Death on the River

Young Jake Clay managed to get himself into the American Civil War just long enough to have his brains scrambled by a blow to the head at the battle of Cold Harbor. But, as it turned out, he was one of the lucky ones because he fell so close to the Confederate lines that he was almost immediately snatched up and taken prisoner. Others, less fortunate, died miserable deaths in the field when General Grant refused a truce during which the dead and wounded from both armies could be cleared from the battlefield.

It is the first taste of battle for Jake Clay and, as big a shock as battle is, he is about to get an even bigger one when he arrives at the Confederate prison in Andersonville, Georgia. Naïve young man that he is, Jake soon finds show more himself giving William Collins all the cash he has in exchange for promised protection that will help ensure his survival despite the horrible living conditions of the prison camp. Collins, a former big city street thug, is the self-appointed leader of what he calls Mosby’s Raiders, criminals who kill and steal from their fellow prisoners at will.

Jake Clay entered Andersonville Prison an innocent boy with high expectations of himself but, by the time he left the camp, he had condoned behavior that shamed him. He might be barely alive, but to stay out of the Andersonville cemetery he had done things, or allowed them to be done on his behalf, that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Little did Jake know that his journey home at the end of the war would offer him a final chance at redemption – an opportunity that would almost kill him in the process.

"Death on the River," aimed at the Teen Market, offers a realistic look at Civil War fighting and the horrors of Andersonville Prison without over-focusing on the gory details. Jake Clay is a Union Army volunteer primarily because his older brother has already been lost in battle and Jake wants to honor his brother’s memory. Jake, though, like most soldiers of the period, has little idea what he is getting himself into as his first battle approaches and, like so many others, his first fight will be his last.

This historical coming-of-age novel is so filled with adventure that it might very well lead its young readers to search for more books on the American Civil War, much as I did at that age after I read "Red Badge of Courage" for the first time. Several decades later, I still find myself drawn to Civil War fiction, new histories of the war, and biographies of those who played a role in it. Here’s hoping that books like "Death on the River" help spawn a new generation of amateur historians who will move on to Civil War fiction classics such as MacKinlay Kantor’s "Andersonville," winner of the 1956 Pulitzer Prize, or Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels," another Pulitzer winner (1975).

Rated at: 4.0 show less

Death on the River is a great quick historical read. The main character, Jake, portrays the struggles that occurred during the Civil War. His many travels give the reader insight into what death is really like while also teaching about the horrors of war. Jake encounters felons, camps, disease, war, and boats. Even though it seems he might not survive, he does. Two thumbs up for this young adult historical novel.

In June of 1864, teen-aged Jake Clay is bashed on the head at Cold Harbor, the one battle U.S. Grant believed he should not have fought, and, knocked out cold, he wakes up as a prisoner of the Confederates. His participation in the American Civil War as a soldier is over, but his time as a prisoner is only beginning. Sent to the infamous Andersonville prison in Georgia, Jake makes a choice to join, however briefly and reluctantly, the Raiders, a collection of thieves who use violence and intimidation to get what they want – money, wood for fires, material for shelter, food, clothing – from their fellow prisoners. Jake’s time with the Raiders is short – the gang is broken up soon after he joins them – but Jake remains allied show more with Billy Sharp, a canny, ex-Raider who knows how to survive. There is nothing noble about Billy – he is guilty of terrible things that Jake knows about and, Jake suspects, worse things that he does not want to know about. With Billy’s help and Jake’s blind eye, the teenager survives nine months and some days at Andersonville, before being liberated by Union forces at the war’s end.

After his release, Jake is racked by guilt over the things he did at the prison camp. Naturally, there is a positive resolution of this problem of Jake’s – after all you can’t have youngsters falling into the slough of despair for the rest of their lives when their guilt can be wiped out by a good deed. Jake performs said good deed and his guilt drops away like an old scab.

Being a book written for the 12+ reader, this book, naturally, pulls some punches, but it manages to paint a fairly accurate picture of life in Andersonville. I suppose, being a book for this age group, it is understandable that, eventually, it would try to teach an uplifting lesson.

It is hard for me to judge whether someone from the target audience would actually like this book; I was not a huge reader of books for young people when I was a young person, and now that I am older it seems a tad too simple to me. For the most part, I thought that the bits written about Jake’s time in Andersonville were written pretty well and they did hold my interest. However, after Jake’s release, I could see the uplifting lesson coming a mile away and so I was ready for the book to be over. show less

Jake Clay has already lost the naivete that took him into the Civil War, but when he lands at Andersonville, he learns that there's much more to lose. When he falls in with Billy Sharp, the two of them cheat, steal, and kill to keep themselves alive. Jake tells himself it's the only way to survive, but how much will it take before he loses his soul?

This book would be good for history buffs, but I had a hard time connecting to the main character and all the horrors of the prison felt very far away even when they were happening. The gory descriptions aren't for the weak of stomach, although they do serve to underscore the grimness and desperation of life in Andersonville. Much more for teens than kids, although I would have thought the show more other way around based on the cover. show less

This book is the story of a young soldier from the Civil War who survives both the war and his journey home which proves to be almost as bad as the war itself. The main character Jake is a young man with a good heart who finds himself in situations where the normal rules of life don't count. He is forced to do some pretty horrible things to survive and he struggles between his drive to stay alive and his conscience. The story moves at a good pace and is filled with action. I thought Wilson did a great job conveying the horrors of war as well as the challenges the soldiers of the day had to simply make it home to their families. This is a good book for a young teen, especially one who has an interest in history.

This book deals with the anguish a young man must bear after looking the other way when horrible things were done by a "friend" in order to save their own skin in the Andersonville prison camp. It is well written and a good lesson in civil war history and the consequences of making poor choices..
A 13 year old friend of mine read this and said he really liked it. It kept his attention, but he had trouble sleeping afterward due to a couple very graphic scenes. His mom thought maybe those scenes could have been toned down a bit.

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

When Jake's brother is killed in battle during the Civil War, he decides to join up with the Yankee Army in order to honor his brother's memory.

Taken down in a bloody battle, he's sent off to Andersonville, Georgia, one of the worst prison camps in recorded history. When a soldier without any moral sense befriends Jake, he's flattered, and desperation drives him to turn a blind eye when the man murders, lies, and steals to survive.

When the end of the war grants the prisoners release, Jake is boarded onto an overloaded riverboat going up the Mississippi River. When an engine blows up and everyone is pitched into the river, Jake will have to choose: morality or survival?

Will Jake be able to survive show more the journey, help others, and save his soul from going down the same dangerous path as that of the Andersonville soldier?

This book does a great job of depicting the horrors of war. There is a fair amount of language and the violence can be disturbing for younger readers. However, the accuracy of the story is amazing, the characters are well-developed, and the plot is engaging.

Readers who like historical fiction, war stories, and survival books will all enjoy reading DEATH ON THE RIVER. show less