Will I love My Brother Sam Is Dead?

This book created much controversy when read or assigned in 5th-grade classrooms, for the very reasons I loved it.

As even the title indicates, the story is gritty, in language and violence, as it should be on the subject of families torn apart between loyalists and rebels in the American Revolution.

I’ve studied enough American history, especially the Revolution, to know it was not the glossy fairy tales we tend to tell ourselves. Causes are not simplistic, nor morally black & white. Young people need to follow the first principle of the Stoics – accept reality for what it is.… show more.

I’ve included the Colliers’ classic because it was one of the first historical fiction novels that I ever read. Over forty years later, I can still remember the magic. Upon reading the first page, I was transported instantly from my desert home in Las Vegas to a Tory tavern in Redding, Connecticut. The enchantment in the pages worked a magic over me that I never forgot In some ways, this led me to write my own historical fiction novel. The title is simple – My Brother Sam is Dead. The meaning, the message, and the Meeker Family’s pain profound.… show more.