Love Thy Neighbor: The Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson, Green Marsh, Massachusetts, 1774

The drama of the American Revolution is brought to life through the eyes of a Prudence Emerson, who tells the story from the rarely heard perspective of a Tory. In the winter of 1775, as Pru's neighbors prepare to fight the British for independence, Pru is torn between her family's sworn allegiance to the King, and her loneliness for the friends who abandon her for the Patriot cause. When the first battle at Bunker Hill explodes, Pru must find the courage to weather the turbulent times.

"We are enemies. We can never be neighbors." "Love Thy Neighbor, the Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson" by Ann Turner tells the difficulties young Prudence and her family endured right before the Revolutionary War. Prudence and her family were Tories or supporters of King George of England, while most were Patriots or those who opposed King George & wanted to pursue their independence. Slowly the townspeople who were Patriots began to turn their backs on those who were Tories. When it became impossible for Tories to stay, many families including Prudence's fled to Boston, Massachusetts to ensure their safety.

This book, one of the Dear America series, is set in the months just before the start of the Revolutionary War. It's the story of a thirteen-year-old girl, Prudence Emerson, who lives in a small Massachusetts town. She and her family are Tories--people who remained loyal to King George III when the majority of Americans sought independence. The story is one of sadness and anxiety as politics turn friends and neighbors into strangers and persecutors. I don't know why I found the book so fascinating. Was it because it was well written? Or was it just because I had never had a chance to read about the Tory side of the American Revolution before? Either way, it made for a book worth checking out.
--J.

Prudence Emerson is a thirteen-year-old girl living in the small town of Green Marsh, Massachusetts, in 1774. Her family had always been welcome there, but now, with whispers of a possible revolution against the rule of the British king, things are changing. The Emersons are Loyalists, while most of the townspeople, including the family of Prudence's best friend Abigail, are Patriots. Their troubles start when business at the Emersons' store begins to dwindle, and things become steadily worse. The children of the Loyalists are persecuted at school. Prudence finds that Abigail has been forbidden to speak with her. As the persecution of the Loyalists becomes violent, Prudence begins to wonder if her family will have to leave the only home show more she has ever known.

I really enjoyed this new Dear America book. It gave a unique perspective on life at the beginning of the American Revolution by using the point of view of a young Loyalist girl. Readers interested in a look at the "other side" of the American Revolution are sure to enjoy this book. show less

"We are enemies. We can never be neighbors." "Love Thy Neighbor, the Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson" by Ann Turner tells the difficulties young Prudence and her family endured right before the Revolutionary War. Prudence and her family were Tories or supporters of King George of England, while most were Patriots or those who opposed King George & wanted to pursue their independence. Slowly the townspeople who were Patriots began to turn their backs on those who were Tories. When it became impossible for Tories to stay, many families including Prudence's fled to Boston, Massachusetts to ensure their safety.

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

Lesson 13 - The American Revolution