Now or Never!

August 1, 2017

Gr 6 Up-George Stephens and James Henry Gooding, two African American writers and soldiers, answered and extended Frederick Douglass's "Now or Never" call to arms to help mobilize troops for the 54th Massachusetts. The disparity between the pay, conditions, and perceptions of African American Civil War soldiers is delineated well throughout the narrative, and Shepard realistically presents Stephens's and Gooding's reactions to the inequalities. The author will captivate readers with masterfully built suspense, exemplified in the regiment's march through the streets of Boston and the battle for Fort Wagner, and with phrases like, "proud Charleston fell with an earth-rattling boom." The context of the war and the political climate of the country are interjected along with the complexity of sentiments about African Americans, whether through the discussion of the riots in Philadelphia and New York City, or through excerpts from letters that reveal individual prejudices. The inclusion of a time line, maps, drawings, and photographs (none of Stephens or Gooding exist) further enriches the narrative, and Shepard explains his inclusion of epithets and the capitalization of the words black and white when referencing groups of people. VERDICT While books, such as Clinton Cox's Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment have been published on the subject, this is an excellent addition to the history.-Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 15, 2017
Two black Civil War soldiers and writers offer unique perspectives about how they fought on and off the battlefield.George E. Stephens and James Henry Gooding were both Union soldiers. The fact that they were African-Americans meant that the trajectory of their service and the weight they carried in battle were unusual. In their minds, they were fighting not just to preserve the Union, but to end slavery and secure their rights as full American citizens. The Quaker-educated men both joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, and both also wrote about what they saw, Stephens for the Anglo-American, a black Northern weekly, and Gooding for the New Bedford, Massachusetts, Mercury, both showing a different side of the war to blacks and abolitionists. They were skilled at sharing compelling details of the battles they fought in combat and against the racism that, among other things, denied them equal pay for their service. Author Shepard does a great job using the dispatches from these men to form the basis for this narrative. The most impressive contribution is how the individual voices of Stephens and Gooding are in the forefront with their similarities and distinctions. This is a powerful use of primary resources, one that illuminates the lives of its subjects but never gets in the way of their remarkable stories. Rich backmatter provides useful information. Absolutely stellar. (timeline, source notes, bibliography, further reading, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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September 1, 2017
Grades 8-11 Shepard explores the history of the renowned 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first African American unit to fight for the Union during the Civil War. While telling the regiment's story, from the struggle for equal pay to horrors on the battlefield, the discussion often focuses on Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the white officer who led the regiment, as well as George E. Stephens and James Henry Gooding, two educated black soldiers who wrote about their wartime experiences. Both lived through the famous assault on Fort Wagner and, though Gooding was later captured and died at the notorious Andersonville Prison, Stephens survived the war. Quotes are used effectively and documented fully in the back matter, which includes a useful, detailed time line as well. Throughout the book, black-and-white reproductions of archival photos, documents, and drawings illustrate the text. This well-researched volume is recommended for students who want to dig a little deeper into the history of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and, in particular, the experiences of Stephens and Gooding.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)