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English Titles

		THE WAR WITHIN CAROL MATAS TORONTO: SCHOLASTIC CANADA, 2001. 151 P. ISBN 0439988101 AGES 12 AND UP
The War Within Source

Hannah and her family live in Mississippi. It is 1862 and the North is fighting the South in a civil war. She and her family are accustomed to their quality of life and to the property they own. They do not understand why they cannot be left alone to run their country the way they choose. People from the North are not minding their own business. When General Grant issues an order to free the slaves, the fate of Hannah's family is changed forever. But how will they manage to do everything without their servants? As war ravages the town, their community is menaced and the family house goes up in flames -- they are at the mercy of the oppressors. The South is right; the North is wrong. But how can one know who is right for sure?

When an order is issued for Jews to be sent out of the area, Hannah learns first-hand what it is like to be accused collectively for crimes that a few individuals have committed. When something goes wrong, people look for someone to blame. Could one entire people be all bad? As she and her family are forced to flee, their lives are changed forever. In this coming-of-age story, the author has skillfully interwoven fact and fiction, and combined historical detail with social consciousness and morality.

-AC