My Brother Sam is Dead

Citation:

Collier, James Lincoln, and Christopher Collier. My Brother Sam Is Dead. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974. Print.

Summary:

 The Meeker family considers themselves Tories. They remain loyal to the king during the American Revolution. When their oldest son, Sam, enlists with the Rebels, the family is divided and young Timothy is torn between supporting his older brother, or being allegiant to his father and denouncing Sam and the war. As the war begins to come to their small town, the Meeker family and their neighbors’ lives change drastically. Food is scarce and Tim experiences the horrors of war as the town of Redding becomes a staging ground for the Continental Army.

Critical Review:

My Brother Sam is Dead not only historically brings the American Revolution to life, but also emotionally addresses the hardships and nightmares that those involved endured as the war raged through civilian territories. We see Tim mature from a particularly naïve boy of 12 into a determined young man working to keep the family alive. He is apathetic to the war in the beginning and is unsure which side he is on, with his brother fighting for the Rebels and his mother and father remaining loyal to the king. He changes his mind on numerous occasions based upon the violence he witnesses from both sides and the novel details these instances well. He ultimately decides against the war in general: “It seemed to me that everybody was to blame, and I decided that I wasn’t going to be on anybody’s side any more: neither one of them was right” (p. 167).

The Colliers’ have written a thoughtful historical novel with effective descriptions and honest, raw emotions. The section at the end of the story entitled “How much of this book is true?” is particularly helpful in adding to the historical accuracy of the novel. The only weaknesses to be seen with the novel are the long descriptive sections. At times, these sections seem to ramble on with little action taking place. For example, many readers might find themselves zoning out after reading a page long description of the Connecticut countryside.