The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
Canadian | CBC Books | | Posted: July 19, 2022 10:49 PM | Last Updated: July 19, 2022
Michael Leali
Amos Abernathy lives for history. Literally. He's been a historical reenactor nearly all his life. But when a cute new volunteer arrives at his Living History Park, Amos finds himself wondering if there's something missing from history: someone like the two of them.
Amos is sure there must have been LGBTQ+ people in nineteenth-century Illinois. His search turns up Albert D. J. Cashier, a Civil War soldier who might have identified as a trans man if he'd lived today. Soon Amos starts confiding in his newfound friend by writing letters in his journal—and hatches a plan to share Albert's story with his divided twenty-first century town. It may be an uphill battle, but it's one that Amos is ready to fight.
Told in an earnest, hilarious voice, this love letter to history, first crushes, and LGBTQ+ community will delight readers of Ashley Herring Blake, Alex Gino, or Maulik Pancholy.
A historical reenactor in his youth, Michael Leali is now a writer and educator. When he's not dreaming up stories, he's probably playing a board game, eating cheese, or grading papers somewhere in the suburbs of Chicago.