The historical novel, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara is about a nation’s division through war and reveals that a nation going against each other, results in a lot of pain, sadness and death. The book is about the the day before the Battle of Gettysburg and the battle itself, where more than 51,000 soldiers die. Throughout the book, the main characters, Lee, Longstreet, and Chamberlain encounter many decisions that determine the fate of the whole country. When Lee figures out that his army is outnumbered by many men, he surrenders, which puts an end to the Battle of Gettysburg. Although the book is based on true events and characters, Shaara still includes the thoughts and feelings of generals and colonels throughout the battle by dedicating each chapter to a certain person. The narrator remains unknown and tells the story in mostly third person omniscient point of view, with a small portion of first person. I have to admit that I didn’t like not knowing who was telling the story, but it was nice being told the emotions of most of the characters. The main aspect of the book that I liked was Shaara’s ability to turn a battle description into a story with multidimensional and realistic characters. He incorporated the facts of the battle, while including the feelings of the soldiers/generals. I also liked that even though the book only covered four days, I was still able to understand why the soldiers were fighting and the true tragedy of it all. This book is show more informative and accurately reflects the emotions and complexities of one of the major turning points in American history. show less