A Family Saga in East Tennessee - an Editorial Review of "The Scott Boys"

Book Blurb:

The Scott Boys was recognized as a Finalist for the AWA Hawthorne Prize; a Finalist for the Chanticleer Laramie Award for Americana Fiction; a Finalist for the IAW Book of the Years; received the Editors Choice Award from iUniverse; and a Distinguished Author designation from the International Impact Book Awards.The Scott Boys: A Civil War Novel- Inspired by Actual Events is an iUniverse Editor's Choice.

From East Tennessee, the Scott family faces Civil War conflicts. One brother and his son decide to fight for the Southern Cause, while four other brothers escape into Kentucky to join the Union Army, fighting against slavery and preserving the Union. The Scott family adheres to the Presbyterian faith as Covenanters, embracing Native American perspectives, combining those values to provide guidance through a most challenging time. The family members who remain in East Tennessee are subjected to suffering from the plundering bushwhackers who see the Scott family allegiance to the Union as cause for punishment. That retribution also applies to slaves with whom the Scotts live as farmers, loggers and millers, all working the land of others.

How THE SCOTT BOYS approach the decision to fight, how they react during events, and how they face the fears and the mental challenges of war are presented with the realization that none of us knows for certain what those feelings were like in 1860. Follow each brother through the war during battle, in prison, marching, and dealing with the harshness of exposure to the weather. Many of the characters portrayed are real life men and women. The locations are all actual.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/wcp18

Author Bio:

An inveterate reader, history student and global traveler, S. Scott Anderson relies on his real-world experiences to provide substance to the characters in his works. While not a normal career path, studying journalism eventually led Anderson into a career as a construction equipment executive. A lifelong writer and photographer, Anderson focuses on automotive history, creative fiction and historically inspired unique stories since retiring. Anderson lives in Tennessee, where his family has been since the middle 1700s; yet he remains a voyager constantly exploring new opportunities and vistas. You will likely find him at historic car gatherings, small vineyards, and history shows. Excellent public speaker providing unique perspectives on the Civil War and automotive history.

The Scott Boys has received the following recognitions: Finalist for the AWA Hawthorne Prize: Finalist for Chanticleer Laramie Award; Finalist for IAN Book of the Year; iUniverse Editors Choice designation.

Editorial Review:

Title: The Scott Boys

Author: S. Scott Anderson

Rating: 4.5

“The Scott Boys: A Civil War Novel- Inspired by Actual Events” by S. Scott Anderson is a historical fiction that follows five Scott brothers and their nephew who serves alongside his father, through the American Civil War. The brothers are poor white tenant farmers from East Tennessee, and the novel is deeply rooted in Anderson’s family’s history, a history through which it aims to convey the psychological and emotional experiences of real people thrust into an unimaginable conflict.

“Friends, we have come to the edge of the cliff. Absolute Civil War has descended upon our great Union, one that pretends to protect the States from the central government. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to speak the truth: This war is about business. And that business is cotton. And that cotton requires slavery.” “How the hell can Lincoln call us to serve?” asked Robert. “We ain’t got no slaves, no plantations, but now he’s sayin’ it’s our war? Don’t make no sense.” The boys all agreed with Robert, though Elisha added, “What you

Want don’t matter. We gonna have to choose a side soon, or they’ll choose for you.

This excerpt reveals two opposing perspectives that are preceded by the reality of what the war is really about- a conflict driven by economic interests that are built on the institutions of slavery. The Scott Brothers have been discussing what might happen should war become a reality. It is certain that they cannot remain neutral, and will soon be forced to choose a side. If they fail to do so, the reader knows that the Confederate or Union Army will have to decide their fate. The reader feels sympathy for Robert’s bewilderment and concern for what might happen to his family. Additionally, they feel a sense of injustice, knowing that these hardworking men will be sacrificed for a system that benefits only the wealthy plantation owners.

““Need to be givin’ Johnny Reb a warm reception of bullets,” Robert replied. “This heah ain’t like no other fightin’ I ever see, man killing each other, not respectin’ each other, just wrong, scary wrong. That elephant been heah. Seen him, I did. Pap was right.” He spit his tobacco juice, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and removed his hat. The two stood at attention, each saying a prayer, suffering what their eyes revealed.”

Earlier in the novel, Robert has been warned by his father. “Ain’t no one knows how bad that fightin’ be till you sees the elephant. You see thangs there don’t know man ever seen.” By now, he has seen it and has crossed the threshold from which there is no return. The reader feels his cry for something deeper- the stripping away of decency that should exist between human beings. The reader is primed for even greater horrors, as well as the cyclical nature of suffering.

“Big Wils had missed the Scott boys the past couple of years while the war flowed through East Tennessee, bringing first the Confederates and then the Yankees. “Reckon I ain’t never met any of them other soldiers that’s good as y’all. No, suh.””

The reader sees the fundamental decency of the Scott brothers, who the novel refuses to label as “rebels,” “Yankees,” or “enemies,” instead keeping them as admirable individuals, no matter which side they were allied to. It is a warm passage that moves readers by its loyalty, loyalty that transcends the chaos of war. It affirms the central importance of personal bonds over political allegiances, leaving the reader with feelings of warmth, nostalgia, empathy, and hope, and a reminder that even in the darkest times, love and loyalty endure.

The novel’s greatest strength is its ability to balance multiple themes and integrate them effectively without losing sight of its characters. They include the personal cost of a divided nation- a theme the reader witnesses through brothers who fight on opposite sides of the same war, and the trauma of war. Others include survival and resilience, race and class, the brutality of prison camps, and healing and reconciliation. They are built through a deliberate pacing structure that is slow and reflective during the opening scenes- where the reader gets to know them as a close-knit family before the war tears them apart, and a rapid and chaotic pacing during the battle scenes later on.

The dialogue stands out and is immediately noticeable because of the distinctive East Tennessee dialect that reflects the speech patterns of poor, rural farmers. Phrases like “y’all free, ain’t slaves no more,” and “be takin’ care o’ this neither” transport the reader back in time and place, while making the characters feel real and relatable. Anderson further presents events that trust the reader to react emotionally, even as, through the use of repetition, he reinforces key themes, and in the process building on the story’s emotional resonance. Additional repeated phrases like “elephant” and “skeered” ensure that the key themes are not forgotten.

This is one of the historical novels out there that makes the reader absorb history through storytelling. It is powerful without being pretentious, and is emotionally devastating yet hopeful. It uses a style that allows the characters to fully experience each page’s events.

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