Title:The Red Badge of Courage

Author: Stephen Crane

Genre: Classics

Publisher: Puffin Classics

Format: Paperback

Pages: 240

Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Henry Fleming dreams of the thrill of battle and performing heroic deeds in the American Civil War. But his illusions are shattered when he comes face to face with the bloodshed and horrors of war. Now he’s a raw recruit, Henry experiences both fear and self-doubt. Will war make Henry a coward or a hero?

A vivid fictionalised account of the experiences of an ordinary innocent young soldier on the battlefields of the American Civil War, introduced by American writer, illustrator and historian, Wendell Minor.

Review:

This book was really interesting. Written from the perspective of a young soldier during the Civil War, young Henry has to come to terms with what life is like at war.

I really liked that this book went through a number of different experiences that a soldier would go through: the excitement of joining up and then wanting to return home once the fighting starts, the fear you feel in your first battle and then the numbness felt while taking lives; even the loss of your friends and fellow soldiers. While describing all of this, the writer does so in a beautiful, almost poetic way. You feel as the reader empathy for the soldiers, yet you can’t stop reading and waiting to see what happens. It shows that war is brutal, and harsh, and all sorts of people suffer.

If you’re looking for a short read on the Civil War, then I would recommend this for you!

Happy reading!