Soldier's Secret: The Story of Deborah Sampson

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Soldier's Secret: The Story of Deborah Sampson (eBook - First Edition) Pub. Date: 3/31/2009 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
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Soldier's Secret Pub. Date: 3/1/2009 Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
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Soldier's Secret: The Story of Deborah Sampson (First Edition) Pub. Date: 3/31/2009 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

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Overview

In the 1700s, women’s responsibilities were primarily child rearing and household duties. But Deborah Sampson wanted more from life. She wanted to read, to travel—and to fight for her country’s independence. When the colonies went to war with the British in 1775, Deborah was intent on being part of the action. Seeing no other option, she disguised herself in a man’s uniform and served in the Continental army for more than a year, her identity hidden from her fellow soldiers.

Accomplished writer Sheila Solomon Klass creates a gripping firstperson account of an extraordinary woman who lived a life full of danger, adventure, and intrigue.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

The real-life Deborah Sampson's experiences dressing as a man for two years to serve as a soldier during the Revolutionary War form the foundation of Klass's (The Uncivil War) provocative historical novel. The story starts with a terrific hook: hospitalized with yellow fever, the soldier/narrator known as Robert Shurtliff pretends to be dead to evade examination by the nurses: "Being buried alive [was] a terrible fate, but preferable to being discovered," claims the narrator, who has yet to disclose Shurtliff's real identity. As the grave diggers fight over Shurtliff's boots, a nurse realizes her patient is still alive, leading to a doctor's discovery that the patient is female. Bringing her to his home to recover in safety, he persuades her to write down her story. Readers then learn that Sampson was a "give-away child," passed into indentured servitude because her mother was unable to support her. Finally freed, she still feels hampered by the stringent restrictions placed on women and begins to disguise herself as a man. At times Sampson comes across as self-absorbed; it's Klass's telling use of details that brings this story to life. Ages 12-16. (Mar.)

Children's Literature

Deborah Sampson was an actual woman who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Some basic facts are known about her. She was born in 1760; she was a give-away child (thus spent her childhood in servitude); she enlisted in the Army in 1782 as Robert Shurtliff; and she received an honorable discharge in 1783. Klass offers a fictionalized version with invented details presenting her version about how Sampson successfully fooled Army officers, fellow soldiers and others into believing she was a man. Told as a first-person narrative, the story begins with Sampson's near-death injuries and an examination by a doctor who discovers her secret. He has her transported to his home and gives her paper and pen to write about her experiences as she is recovering. These memories related in a conversational tone offer plausible explanations about Sampson, her motivations, and her achievements. An author's note in the back relates documented information and identifies imaginary characters and happenings. A chronology of Sampson's life and significant dates of the Revolutionary War are also included. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.

More Reviews (2) Fewer Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10

This novel is based on the life of a woman who, at the age of 21, disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental army. The story begins in the last months of the war with Deborah grievously ill and the secret of her gender discovered by a military doctor. Instead of exposing her deception, he arranges for her private care and insists that she write down her story. What follows is her accounting of her life: a difficult childhood, why she enlisted, how she maintained her disguise while surrounded by male soldiers, what battles she fought in, and the wounds she received. Encouraged by the doctor who saved her life, Deborah reveals her secret to a general and receives an honorable discharge. What is known and documented about Sampson's life is seamlessly incorporated into the novel; Klass has thoughtfully imagined the missing details to create a compelling story. She does not dwell on the brutality of war, but focuses on the protagonist's character, the danger of her deception, and the trials of maintaining her disguise. There is a sad, thwarted romance and a few comic moments when an amorous young woman sets her sights on the disguised soldier. The writing is clear and concise, and Deborah's voice rings with authenticity. An excellent choice for fans of historical fiction, fictionalized biographies, and stories about brave women.-Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA

Kirkus Reviews

Signing a proclamation on May 23, 1983, Governor Michael Dukakis named Deborah Sampson an "Official Heroine of the State of Massachusetts," the first person ever to be so honored. Sampson, fiercely patriotic, fought in the American Revolution, taking the name of her deceased older brother, Robert Shurtliff. She had been a "give-away child," abandoned by her father and given up by her mother, and after ten years of indentured servitude, she became a "masterless" woman and ran off to war to avoid marriage. Rooting her tale in the facts of Sampson's story and inventing dialogue, a romance and supporting characters, Klass tells Sampson/Shurtliff's wartime saga as a tale like Scheherazade's, with Deborah writing the stories to earn the silence of her attending physician. And an engrossing tale it is, of a woman's journey in a man's war, offering a fascinating portrait of a new nation emerging from the crucible of war, disease and political upheaval. A good match with Anita Silvey's I'll Pass for Your Comrade (2008). (author's note, chronology) (Historical fiction. 12-16)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780805082005
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date: 3/31/2009
Edition description: First Edition
Edition number: 1
Pages: 224
Sales rank: 374,732
Age range: 11 - 15 Years
Lexile: 790L (what's this?)
Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 7.80 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

SHEILA SOLOMON KLASS has been writing fiction for young adults for nearly five decades. Her books include The Uncivil War ; Shooting Star: A Novel About Annie Oakley; and Little Women Next Door. Ms. Klass lives in New York City.

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6764003

Posted March 8, 2011

Perfect

I had to do a hero project and it gave me the most info. out of any website. I didn't want to go to a website because all of my info. came from here great book I recomend it. : ) 6th grader

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