Riot

ISBN 13: 978-1-60684-000-9. Hardback, $16.99.

Annotation:
The Race Riots in New York City in 1863 are a seldom noted battle of the Civil War. After the Battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln sensed the weakness in the Confederate Army and Instituted a draft to call up thousands of soldiers to finish the war. In New York City, thousands of poor Irish immigrants protested being called up for the draft to fight in a rich man's war. Riot tells the story of four days of horror in New York.

Book Talk:
Priscilla and Clare lived in New York City during the Civil War. Priscilla's father owned his own busines, and she volunteered at the Colored Orphanage. Claire worked for her father. He was saving to buy the Peacok Inn from the owner. Claire's family worked in the Inn, and buying the inn was their lifelong dream.

President Lincoln has instituted a draft to finish the war, and the Irish are protesting that it is a rich man's war. Anyone who is drafted and doesn't want to serve can pay $300 to get out of the Army. $300 was a lot of money in those days, and the Irish immigrants could not find a way to pay that kind of money.

Four intense days change the face of New York forever. As people all over the city riot to protest the war, blacks throughout the city hide from the angry mob. And caught in the middle is Claire- the daughter of a black man and an Irish woman. Claire struggles to find her identity as the city seethes around her.

Author Web Site: Walter Dean Myers