Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy

I am a foreign language and culture/history teacher, a military veteran, and a Civil War buff. I cannot recommend this book more highly. This short read (127 pages) has a number of great aspects: 1. Young people, especially tween and teen girls, will probably like Emma a lot and will appreciate her plucky toughness against the unfair odds of her time. 2. Teachers and parents should appreciate it for its real depictions of Civil War battles like Vicksburg and the Seven Days, as well as the inclusion in minor roles of real people like Lincoln, McClellan and Jackson. This would be a great book for 6th-9th grade social studies or English. 3. It's a true story and what Emma did for her country is amazing! The author ends with a little discussion of Emma's legacy. Caveat: be warned that Emma disguises herself as a black slave on one of her spy missions and the dialogue between her and other slaves is written in the slave dialect of that time. Anyone with any sense will realize this is a simple and accurate fact of the times and will use it as a teaching moment for their kids, and won't try to get the book banned or something. In fact, both slaves and average Confederate troops are depicted as humans who were living the way they were living, and no one is demonized, as it should be in a fair book. Emma even expresses her admiration for the pride and strength of black slaves.

Interesting story. My son and I learned a lot reading it. We liked it so much we bought another book for a birthday present. The author, Seymour Reit, makes learning history fun and easy in this book. I have to admit, I did not think my son would like it. I was pleased when he shared that he loved it. Books like this one give us a different historical perspective as well as another look at heroism. I probably will read this book again. It is a compelling read.

Needed this book for school. It arrived pretty fast and of good quality. It wasn’t a horrible book, pretty interesting actually!

I read this book when I was about twelve struggling to read from a young age and having ADHD. This book started my first hyper fixation the civil war. Moms if you are seeing this it’s a great book for the twelve and up. Remember to learn into their hyper fixations when!

If you have a daughter, (or a son) get them this book! It is so good! This girl has a tough childhood, but gave all she had. It’s a great story of grit, perseverance, and determination. My daughter really enjoyed it as well.

The story of Civil War nurse, soldier, spy Emma Edmonds is perfect for kids. Unfortunately two attributes mar this telling of it. Readers are told the story is entirely based on fact with only some invented dialogue but there are no footnotes or attributions and many moments that seem too good to be true. Also Edmond's disguise as Cuff the 'spunky black slave' both strains credulity and is offensively worded. Can we really believe a Canadian young woman could successfully pass among African American southern slaves as a black man? The frequent references to his wooly hair grate and her espionage feels too easy: more Nancy Drew than reality.

I read this in 5th grade (I am now in 7th), and everyone should read it. It influenced me in a way I cannot explain.

While not a Civil War scholar, or even amatuer historian, I do know the Civil War was a turning point in so many ways. Slavery abolished, of course, but also changes in sociology, technology, communications, economics and politics can be traced to that national cataclysm. I've wanted to learn more about the Civil War and want my kids to have a greater perspective than I got in school on the war and it's aftermath. So I was interested to see this slim volume on a woman who joined the army, disguised as a man, and then who went on to become a spy, all while concealing her identity as a woman. Yes, I saw some of the reviews that criticized the book as being a series of discreet adventures rather than completely woven story of Emma Edmonds' life. In my experience, however, the book was perfect for middle schoolers. I could read one adventure at a time to them and each one was described in glowing detail. We were, literally, on the edges of our seats as we read them. Additionally, the book provided enough about Emma's early and later life to give context to the stories. By the end, I could tell my kids cared about her and were interested in what happened to her after the war. All in, this book met and exceeded my expectations. It gave my middle school kids a hook for further study about the Civil War and we all learned a lot.

This book was bought for someone who is an avid reader of true stories and autobiographies. I'm sure they will enjoy it.

A nice and interesting little book dealing with a "little known" part of the Civil War