My Last Skirt

Starred review from April 1, 2006
Gr 6-8 -In post-famine Ireland, Jennie's long skirts literally and figuratively hold her back, despite the fact that she is smarter and has more initiative than her brother. She first dons trousers to shepherd for the bishop of Belfast. After their father's death, she and Tom make their way to America. Jennie keeps wearing pants and passes as a boy until jealousy leads Tom to give away her secret. She flees west to Illinois and joins the Union army when the Civil War breaks out. It is during the war that this novel really shines. Based on a true story, Jennie's tale is gripping, with vivid details of the fighting in the Deep South, tense battle scenes, and a pitch-perfect though ultimately tragic love story. One drawback to an otherwise good read is that Jennie's life before the war feels rushed; there is no emotional response when her father dies trying to save a lamb. He kicks Jennie's hands away, distrustful that she is strong enough to hold him, and he falls from the cliff. The emotional center of the book is saved for Jennie's turmoil about passing as a man, and the mutually strong but unspoken feelings she has for fellow soldier Frank Moore. Set before any major strides in the women's movement, "My Last Skirt" painfully captures Jennie's unique place in history. Her loneliness, longing, and missed opportunities will resonate deeply with readers." -Christina Stenson-Carey, Albany Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2006
Gr. 5-8. "How do we know what's been invented out of whole cloth and what is really, truly us?" This unusual historical novel, based largely in fact, ponders the agonies of a split identity from the perspective of "petticoat soldier" Albert Cashier, nee Jennie Hodgers. As a lass in Ireland, Hodgers trades her detested skirts for pants and a higher-paying job--then retains her disguise upon emigrating to America, eventually joining the Union army. Her experiences on the battlefield challenge her decision to live as a man, even as she feels increasingly estranged from her birth identity. "Albert's" heterosexual feelings for a fellow soldier seem too facile, less a convincing subplot than a device to simplify the densely packed issues of sexuality for Durrant's target audience, and the narrative thread founders amid detailed descriptions of war maneuvers. Nonetheless, this sheds welcome light on an obscure but fascinating historical figure--"the only woman on either side of the war known to have received a Civil War pension." An endnote details sources and separates fact from fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)