a children's literature monthly | Volume II, Issue 2
February 2007 |
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:: non fiction |
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This month, The Edge of the Forest reviews a new Non-fiction title for the
Middle Grade Reader.
Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker
by Carla Joinson
Reviewed by Julie Falkner
American women born in the 1830s were usually brought up to be fragile and feminine, and taught to find fulfillment in
marriage and motherhood. But a few remarkable individuals refused to conform to these expectations and Mary Edwards Walker
was one of them. Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker is an abundantly illustrated account of Walker's life
and the turbulent times in which she lived.
In 1853 Walker decided to train as a doctor, which involved attending medical classes for thirty-nine weeks and doing
supervised practical work. Shortly after she graduated, she married a fellow doctor. As a fervent believer in practical
rather than uncomfortable clothes, she chose to wear trousers and a dress-coat to the wedding.
When the Civil War began there was an urgent need for doctors to treat wounded soldiers. Walker offered her expertise but
the authorities were extremely reluctant to appoint a woman. Indeed, even female nurses were unwelcome in the military
hospitals of the time. Walker persisted however, doing unpaid medical work and moving several times during the war, hoping
each time that her skills would now be recognized. She may have worked as a spy—Joinson carefully observes that the
evidence for this is limited—and was briefly held as an enemy prisoner in atrocious conditions. She finally achieved
the recognition that she so ardently desired when she was appointed "surgeon in charge" at a female military prison.
Joinson's clear writing offers a balanced portrait of Walker, presenting her as capable and far-sighted but supremely
stubborn. The background information is excellent: it includes boxed asides on the dress reform issue and the Battle of
Fredericksburg, a helpful timeline, and several website references. Civil War Doctor is a highly readable
chronicle of an extraordinarily determined woman.
Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Walker, by Carla Joinson. Morgan Reynolds, 2007.
ISBN: 1-5993-5028-9.
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