A Hope Divided
Page 28
I’ve listed some reading materials, but more and more research is coming out about this, after years of Lost Cause revisionism, and I hope this helps Americans see that even when we seem the most divided, there are always, always, people fighting for freedom in places we are told there are none. That should not be forgotten.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following is a selection of the books used to research this novel:
Abbott, Karen. Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War. New York: HarperCollins, 2014.
Auman, William T. Civil War in the North Carolina Quaker Belt: The Confederate Campaign Against Peace Agitators, Deserters, and Draft Dodgers. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2014.
Bynum, Victoria E. The Long Shadow of the Civil War: Southern Dissent and Its Legacies. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2010.
Cooper, Alonzo. In and Out of Rebel Prisons. Oswego, NY: R. J. Oliphant, 1888.
Jordan, Robert Paul. The Civil War. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 1969.
Lause, Mark A. A Secret Society History of the Civil War. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2011.
McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Pratt, Fletcher. The Civil War in Pictures. Garden City, NY: Garden City Books, 1955.
Sprague, Homer B. Lights and Shadows in a Confederate Prison. New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1915.
Van Doren Stern, Philip. Secret Missions of the Civil War. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1959.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
A HOPE
DIVIDED
Alyssa Cole
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included
to enhance your group’s reading of
Alyssa Cole’s A Hope Divided.
Discussion Questions
1. Marlie is living with her father’s side of the family, the Lynches, when she encounters Ewan. The Lynches are Unionists, people who supported the Union while living in the South. Did you know anything about Unionists and their attempts to aid the North during the war?
2. Many of the men imprisoned with Ewan are “deserters” and “skulkers,” men who refuse to fight for the Confederacy and have taken up arms. Skulkers often lived in the forests near their homes, and fought guerrilla-style warfare against the soldiers and militia men tasked with catching draft dodgers. What were some of the reasons these men (and women) gave for resisting the Confederacy?
3. With the men either drafted or fighting Confederate soldiers, the wives and families of the deserters often suffered, particularly because they were shunned by their secessionist neighbors and families. What were some of the challenges they faced?
4. Marlie attempts to move past the spiritual roots of her work with medicinal plants and focus on science. How does this help her survive? And what makes her change her mind?
5. Marlie makes a disturbing discovery about her lineage. Why does this affect her feelings for Ewan, and how does she overcome this?
6. Ewan’s work for the Union cause made him feel unworthy of affection. How does he come to terms with his past, and his future? Did you agree with this?
Photo: © Katana Photography
ALYSSA COLE is a science editor, pop culture nerd, and romance junkie who lives in the Caribbean and occasionally returns to her fast-paced NYC life. Her writing has been featured in publications including Vulture (New York Magazine’s entertainment blog), Heroes and Heartbreakers, and The Toast. When she’s not busy writing, traveling, and learning French, she can be found watching anime with her husband or tending to her herd of pets.
AN EXTRAORDINARY UNION
by Alyssa Cole
As the Civil War rages between the States, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past....
Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army.
Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton’s Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia.
Two undercover agents who share a common cause—and an undeniable attraction—Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other....