Before her wider fame as the author of Little Women; Louisa May Alcott achieved recognition for her accounts of her work as a volunteer nurse in an army hospital. Written during the winter of 1862–63; her lively dispatches appeared in the newspaper Commonwealth; where they were eagerly read by soldiers' friends and families. Then; as now; these chronicles revealed the desperate realities of battlefield medicine as well as the tentative first steps of women in military service.Writing under a pseudonym; Alcott recounted the vicissitudes of her two-day journey from her home in Concord; Massachusetts; to Washington; D.C. A fiery baptism in the practice of nursing awaited her at Washington Hospital; were she arrived immediately after the slaughter of the Army of the Potomac at the battle of Fredericksburg. Alcott's rapidly paced prose graphically depicts the facts of hospital life; deftly balancing pathos with gentle humor. A vivid and truthful portrait of an often overlooked aspect of the Civil War; this book remains among the most illuminating reports of the era's medical practices as well as a moving testimonial to the war's human cost.
#405579 in Books 1999-05-27 1999-05-27Format: IllustratedOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.96 x .87 x 6.34l; 1.24 #File Name: 0486409120448 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A must read for anyone who wants to know about slave life.By Geo. DThe seller was super-fast in delivery of the book. The book was in great shape. I have only read a few of the narratives so far; but am happy with it. I guess I was looking for more in depth stories from the folks whose history is taken. But over all; it gives me the glimpse of that time frame. Sad commentary on our past (and present) that we still haven't been able to leave the racial hatred behind. All men are created equal; except if you're black or some other nonwhite Anglo-Saxon Christian. The bigotry is alive and present all around us; yet we refuse to confront it where and when we see it. Let's walk a mile in the other man's shoes and see how much we like it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. It's a sad story of how badly America treated such a promising ...By Maretha WatkinsIt's incredible to read these first person accounts of life during slavery time; and the many hardships that people endured for the hope of freedom that seems to take forever before it comes to them. When they are freed; many don't know what to do with themselves; or where to go; or how to survive. It's a sad story of how badly America treated such a promising group of people who had the potential to greatness if only they were given the same opportunities as others of their day.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Poignant Stories from Those Who Endured SlaveryBy Steve VranaFirst of all; I have been teaching "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in the high school classroom for thirty years. For about the last twenty years; I have also used Julius Lester's book "To Be a Slave" to provide the students with a clearer understanding of slavery as it existed in the last couple decades leading up to the Civil War.Lester's book generously uses excerpts from many of the Federal Writers' Project interviews of former slaves that were conducted in the 1930's. About six years ago; I decided to seek out some of these interviews. "Voices from Slavery" compiles 100 of these narratives and presents them in alphabetical order. [I also use the collection "When I Was a Slave;" which has only 34 narratives and twelve of those are also included here.]Both of these collections provide the ex-slave's name; where the interview took place; who conducted the interview; and the age at which the ex-slave was interviewed. The main difference; of course; is that "Voices from Slavery" offers nearly three times as many narratives.Each entry is a mini-biography filled with specific details of the ex-slaves' lives. While "To Be a Slave" did an excellent job of providing an overview of the slave experience; the slave narratives contained in this collection gives a more in-depth look at each individual--even though each narrative is relatively short. Some are very short; Frank Bell's is barely two pages. Most are about four pages; and none are longer than seven pages. And yet in those few pages you hear the authentic voices of ex-slaves who better than anyone else are able to tell their stories.I use this collection to assign each student one of the narratives and at the conclusion of reading "To Be a Slave;" I ask them to provide a dramatic reading for the rest of the class. While there are similarities among these narratives; each is a unique experience and adds to the better understanding of the impact slavery continues to have after almost a century and a half since the end of the Civil War.If you have any interest at all of this part of our nation's past; "Voices From Slavery" will be a real eye-opener. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
