All in all, Undying Glory by Clinton Cox is a very good book. My rating is a solid 9/10, and here’s why. Undying Glory tells the story the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first troop of African American soldiers. First thing’s first, this book tells the story of the 54th perfectly. Being a nonfiction story told by Clinton long after the events happened, the wording makes it seem like the story is told from the point of view of an immediate bystander. Emotion is used perfectly and captures the devastating nature of war. When a character (Whom I will not name because it would spoil the book) dies in the war, it is horrifying because Clinton got the reader so connected with the character. Why was it a nine out of ten instead of a ten? Although being a very powerful story, the story is a little bit hard to follow. Due to the very advanced language of the book, some plot details seem a little bit confusing. I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a factual, intense, and powerful story of war. I do not recommend this book for anyone younger than 9, or the faint of heart.
Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment
By Clinton Cox
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grade 9 | n/a | 8.3 | 33424 |
Undying Glory was chosen as a CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. Kirkus Reviews gave it an outstanding starred review, saying it showed how black soldiers "proved their competence and dignity against incredible odds." Another reviewer declared that the battle scenes rivaled "any I have read in fiction or nonfiction."The success of the 54th Regiment at Fort Wagner and other battles cleared the way for the enlistment of 200,000 black men in the Civil War that ended slavery. The story of their courage, said one Union commander, "will be forever traced in undying glory."
Publisher: Backinprint.com
ISBN-13: 9780595451166
ISBN-10: 0595451160
Published on 6/12/2007
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 194