Amrie of St. Francisville, LA, narrates the story of her family and its trials during the Civil War. Only twelve, she has a childish vulnerability and innocence. The war years pass as she grows to understand what is happening. Innocence fades as she endures her young years watching friends and family die and/or become maimed by the horrors of war. This novel focuses on those left behind as their men go off to fight the Federals. Women, children, and old people face food shortage, loss of their animals and rape as they work to protect themselves and live through the war. The author apparently perused the writings of many journals, memoirs, and letters penned by the women who stayed home as their men went to fight. It's emotionally draining at times as one realizes what happens to them at the hands of brutal soldiers. Amrie, her mother, friends and neighbors exhibit such courage and tenacity during these tragic times.

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