Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Rifles for Watie
Book Review: Josh's Book Review
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is about the hardships and struggles during the Civil War. Jeff Bussey, a farmer boy, heard about the new war and is very exited. He is very eager to join the volunteer army. He left his farm, mother, and Father, and goes out to fight against the rebel army. Lead by the half-blooded Stand Watie. During the War, Jeff sees many of his new friends die. Jeff discovers a rebel girl that he really likes named Lucy. Then Jeff is sent o spy on the rebel side. He finds the rebels are not so bad and Jeff starts to admire Watie. In the rest of the book Jeff had to decide if he should stay with the rebel side or the union side. This action packed historical fiction should be highly rated. You can feel the troops live through the War conditions while you read this book. If you are looking for a great book to read you should read, "Rifles for Watie."Book Review: Loved this book as a Gen X teen...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've always been a military history buff, especially back in my youth when I had dreams of valorous service to my country. One of my favorite military fiction books as a young high school sophomore in the early 1980s was "Rifles for Watie", which I probably checked out from my school library more than just about everyone combined.
Young Jeff (around my age at the time) gets caught up in the Civil War, joins the Union army, and heads off to fight the Confederates. He makes some solid friends and experiences harsh combat in the infantry. However, he's soon directed to go undercover as a faux Rebel and spy on Stand Watie, something of a Nathan Bedford Forrest figure. Jeff grows to admire Watie and his comrades, and even manages to fall for a fiery young Southern woman named Lucy. We follow Jeff's adventures through the war from beginning to end along with a fine cast of supporting characters.
In light of our own overexposure to war in the last eight years I suppose there are some who might criticize "Rifles for Watie" for its dearth of, say, PTSD portrayal or making war look like a grand adventure. But then again, should a romance book include a bitter divorce or flagrant adultery? Yes, Jeff does change as a result of his wartime experiences, but mostly in a positive way. What young man wouldn't want to dream about embarking on a similar heroic journey?
With that in mind, "Rifles for Watie" is an entertaining adventure tale of a a boy who becomes a man as a result of his tour of duty in the military. Of course, I'd recommend that the reader balance this book with more sober and realistic books about wartime service, if only to see how things can go bad in such a context. But this book is highly recommended for the young person interested in a piece of exciting and non-nihilistic military fiction.
Book Review: Made up for boring History class!
Summary: 5 Stars
Many people view me as odd when I tell them I think the Civil War is an exciting prospect. This is surely due to the fact that our History teacher did such an awful job teaching it. This book is what helped me see how interesting it really was. Instead of lengthy lists of battles and dates, this book incorporated the feelings of a person.True, it took me a while to pick up this book. I got it at about age nine and was not very inclined to read it... but now at thirteen it is an exciting read. Don't turn away just because of the fact that it has the word 'rifles' in the title. I was purely because of the fact that in History rifles were always paired up with boring battles.
Please turn to this rather than those [other] books about babysitting or whatever. I know the babysitters club is behind most of us but it lies in my memory as an example...
Book Review: Masterul!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was the first real novel I ever. I have read it four more times since. Keith is a wonderful storyteller and he makes you care about the characters. A must read!Book Review: My opinion of this book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book. Thae plot is really good. It is very adventurous and has a little mystery to it. The characters are very well described and you get to know them very well. The way it is written will keep you turning the pages.