendships explored were excellent, and I loved the relationship between Amos and his mom throughout.
The dual-timeline aspect didn't completely work for me in the beginning, It occasionally killed the momentum of each of the timeline's plots and I sometimes got confused about which each chapter was happening. I do think that plot structure worked better in the second half when I had finally adjusted to it, but I can see this being something young readers may struggle with. The good thing is that the chapters are short so it's easy to push through.