| Number | Call Number | Branch | Status | Volume |
| 1 |
YA F Ambrose Stephen |
MK |
In at MK (Middendorf-Kredell) |
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| Gr. 9-12. Award-winning historian Ambrose, who died last year, shares his vast knowledge of America's Westward expansion through this novel about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Eager 19-year-old George Shannon convinces a reluctant Lewis to let him join their trek across America, and George tells the story of the expedition in his journal. Instead of building suspense through character development or plot, Ambrose makes the journey itself the center of the story. Each chapter dramatizes an encounter with Native American people, a difficulty with terrain, or a fresh conflict among the explorers that is usually easily resolved. Sacagawea is a strongly individualized character throughout. In the end, Shannon's rejection of prejudice by some of the white explorers offers a positive message about diversity. This is very easy reading, with short entries, sparse language, and simple sentence structure, but some coarse and racist language and the occasional explicit sexual experience make the story more suitable for older YA readers. ((Reviewed September 1, 2003)) Copyright 2003 Booklist Reviews | | | |
| Traveling alongside Lewis & Clark The late Stephen Ambrose, who brought the Lewis and Clark expedition to life for adult readers in his best-selling book Undaunted Courage, does the same for young people in This Vast Land: A Young Man's Journal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This fictional account of the famous westward excursion is Ambrose's final book and his only work for young readers. Eighteen-year-old George Shannon, an enterprising young man from Philadelphia anxious to join the expedition, convinces Captain Meriwether Lewis that neither his youth nor his genteel upbringing should be held against him. Lewis eventually accepts Shannon, charging him with the responsibility of keeping a journal of their travels. Through Shannon's words, Ambrose portrays the sense of wonder and wariness of this band of pioneers, braving the elements, boredom and other challenges in their quest to expand the nation one day, one mile at a time. As if to mirror the growth of the nation, Shannon develops from a relatively innocent youth to a hardened frontiersman. Though faced with dangerous situations and dishonorable dealings from various Native Americans, he refuses to generalize and condemn all: "I cannot agree with Capt. Louis [sic] that [they] are savages. Some of them are to be sure, . . . but this does not mean all Indians are." Lewis and Clark complete their assignment, but the story does not end there. The narrative continues many years later, with Shannon, now an established attorney, hailing his colleagues in commemorative ceremonies, defending their actions and refuting historical inaccuracies. Ambrose writes in the vernacular of the era, with intentionally incorrect spellings, which can be distracting at times. Parents and teachers should also be cautioned that there is a fair amount of violence in the book, as well as some brief but fairly explicit sexual material. Still, Ambrose's novel is an imaginative and informative account that puts a human face on an expedition that helped to shape a nation. Ron Kaplan writes from Montclair, New Jersey. Copyright 2003 BookPage Reviews | | | |
| In his only work of fiction, the late Stephen Ambrose invents a journal for George Shannon, the youngest (seventeen when he enlisted) member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, giving him a voice that is both strong and authentic. It is the historical, physical journey rather than George's maturational one that takes center stage here, but George is far from a one-dimensional character. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Guide Reviews. | | | |
| In his only work of fiction, the late Stephen Ambrose invents a journal for George Shannon, the youngest (seventeen when he enlisted) member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, giving him a voice that is both strong and authentic. The journal opens with George as a boy eager for adventure who spends six weeks convincing Captain Lewis that he is neither too young nor too green to be among the first to cross the continent--then spends the next three years proving his mettle as "a soldier and a hunter and a frontiersman and a Man." Still, it is the historical, physical journey (the difficult portages, the search for food, the dysentery, the camaraderie among soldiers, the changing landscape) rather than George's maturational one that takes center stage here. But George is far from a one-dimensional character. He fathers a son, begins to question the citified values he's always held, and learns "never to judge a people until I had lived among them." George concludes his journal thirty years later, bringing his story full circle and introducing the next chapter in the country's history: meeting Captain Robert E. Lee, he shares with the man who will one day fight to split the nation what it took to define it. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Magazine Reviews | | | |
| Though Lewis and Clark and several others kept journals on the famous 1803 journey, this is not one of them. It's the fictional account of George Shannon, a real (and the youngest) member of the expedition. His story opens with him talking Captain Lewis into letting him go, and the narrative proceeds with all of the expected characters and events in their place, but with little drama. The actual journals are the reason we know so much about the famous trek, but it's not the best way of dramatizing the story. By segmenting the epic voyage into a series of fictitious journal entries, Ambrose loses the grand sweep of events, and no introduction or afterword provides a context. The main interest is in the epilogue, where the narrator reflects, 30 years later, on lessons learned on the expedition and progress the country has made since then. Not the first choice among the many new books on the subject. (Fiction. 12+) Copyright Kirkus 2003 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. | | | |
| In this fictional, easy-to-read, enlightening journal, George Shannon, the youngest member of the Corps of Discovery in 1803, better known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, details his days in the wilderness (somewhat of a rite of passage to manhood). Although the journal itself is fictional and parts may not hold to complete historical accuracy, the entries breathe real life into the struggles the group faced in their years traveling. The fear, sickness, and near starvation as well as the camaraderie, unions with squaw women, and beautiful sights fill the entries. Also, the story of Sacajawea is seen from a new perspective. Especially of note are the references regarding tolerance of differences among people and the benefits of a civilized life over that of one lived in the wild. A map is included showing the Lewis and Clark route. This is a wonderful book to read as a supplement to the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is perhaps of special interest to boys due to the male perspectiv regarding women, hunting, and Shannon's quest for manhood. Recommended. Bridget Slayden, Educational Reviewer, Fordland, Missouri © 2004 Linworth Publishing, Inc. | | | |
| The late historian Ambrose (The Good Fight) revisits the subject of his adult bestseller Undaunted Courage in this posthumous novel, a fictional diary account of the real-life George Shannon's adventures as the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Seventeen at the outset, George chronicles the dangers, exhilaration, irritations and even boredom of this arduous five-year journey; however, readers unfamiliar with the expedition may require more context than the author provides here. At their best, the entries reveal aspects of George's personality even as they offer vivid, telling snapshots of the epoch (e.g., George reports that Native American chiefs cried while Captain Lewis punished an erstwhile deserter with a whipping: "They admitted the need for Example but in their country they killed a man to show the Example, no one... was ever whipped"; the company is "reduced to beggarliness" when the captains, out of supplies, must trade the buttons from their uniforms for food from the Nez Perce). While most of the writing is similarly incisive, some passages are repetitious and some, unfortunately, inept. Ambrose assigns George a marriage of sorts to a Shoshone squaw, a supposedly pivotal development that occasions an awkward and strangely graphic scene making much mention of George's swelling and jerking "member." Readers may grow frustrated at the unevenness of the narration. Happily, those who find their interest piqued can turn to Ambrose's nonfiction. Ages 13-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. | | | |
| Gr 9 Up-A fictional diary of the youngest member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. Ambrose does a good job of weaving fictional elements, such as George Shannon's thoughts and his romance and child with an Indian girl, with the historical facts of the expedition and what is known of Shannon's real life. The book opens with the young man, more accustomed to books than the outdoor life, persuading Lewis to let him join the expedition, and continues with his determined mastery of hunting, survival, and leadership skills that make him a valuable member of the Corps. Readers will fear for Shannon's life when he becomes separated from the main group for almost two weeks, and share his conflict over whether to return to civilization or continue the life he has created in the wilderness. The diary entries are occasionally salted with the rough language and sexual thoughts and actions that would be common in a group of young men, and the writing style will take a competent reader, as the sentences are often long and convoluted. A good choice for older teens who are interested in this fascinating expedition.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. | | | |
| The overwhelming historical detail of Ambrose's nonfiction book, Undaunted Courage (Simon & Schuster, 1996), is condensed into this novel for junior high readers. Written as the journal of eighteen-year-old George Shannon, the fictional youngesmember of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, this adventurous story of the grueling exploration of the Louisiana Purchase is marked by Ambrose's obvious passion for history. The hardships, life-threatening dangers, fatigue, and times of near starvatioare contrasted with abundances of wild game. Descriptions of the varied Native American tribes are interwoven throughout George's journal, making an exciting read. Readers glimpse into the heart and mind of George as he struggles to be accepted by the older men, falls for a Native American girl and eventually becomes a father, is astonished by the stunning scenery, and first fails and then triumphs as a membeof the expedition. Teens will recognize historical figures from an aged Daniel Boone to the alluring and resourceful Sacajewea. Contemporary teen topics of drinking, smoking, and sexual activity mark the journal's entries as readers discover that thexploration was not always politically correct by modern day standards. Ambrose also includes commentary about the times' racial attitudes in scenes where George's companions treat Native Americans as savages, freely liberating them from theipossessions. On the other hand, the explorers are willing to kill any warrior caught stealing from the expedition. A solid fictional journal, this book admittedly will not fly off the shelves, but it does have high value as a supplement to schoostudies of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial.-Rollie Welch 4Q 3P J Copyright 2004 Voya Reviews. | | |
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