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  • The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali book cover
  • The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali book cover
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The Civil War of Amos Abernathy

by Michael Leali

History with room for everyone

$15.85 USD
$26.42 USD $15.85 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Golden Kite Award Winner

    Winner

  • Editorial selection

    ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Selection

    Top 10 Selection

AlbakiReads Editorial

History with room for everyone

Amos’s life as a historical reenactor gives his search for LGBTQ+ stories a local, hands-on focus. In nineteenth-century Illinois, he finds the story of Civil War soldier Albert D. J. Cashier, whom Amos considers through a modern understanding of gender identity. A new volunteer at the Living History Park also gives Amos someone to confide in, and he begins planning how to bring Cashier’s story to a divided contemporary town. The book connects historical representation with friendship, a first crush, and the question of who gets remembered. Its central thread is the effort to make space for LGBTQ+ people in the past as well as the present.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in LGBTQ+ representation and gender identity.
  • Readers who enjoy stories involving history, reenactment, and research.
  • Young readers drawn to friendship, first crushes, and community questions.

Themes

LGBTQ+ history and representationGender identityHistorical memoryFriendship and first crushesCommunity

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

An ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 Selection * Golden Kite Award Winner * New York Public Library Best Books for Kids * ALA Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth * Jane Addams Award finalist * Lambda Literary Award Finalist

A heartfelt debut novel about a boy's attempt to find himself in the history he loves--perfect for fans of Dear Sweet Pea and From the Desk of Zoe Washington.

Amos Abernathy lives for history. Literally. He's been a historical reenactor nearly all his life. But when a cute new volunteer arrives at his Living History Park, Amos finds himself wondering if there's something missing from history: someone like the two of them.

Amos is sure there must have been LGBTQ+ people in nineteenth-century Illinois. His search turns up Albert D. J. Cashier, a Civil War soldier who might have identified as a trans man if he'd lived today. Soon Amos starts confiding in his newfound friend by writing letters in his journal--and hatches a plan to share Albert's story with his divided twenty-first century town. It may be an uphill battle, but it's one that Amos is ready to fight.

Told in an earnest, hilarious voice, this love letter to history, first crushes, and LGBTQ+ community will delight readers of Ashley Herring Blake, Alex Gino, or Maulik Pancholy.

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