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  • Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers by Gary Paulsen book cover
  • Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers by Gary Paulsen book cover
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Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers

by Gary Paulsen

A young volunteer confronts the realities of war

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A young volunteer confronts the realities of war

Set during the Civil War, the novel centers on Charley Goddard, who enlists in the First Minnesota Volunteers at fifteen, drawn by the promise of adventure. The account contrasts that expectation with the dangers of combat and the uncertainty of survival. Charley’s experience of military service also shapes the book’s attention to what he carries home: the description identifies his changed state as “soldier’s heart,” later known as battle fatigue. The result is a coming-of-age story framed by the physical and psychological consequences of war.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in Civil War fiction
  • Readers exploring stories about young people’s experiences of military service
  • Readers interested in the personal consequences of combat

Themes

Coming of ageCivil WarCombat and survivalPsychological effects of war

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

In June 1861, when the Civil War began, Charley Goddard enlisted in the First Minnesota Volunteers. He was 15. He didn't know what a "shooting war" meant or what he was fighting for. But he didn't want to miss out on a great adventure.

The "shooting war" turned out to be the horror of combat and the wild luck of survival; how it feels to cross a field toward the enemy, waiting for fire. When he entered the service he was a boy. When he came back he was different; he was only 19, but he was a man with "soldier's heart," later known as "battle fatigue."
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