Women of the Blue and Gray

When I'm reading for complete escape, my choice 99% of the time will be a mystery, and I'm always scouting new mystery series. But my taste in reading is eclectic. I like mysteries, serious novels, a romance now and then and non-fiction. I actually love non-fiction and for several years when I've looked back on my favorite books non-fiction titles have been my choice.

Thanks to my friends at Shadow Mountain Publishing I had the good fortune to read Marianne Monson's Women of the Blue & Gray.  I know that the Civil War is a popular book topic, and there are times I think I may have seen just about every aspect of the war depicted in books. But the role of women on the side of both the Union and the Confederacy was new ground to me. I think we stand back from reading history because we think we will be picking up our high school textbooks, but this was not the case. While it wasn't light reading, it was fascinating reading, and very far from stale textbooks.

I enjoyed the entire book, but was especially interested in the chapter, First Nations in a Divided Nation. Before reading this I hadn't thought about the role of Native Americans in the Civil War. Now I have a broader perspective, which came to life with stories of the women who stayed behind the 28,000 Native American troops who served both sides during the war.  

If you're a history fan or interested in reading something that is different than your usual reading choice, I strongly recommend Women of the Blue & Gray.

Even though autumn is just about here, today was a perfect late summer day. I got in my walking and accomplished several errands. I resisted temptation in Michaels, using my coupons and only buying one thing that wasn't on my list. I couldn't resist some cute ribbon in the dollar bin.

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a wonderful Sunday!

Please note: I was given a copy of Women of the Blue & Gray by Shadow Mountain Publishing for review purposes. The opinions are all mine.