Dispelling Stereotypes as a Military Writer

by Ann DeWitt

Have you ever travelled out of your local region and stayed with family or friends who have a different dialect than you?  Have you noticed that after a while, you begin to pick up a few new fun phrases or words?  Then, when you return home, someone says, "You sound funny."  This has been my experience and, based on media reports, the experience of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well.

Now, think about the 19th century.  Instead of seeing black and white, close your eyes and hear the characters' voices in a military story.  In 1861, many men were leaving their homes for the first time in their lives to fight beside other men whose ancestors derived from other foreign countries.  English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, African, and the first blended southern dialects emerged onto the grounds of every military training camp and battlefield during the American Civil War. For a second, imagine the slave, who against the law learned to read and write from his master's family.

Wouldn't a slave who lived on the grounds of a Scottish family say a few Scottish phrases?  Likewise, wouldn't a slave who lived on the grounds with an English family sing a different song? What would the voices sound like at Camp McDonald, the Georgia Military Institute training camp across from the well-known Lacy Hotel in Big Shanty, Georgia?  Thus, for the young adult reader, Entangled In Freedom: A Civil War Story focuses on main character Isaac’s observations while travelling with the Confederate States Army 42nd Georgia Regiment Volunteers. 

While some do not appreciate a Civil War historical fiction writer breaking away from traditionally thinking in black and white, others want young adult readers to learn from main character and role model Isaac on how to listen to people and not focus on racial, cultural, and/or intellectual stereotypes. Life is rich with diversity; so, we all can decide if we will embrace it.

Most importantly, one book reviewer of Entangled In Freedom: A Civil War Story stated after reading the novel, "Finally, the human race arrives.”

Highlighting the Good in Humanity,
Ann

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Ann DeWitt and Kevin M. Weeks
Recipients of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards
for Young Adult Historical Fiction
www.entangledinfreedom.com