One of the things I love about my job is that every so often I get to go into the classroom and teach with one of my teachers. I especially love it when research of some sort is involved, whether on my part or the students'. Tomorrow I will be co-teaching a lesson on medicine in the American Civil War with one of my 8th grade social studies teachers. As I was working on finding information for this lesson, I read through today's book as part of my research. One of the things that we wanted to find was information that will really grab the students' attention--especially the gory and gross, since middle schoolers, boys in particular, seem to love that stuff.
I have done some reading on the Civil War in the past, but most often it has come in the form of a work of fiction instead of a nonfiction book. One of the things that fascinates me about this time period is how the women were involved, particularly those who participated in a non-traditional role--doctor, soldier, or even as a nurse (it was considered unseemly for a woman, especially one of good-breeding, to see a man in any state of undress, who was not her husband).
Favor's book covers eight different women who worked tirelessly during the war as either doctors, nurses, or administrators/matrons. I had previously heard of some of these women, like Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, and Mary Ann Bickerdyke. But others, Phoebe Yates Pember, Dr. Esther Hill Hawks, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Sally L. Tompkins, and Kate Cumming, were all new to me. For example, I knew that Dorothea Dix had been a champion of the rights of those who were mentally ill; but I did not know that she headed up the all-female nursing corp for the Union army. Two of her standard requirements for applicants were that they "were at least thirty years old and plain-looking".
The author offers up anecdotes for each of her subjects, but one of my favorites was about Mary Ann Bickerdyke. "On one occasion, a surgeon, angry with Bickerdyke for accusing him of misconduct, complained to General Grant. Though Grant responded with humor, he meant every word he said: 'Mother Bickerdyke outranks everybody, even [President] Lincoln. If you have run amuck of her I advise you to get out quickly before she has you under arrest.'" A drunken surgeon who Bickerdyke had removed from service asked General William T. Sherman for reinstatement and Sherman replied, "I can do nothing for you. She [out]ranks me." :)
Overall I thought this was a great overview of some of the important women of this time period, some of whom were very influential, but in medicine and beyond. There were also some great photos and drawings in the book to help the reader visualize some of the situations these women were put in during the war.
Now to put the finishing touches on the lesson for class tomorrow!
Happy Reading!
