Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers
Vividly realistic depiction of war.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this realistic depiction of war will open teens' eyes. The book covers major Civil War battles and details injuries and diseases among the soldiers. Though he enlists dishonestly, Charley does his best. Details injuries and causes of disease among the troops. It's great as an adjunct to history study, and for reluctant readers.
Community Reviews
Great for a first novel of the Civil War
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What's the Story?
When fifteen-year-old Charley lies about his age and enlists in the Minnesota Volunteers to fight in the Civil War, he has no idea what war is like. He soon finds out. Months of boredom are punctuated by weeks of disease, hunger, and cold, and days of terror and horror as he fights in several of the major battles, including Bull Run and Gettysburg.
He returns home an old man at twenty-one, shattered in mind, body, and spirit. In an author's note, Paulsen tells us he died two years later of poorly healed wounds and what we would call post-traumatic stress. Includes map and bibiliography.
Is It Any Good?
Kids who, like Charley Goddard, think that war is a noble and exciting endeavor will find out otherwise in SOLDIER'S HEART. Gary Paulsen pulls no punches in depicting the physical, emotional, and psychological effects in this absorbing Civil War chronicle based on a true story. With his characteristic blunt and muscular prose, Paulsen strips away the illusions and the rose-colored filters, and shows readers the truth.
Unvarnished truth is Paulsen's weapon, and he wields it formidably in descriptions of battles so graphic and yet so moving that the reader doesn't know whether to shudder in revulsion or weep at the waste of it all. Amid the carnage and stupidity, perhaps most devastating of all is watching young Charley turn from boy to old, old man within just a few years. Parents should be prepared to discuss this book with their children: They will be disturbed -- and if they're not, or if they think it's cool, then even more discussion is necessary.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the realities of war. Did the graphic realism of this book surprise you? Has it changed your view of the Civil War and other battles? Do you think war is as painful for soldiers today as it is for Charley? Why or why not?
Book Details
- Author: Gary Paulsen
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Delacorte Press
- Publication date: January 1, 1998
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 104
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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