The General and Monaville, Texas
Author
Joe G. Bax
Publisher
Emerald Book Company
1 Review Copies Left
While the strife of the Civil War is over, the conflict in Monaville, Texas, is just beginning--and John Ross Wilhite seems to be in the middle of it all. For John Ross, the world is a confusing place. The slaves have been freed, but only some of the occupants of Monaville seem to accept that fact. The Klan is growing in number and political power, but John Ross doesn't understand what the fuss is all about. The General--his revered grandfather--seems to be on the wrong side of the law. And everybody is just a bit too interested in his friendship with Miss Afton.
But John Ross doesn't have the luxury of youth any longer, as tensions mount and the most respected men in town become the most fearsome--for good or ill. With richly drawn characters, poignant stories, and a gut-wrenching climax, The General and Monaville, Texas delivers a powerful tale of secrets, politics, and discord in the Reconstruction south--and the coming of age of a boy and a town.
Reviews
The Genral and Monaville, Texas
By: Author Joe G, Bax
A Third generation Texan born and raised on a former slave owned cotton grown plantation views his home a little differently after the civil war has come to an end. With a very predictable grandfather teaching him the routine of daily life on the farm, and his father scouting the land leased around the outskirts, life for John Ross was simple. Events within and on the outskirts of their plantation into the town of Monaville would make his simple child hood life into a confusing, fast thinking, grown up world.
When a few corrupt men of the law and member's of the Ku Klux Klan decide to take a jealous matter from within into their own hands by causing, heart ache, destruction, and menus within the plantation and its walls, The general and Grandfather of John Ross decides it's time he resurrected his war past to put an end to the menus situations these corrupt Klan members were causing his friends and family.
Preventing the future from being tainted with the judgments of these corrupt men was a success, but what the general didn't count on was his past coming back to haunt him in an unexciting way.
Reviewed on 01/17/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Michelle Lichtenfels
“The General and Monaville, Texas” is a historical novel set in the reconstruction era following the United States Civil War. It is told through the eyes of John Ross, the teenage grandson of General Leander Wilhite who fought for the South and is now trying to put the war behind him and get on with the responsibilities of running a ranch. John tries to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and get on with his life but there are many things going on around him that he just doesn’t understand. Who are the “Kluxers” and why do they want to hurt the freed slaves? Why does his grandfather no longer go into town and why does he seem to dislike the church ladies so much? Why are people always asking him how Miss Afton is when they could ask her themselves? As John Ross spends more time with his grandfather and other town elders such as Blue, and The Colonel, he finds the answers not only lead to more questions but also lead to his becoming an adult.
This is a well-written, character driven novel of a period in US history that many people know very little about. History books often gloss over the time directly after the civil war and rarely mention the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan but author Joe G. Bax takes us there and gives us a sometimes startling, sometimes humorous, and oftentimes all too realistic glimpse into this tumultuous period of US history. If you like historical fiction that packs a punch then I highly recommend “The General and Monaville, Texas”. It may be short but it delivers and I guarantee that once started you won’t be able to put it down until you have read every last word.
Reviewed on 06/02/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson
The General and Monaville, Texas is about a young boy named John Ross Wilhite growing up in Texas post Civil War. His grandfather was a General in the war fighting for the south but has since put that behind him. He has set his slaves free and given most of them land as sharecroppers. He takes a genuine interest in them expecially Blue for who the General sets up a blacksmith shop in the town.
John Ross is growing up and is starting to get interested in girls expecially his friend Afton. Coming from a small town they all start asking him about his "friend Afton".
Not everyone is willing to let the loss of the Civil War go to the wayside and with the help of the District Attorney and the drunken Sheriff a group forms the local Klan. They don't take kindly to the former slaves being treated as equals and start to cause some trouble in the area having deadly consequences.
And if the Klan isn't enough to handle a former slave show up to take revenge out on the General.
This book isn't very long , only 168 pages, but it sure packs a punch, I found myself not being able to put the book down. The book does end with somewhat of a mystery though and i would love to read more about John Ross and the town of Monaville, Texas.
Reviewed on 04/12/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Mindy Detweiler
Reviewed on 01/10/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Claire Franek
