The War Within

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

Set in December 1862 in a small town in Mississippi, The War Within
brings to life through the eyes of a young teen the experience of a
Jewish family during the American Civil War. The opening line sets the
scene as 13-year-old Hannah reflects, “The war has changed everything.
And it has changed me.”

Union troops have reached Holly Springs, and Hannah’s life and the
town’s peaceful beauty have been turned upsidedown. Worse, Hannah’s
older sister, Joanna, has fallen in love with an enemy Union officer.
Hannah is confused. Captain Mazer is “a hated Yank,” yet he is
behaving like a Southern gentleman. After General Grant issues General
Order No. 11, all Jews are forced to evacuate the territory under his
command and follow the Union forces to Memphis.

In an afterword, Matas reflects on the anguish of the Jewish people:
“Their sons were fighting and dying for the Union, and yet they were
being treated with contempt.” General Order No. 11 was revoked in 1863
and Jews were allowed to return to their homes.

Matas’s books, as she notes, are historically accurate but her
characters are her personal creations. The War Within turns both
fictional characters and historical events into living realities. Highly
recommended.