Band of Brothers

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 It is an oft-quoted fact that many of the Civil War's military leaders on both sidesincluding Generals Grant and Leewere graduates of the United States Military Academy. What is often neglect ed, though, is how these men overcame the brotherhood of their school days and faced each other in battle. Fleming at tempts to tell their story, but his work does not live up to its potential. He gets caught up in anecdotes about the princi palsmost notably the colorful Custer and loses focus on his theme. Fleming's aim is to bring these men to life; but in this effort he fails, as even Custer is only a cardboard cut-out, with all the legends of him repeated with a smile. It's unfortunate that Fleming doesn't include more about West Point, for these were dark days for the Academy, with many in Washington calling it the birthplace of treason and sug gesting it be closed. A far better work on the same subject is Gerard Patterson's Re bels from West Point (Doubleday, 1987). Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tenn.