About this title: In this novel set during the American Revolutionary war, a family living in a loyal Tory town faces adversity when one son joins the rebel army.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
""My Brother Sam Is Dead" is about the American Revolutionay War and its effects on a boy, his family and their community. It is told from the perspective of Tim, Sam's younger brother. The authors include maps, a timeline of events and a section that separates the fact from the fiction in the story, which contains many actual people, places and events. The setting is also conveyed through descriptive details about the food, clothing, and chores, and through frequent references to religion and to actual events(such as the Boston Tea Party) and personages (such as George Washington and Benedict Arnold) from the period. The main character, Tim, is well-developed, and grows and changes in response to the events of the war. The central conflict of the story is established immediately when Tim's older brother, Sam, leaves college to become a Rebel soldier and Tim's father, Life, identifies himself as a Tory, or Loyalist, and as against war. Tim is initially torn between admiration for his brother and respect for his father, but as the events of the war unfold the conflict becomes less clear-cut and Sam comes to his own conclusions based on his own observations and experiences. I was surprised to see that this book is on some lists of banned books. My son's fifth grade reading teacher chose this book and I am glad that my son read it. Without revealing the ending, I think this book accurately portrays the movement or momentum of war from moral certainty to moral ambiguity to, in some cases, amorality and immorality. The fates of Sam and his father are examples of the ironies of war. I think war is too often romanticized or glamorized, especially in video-type games, so I think this book is important in its more realistic portrayal of war and its consequences."
"This story is about a young boy named tim who went thorugh a lot and tried to keep his older brother sam from any danger of harm that can cause to him by the indepence war but as tim and his dad tried to take that special england gun from sam to use at war, sam finds out that they are trying to hide it from him.Sam always gets mad when tim tries to help him from getting away from war but he is already adapted to the war so there is nothing tim can possibly do chang his brother opinion abot quiting his career as a soilder. Sam dad doesn't want him at war he wants him alive and with his own family, he gets really upset and sometimes even cries to soorow that his own old son is on war. But Sam won't do anything to leave just like I said.While at the battlefront Tim can see his brother lined up with his army facing the enemy team but as soon as he wanted to say at least a little last word to his own brother sam, he soon got suddenly shot by his enemies and soon enough Tim realized his brother sam is dead."
"I don't really like this book. I am reading it for school and I have no idea why the title is what it is if sam doesnt die until the end. the summary on the back of the book made me want to read it but what i expected the book to be about is totally different than what the book is actually about. I thought sam would join the war and die. then tim would have to choose between fighting with the patriots or staying loyal to king george III. but no! hes at home doing chores while worrying about sam... who doesnt sdie until the end of the book!!! and maybe i dont like it because historical fiction isnt one of my favorite genres."
"Best book ever it had action and made you experience how it feels to be in the middle of a war were your brother(Sam) joins an army your family are against on.This book shows how Sam ,Tim's big brother decides to join the British army to support his believe to Britain colonies power over America. Sam causes desperation to his family were they have no choice but to let him go. This makes Tim the man of the house were he helps his father and deal with the Britain army's curtly to the people. When Sam comes back he is put to death because of not fallowing the rules were he screws his self and leaves his family with pain. This book is awesome and i highly reccomand you to read it to experience Tim and his family's feelings on Sam's decision."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.