This is a middle grade book that I'm glad exists! It does a great job of getting kids to think about the ways in which they might be upholding the status quo and of getting them interested in learning about history they weren't taught in school.. I personally found Chloe to be a more interesting character than Amos, but that's a me problem.

The Civil War of Amos Abernathy takes place over two different points in time, told in alternating chapters. One section is told though “letters” that Amos, a gay teenage boy, writes to Albert Cashier, a soldier in the Civil War who likely would have identified as a trans man today. These letters, which are essentially journal entries addressed to Albert, cover the time from August 2021 through August 2022. The alternating chapters, in first person narration, take place entirely on August 13, 2022. Amos loves history and volunteers as a Civil War reenactor. When he realized that he didn’t know about any LGBTQ+ people from the 1800s, he started researching and learned about Albert. The year in which the letters take place detail his crush on his friend Ben, who he isn’t sure is gay but whose family is very religious and homophobic. The events of August 13, 2022, meanwhile, are leading up to a big surprise Amos is planning where he does reenactments, but the reader doesn’t know what it is until later in the book.

This book was excellent for many reasons. First of all, the writing was great; Amos had a very clear voice, and the plot moved quickly despite the initial awkwardness of the two timelines and the fact that one plotline took place entirely on one day. The story was also unique and meaningful. It definitely wanted to share a message but it didn’t feel excessively “message-y” because it was so heartfelt and tied into Amos’s experiences and emotions.

Throughout the book, Amos is also aware of the privilege he has a white, cisgender boy. He experiences homophobia and discrimination, but none of the racism or sexism his best friend Chloe, a Black girl, experiences. During the book, she points out microaggressions and racist acts that he didn’t even notice, and he realizes that just as he has to work to convince people to accept his sexuality and LGBTQ+ people, he also wants to help Chloe and make people aware of the issues she sees and faces at the Living History Park and beyond.

These kinds of books are so important for education and encouraging empathy, but they aren’t successful unless they’re also just good, well written stories with interesting plots and characters. Fortunately, The Civil War of Amos Abernathy achieves all of that

Amos, a Civil War reenactor, has been out since 4th grade and thinks Ben is cute. Does Ben think the same? In his hilarious voice, Amos writes to Albert, a Civil War soldier, who might have been transgender if he were alive today. Amos tells Albert about liking Ben and the problems Ben is having with his family being homophobic. When Ben sends a note, Amos wonders if he will ever see him again. Amos decides he wants to let people know about the forgotten voices and stories of the LGBTQ+ from the 1800s. Can he get help from his friends to do this as part of a reenactment? Amos wants “to challenge the history you’ve never been told. “ Can he do it? He knows that what connects people from all backgrounds is “seeing yourself accurately represented in history.”

Amos is a historical reenactor and loves history and learning more about the past. He’s also gay and starts to wonder if people like him were around at the time. This leads him and his friends Chloe and Ben, to research and learn more about the stories that aren’t told in history. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down! This would be great for kids questioning the world around them and further examining who’s history is told.