Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw

Rating:
Summary: best buy
Review: it's must have book I love this book

Rating:
Summary: Bringing War to Life
Review: Robert Gould Shaw's letters home are a very realistic look of the Civil War battles by a unique individual with many perspectives. The brutality of battle along with the emotional turmoil from such a young officer bring the war to life. The authors have given us a true picture of a brave officer and the war. As you read the letters of Shaw you want to pull the blankets closer on the cold winter nights he spent in the field. You can share the suffering along with Shaw at the loss of friends. The courage and love of family and devotion of country are evident throughout his premature adult life. God bless the 54th and may Robert Gould Shaw and all that served with him and under him never be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: Bringing War to Life
Review: Robert Gould Shaw's letters home are a very realistic look of the Civil War battles by a unique individual with many perspectives. The brutality of battle along with the emotional turmoil from such a young officer bring the war to life. The authors have given us a true picture of a brave officer and the war. As you read the letters of Shaw you want to pull the blankets closer on the cold winter nights he spent in the field. You can share the suffering along with Shaw at the loss of friends. The courage and love of family and devotion of country are evident throughout his premature adult life. God bless the 54th and may Robert Gould Shaw and all that served with him and under him never be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: A hero by default
Review: Russell Duncan's compendium of letters both exalts and puzzles.The job of editing the letters and setting them in the context of war, family ties, friendships, etc. is thorough and, for the most part, makes them accessible. Let's not forget, though, that the editor omitted some letters that don't support his main thesis: that Col. Shaw was a rich young pleasure-lover who fought to get back to his privileged existence, never changing this outlook throughout the war; he "never fully understood nor dedicated himself" to the cause of Black freedom (pp.1-2). So here we are presented with a young man raised by abolitionists who went to all the hazards of preparing and leading something new, a black regiment, before dying in the middle of it, without understanding what he was about, or dedicating himself to it. It's fashionable to "debunk" the heros of yore, but even those letters we have tell us otherwise, and Duncan reverses his appraisal, back and forth, several times. We should also beware of measuring citizens of other times against a modern baseline on classism, racism, etc. Apart from these problems, found in the introduction and some footnotes, the book lets Shaw speak for himself (he does it eloquently and enjoyably) and the reader can draw his/her own conclusion on ideas, events, and character development.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Insight Into Shaw's Mind
Review: The movie Glory is one of my all-time favourite movies, and I've wanted to buy this book for some time but have always put off doing so. When I finally took the plunge I found myself unable to put it down. The amount of research that must have gone into this work is astounding and I commend the author on his effort! Reading these letters (and the introduction) give the reader a profound insight into the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts and the mind of Robert Gould Shaw. He is a much different person than was portrayed in the movie and in this book we can see his apprehension and uncertainty about the role which seemed his destiny. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the movie or is a Civil War buff. It is a great read and a wonderful education.