This is a short and a quick read on one of the most important battles in the Civil War. It is also a look at President Lincoln and his speech there. I found it to be a great resource for students hesitant to read traditional books on this subject and would recommend it for any school library. ( )

It's very difficult to get past the bias of this book. If you believe, as so many do, that the Civil War was fought over slavery then you may enjoy it. However, if you've done any research past high school history there's a decent chance this book will annoy you. It's unfortunate though because this could have been a really great book if the author would have focused more on the battle itself rather then building the cemetery and being preachy. ( )

great way to portray the war, keeps things exciting for the kids ( )

This graphic novel covers the Battle of Gettysburg, the events leading to the building of the Solders National Cemetery, and Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. Text is fairly minimal, but an author's note at the end describes the historic events happening in the images, and draws on a number of first hand accounts of the battle. The artwork is colored in shades of blue, black and gray, evoking the bleak atmosphere of a terrible battle and its aftermath. Additionally, these color choices are excellent for rendering the battle scenes, making it possible to depict fighting without the danger of excessive depiction of full color blood and gore ruining some of the art's poignancy by straying towards the cartoonishly gory. The images of the battle, however, remain horrific and disturbing: bullets and bayonets are depicted piercing through soldiers' bodies, and there are some grim scenes of corpses on the battlefield with eyes staring at nothing, limb amputations, and exhumations. Fight scenes are crowded and chaotic, and the limited colors make it difficult to distinguish between Confederate and Union soldiers, which is perhaps an attempt to invoke the disorienting experience of battle.

The graphic novel concludes with Lincoln delivering his Gettysburg Address, where it departs from realism to depict scenes such as those of women's suffrage marches or Civil Rights movement, and at times, a ghostly row of Civil War soldiers standing behind him. As the concluding pages make especially evident, the focus of this graphic novel is primarily on invoking an emotional reaction to the Battle of Gettysburg. It is less successful, however, at providing a clear story of what happened during the battle. The stylistic choices that are effective at conveying the horrors of war, unfortunately obscure the historical details. Even with the text at the end, the battle scenes are confusing and disjointed, and the reader is left not entirely sure what happened during those three days in July. This can serve as an emotionally-charged introduction to the famous battle of the Civil War, however, for a more straightforward historical account, young readers will have to look elsewhere. The violent nature of the content make it most appropriate for readers over the age of ten. ( )

“Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel” depicts the events of the Battle of Gettysburg as well as the construction of monument and cemetery and the Gettsyburg Address. There is little text and almost everything is conveyed solely through images; this works well for the topic, because what words can be used to accurately describe the horrors of war? The author also relates the Gettysburg Adress and abolition of slavery to other freedom movements throughout history, such as women’s suffrage, unionization, the end to segregation, and gay rights. Author’s Notes at the end add extra depth to the images by pointing out and describing the small details. This is an historically accurate and visually stunning book which would be a great complement to a Civil War history lesson. Grades 6 – 10. ( )