Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel

by C. M. Butzer

Other authorsC. M. Butzer (Illustrator)
Paperback, 2009

Status

Check shelf

Call number

GN Bu

Publication

HarperCollins (2008), 80 pages

Description

Presents a comic book style depiction of the Battle of Gettysburg, the national movement to create a memorial at the battle site, and the day of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in 1863, drawn from first-person letters, speeches, and other primary sources. The address itself is played out over sixteen pages, with every phrase given a visual interpretation that will resonate with young readers. Also contains page level author's notes and the Gettysburg Address, in both comic book and text forms.

Local notes

1602-169

User reviews

LibraryThing member imperfectionist
Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel is as straightforward as its name suggest; it's a historical graphic novel about the Gettysburg, which leads up to Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address.

What a dynamic ending to a graphic novel! I'm rarely touched by graphic novels, but this was excellent.

I wish I had
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this book when I was first learning about the Gettysburg Address because it would have helped me understand it a lot better. The visuals greatly enhanced the understanding of the historical events leading up to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Keeping the novel succinct helped highlight all the important events of the Civil War.

The organization of this book is efficient, so that it's easy to find the information you need. The book opens with an introduction to all the characters. I really love the artwork; it really goes well with the novel, and it was the most significant part in clarifying what was being said. They are really striking, and the author's notes at the end really added to their depth.

In the author's notes, the author explains his drawings – what it was supposed to represent and why he drew what he did. An added bonus to the pictures is that some of them are more metaphorical than literal. The explanations are thorough and easily comprehensible. My favorite part of this book was when Lincoln was making his speech, and the author drew historical events that happened long after the speech. This emphasized the timeliness of Lincoln's words and its historical impact.
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LibraryThing member mdyewhea
A plus: an informative map of Gettysburg and description of the battle that allows the reader to appreciate the geography and Lee's fatal mitake to the extent that they can understand why the CSA orchestrated their own defeat. Lincoln's speech should have been more prominent after the description
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of the battle itself: does anyone remember (or care to remember) the "famous orator" who preceded the President, blathering on for almost 2 hours? How presumptuous! The Gettysburg address is one of the most powerful speeches ever given, and its brevity is one of its greatest virtues.
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LibraryThing member VandyGirl
“Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel” depicts the events of the Battle of Gettysburg as well as the construction of monument and cemetery and the Gettsyburg Address. There is little text and almost everything is conveyed solely through images; this works well for the topic, because what words can be
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used to accurately describe the horrors of war? The author also relates the Gettysburg Adress and abolition of slavery to other freedom movements throughout history, such as women’s suffrage, unionization, the end to segregation, and gay rights. Author’s Notes at the end add extra depth to the images by pointing out and describing the small details. This is an historically accurate and visually stunning book which would be a great complement to a Civil War history lesson. Grades 6 – 10.
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LibraryThing member frood42
This graphic novel covers the Battle of Gettysburg, the events leading to the building of the Solders National Cemetery, and Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. Text is fairly minimal, but an author's note at the end describes the historic events happening in the images, and draws on a
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number of first hand accounts of the battle. The artwork is colored in shades of blue, black and gray, evoking the bleak atmosphere of a terrible battle and its aftermath. Additionally, these color choices are excellent for rendering the battle scenes, making it possible to depict fighting without the danger of excessive depiction of full color blood and gore ruining some of the art's poignancy by straying towards the cartoonishly gory. The images of the battle, however, remain horrific and disturbing: bullets and bayonets are depicted piercing through soldiers' bodies, and there are some grim scenes of corpses on the battlefield with eyes staring at nothing, limb amputations, and exhumations. Fight scenes are crowded and chaotic, and the limited colors make it difficult to distinguish between Confederate and Union soldiers, which is perhaps an attempt to invoke the disorienting experience of battle.

The graphic novel concludes with Lincoln delivering his Gettysburg Address, where it departs from realism to depict scenes such as those of women's suffrage marches or Civil Rights movement, and at times, a ghostly row of Civil War soldiers standing behind him. As the concluding pages make especially evident, the focus of this graphic novel is primarily on invoking an emotional reaction to the Battle of Gettysburg. It is less successful, however, at providing a clear story of what happened during the battle. The stylistic choices that are effective at conveying the horrors of war, unfortunately obscure the historical details. Even with the text at the end, the battle scenes are confusing and disjointed, and the reader is left not entirely sure what happened during those three days in July. This can serve as an emotionally-charged introduction to the famous battle of the Civil War, however, for a more straightforward historical account, young readers will have to look elsewhere. The violent nature of the content make it most appropriate for readers over the age of ten.
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LibraryThing member shelf-employed
In black, white, and subtle hues of Union blue and Confederate gray, first-time author, C.M. Butzer, tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath in graphic novel format.

The story begins with a double-spread map of Gettysburg, 1863, then continues with cameo "photos" of the main
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historical figures (both military and civilian), and background information presented as a two-page letter written with quill pen and ink. The remainder of the story is told in mostly multi-panel pages (some wordless), with particular emphasis on the Gettysburg address, included in its entirety, each phrase accompanied by a panel depicting pivotal moments of both past and recent history, alluding to the timeless nature of Lincoln's most famous words.

The Author's Notes are an invaluable source of reference information, explaining source documents, dialogue, symbolism, and background information relating to period conditions.

Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel offers more than historical accuracy. It gives the reader a balance of both war and peace. There is much more to Gettysburg than the battle. There is the story of the town's civilians, the political drama, the humanitarian concerns, the creation of the site of what was then called, The Soldiers National Cemetery, and of course, the far-reaching impact of President Lincoln's address to the thousands gathered at the newly created national monument.

There is great depth to this slim, 80-page volume.
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LibraryThing member NghtStlkr64
It's very difficult to get past the bias of this book. If you believe, as so many do, that the Civil War was fought over slavery then you may enjoy it. However, if you've done any research past high school history there's a decent chance this book will annoy you. It's unfortunate though because
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this could have been a really great book if the author would have focused more on the battle itself rather then building the cemetery and being preachy.
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LibraryThing member Susan.Macura
This is a short and a quick read on one of the most important battles in the Civil War. It is also a look at President Lincoln and his speech there. I found it to be a great resource for students hesitant to read traditional books on this subject and would recommend it for any school library.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2009

Physical description

80 p.; 7 inches

ISBN

0061561754 / 9780061561757

Barcode

34747000064804
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