Two teenage boys, backs still raw from a whipping, make
their escape from a Brooklyn Orphanage to join Brooklyn's
famous Red Legged Devils of the Fourteenth Regiment.. En-
route to the Civil War battlefields Bobby and Will become
mule train drivers with a scalawag muleskinner who runs
supply wagons for a Massachusetts Regiment. The search for
the Fourteenth New York leads the runaways to the farmlands
of Pennsylvania where Robert E Lee is about to launch his
armies of Northern Virginia against George Meade's Union
Army of the Potomac. It's the eve of the biggest battle of
the Civil War when the runaways finally don Union Blue.
The giveaway book is: New copy of Joining Up.
Best friends Will and Bobby have always dreamed of escaping
from the orphanage to join the 14th Regiment. One day, the
opportunity presents itself and they take it. On their
adventure, they meet many people including Dinky Dolan, the
devious merchant, and Daniel, a young African American
teenager who is wise beyond his years. A story of survival,
war, and adventure, 'Joining Up' will keep you on the edge
of your seat!
I did not enjoy reading 'Joining Up'. The
storyline was very sporadic and it was very hard to follow.
There were also many punctuation and grammatical errors that
were difficult to ignore. The author wasn't very good at
bringing harmony into the story and I just did not like it!
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Tatamy, PA USA
From the Author about our
student's review
"Throughout the novel I use 18th century Irish type
colloquialisms and intentional misspelled words
throughout the dialgue to make it seem as though it was
written in the Civil War time period." Mr. McGuire
pointed out to us that many adults have reviewed his book
and have enjoyed it very much. We have included some of
their comments
below and encourage anyone interested in reading JOINING UP
to read these comments in their entirety on Amazon.com. We
have also
asked Mr. McGuire to provide us with another review copy of
JOINING UP so we can have it reviewed by another one of our
young adult reviewers.
After reading what adult reviewers have said about JOINING
UP, it seems like a very interesting book but probably for
older young adults.
From the Publisher
Two teenage boys, backs still raw from a whipping, make
their escape from a Brooklyn Orphanage to join Brooklyn's
famous Red Legged Devils of the Fourteenth Regiment.. En-
route to the Civil War battlefields Bobby and Will become
mule train drivers with a scalawag muleskinner who runs
supply wagons for a Massachusetts Regiment. The search for
the Fourteenth New York leads the runaways to the farmlands
of Pennsylvania where Robert E Lee is about to launch his
armies of Northern Virginia against George Meade's Union
Army of the Potomac. It's the eve of the biggest battle of
the Civil War when the runaways finally don Union Blue.
What Others Are Saying
About JOINING UP
"In time for the sesquicentennial of the Civil War Jack
McGuire offers Joining Up (Self-Published, 2011), a new
historical novel memorializing Brooklyns famous red-legged
devils of the Fourteenth Regiment through fiction. The book
offers readers insight into the abolitionist regiment that
became a favorite of Abraham Lincoln."
Read More...
"McGuire artfully synthesizes the various factions of
American society to portray life during the Civil War,
adding a human element to the events of our nation's
history. Joining Up is the ideal book for anyone who enjoys
history, an adventure, or a well-told story, providing
readers with the riveting account of Bobby, Will, and Andrew
as they fight for justice. "
5 star review from Amazon.com
"JOINING UP is also a treatment of the reality of war. The
battle scenes as described draw the
reader into the fury of each event. My mind would mentally
twitch at the pains endured by the
combatants on both sides of the battle. A wound in the Civil
War meant eventual if not
immediate death for ninety-nine per cent those injured.
Man's brutality to man can only be
viewed with wonder and a sense of the insanity and hatred
that each side possessed.
Another thread within the story is how we all search out to
reconnect with biological family and
will accept substitute "family" wherever and whenever it can
be found when our hunger for it is
great enough. Skin-color, national-origin nor anything else
will stand in the way of our basic
human need to belong.
In closing, I wish to thank John Jack McGuire for an
insightful look into the human condition,
warts and all. Thanks also for showing the undying human
spirit, fighting to survive, hoping to
thrive, which is available to all who choose to seek it out.
"
5 star review from Amazon.com
"This is a great book for young people but good reading for
anyone interested in the Civil War."
5 star review from Amazon.com
