My Brother Sam Is Dead (book talk)

This book is basically about human nature, and what happens when you come to a fork in the road. Which way do you go? Do you follow your older brother, who you idolize and love, but who also loves the newly established colonies in America, or do you follow your father, who is greatly opposed to the war and sides with England? This book follows Tim, who is the youngest in the Meeker family. His brother Sam wants to join the Continental Army to fight against England for American Freedom. Mr. Meeker and Tim get in a fight over this, and Sam runs away to join the Army. 

Time goes by, with no word about Sam. With Sam gone, Tim spends a lot of time wondering if Sam did the right thing by fighting against England for American Freedom, or if it’s a good idea to stay under the ruling of England. 

One day, Mr. Meeker and Tim are on the road to get supplies for winter, when they are ambushed by  cowboys. They actually take Mr. Meeker, and Tim gets away with the supplies. 

With Mr. Meeker gone, Tim has to grow up fast and help his mother. One day, he sees British Soldiers in his town, and realizes the war has come to his town. Tim realizes that maybe he is in fact a “Tory," (someone who sides with the British), until he sees some pretty gruesome violence that involves his neighbor (who, by the way, was a real person in 1777). That’s the moment Tim realizes he doesn't belong on ANY side.

Soon there's word that Sam may be in town with the Captain he’ traveling with. Tim goes out to find him, and when he does, it is a sweet reunion for the two of them. Tim goes to get his mom and the three of them have a nice moment together. Sam then leaves so he doesn’t get into trouble. 

Time goes on, and Tim learns of his dad’s fate: he has died on a prison ship. He is obviously sad about it, but tries to stay strong for his mother.

The next time we see Sam is a year and a half later, when he comes back to the town, Redding. Sam is staying near by, so Tim and his mother gets to see him pretty often. One night thieves come and try to steal their cows. Tim and Sam run out there to scare away the thieves, but when Sam comes back from chasing them, he’s all bloody and accompanied by two soldiers who are accusing him of being the one to steal the cows! 

Long story short, Sam is falsely accused, has an unfair trial, and is set to be executed. Tim tries to save him, but gets shot at. The story ends with Sam’s horrible death.

The epilogue gives us a glimpse into Tim’s life once he’s an old man. He is married, has children, grandchildren, and is proud to be an American. He and his mother never got over Sam’s death, and he wanted to share his story to celebrate his brother’s service to this country.

My Brother Sam is Dead is a book I read when I was in 9th grade. I have kept this book all these years because I think that it is a great historical read, that is also intriguing enough to keep a young reader’s attention. This book is appropriate for ages 12-14 (lexile level 770), though I could even see it being taught at the sophomore level because of it’s historical references. 

There are so many teaching ideas with this book. The possibilities are endless! Because it takes place between 1776-1778 during the Revolutionary War, it would be fun to link up with the history department and do duel lessons. A few things I thought of was maybe having students write an alternate ending. If Tim had been able to save Sam from the stockade, would the war have ended in the same way? Or would Tim have viewed the war differently if Sam was still alive? Another idea with the text is maybe splitting up the class into two different sides: Pro America and Pro England. They can have debates, or discussions about why one side it better, and they have to do research on the differences of the two sides to make their case. You could also do a mock trial of Sam’s. It could be set up where they do the mock trial as the book has it, and then maybe re-do it to make it more fair, or how it should have gone.

Some obstacles are that the text is pretty gruesome. Most of the violence is pretty timely and historically accurate, so it isn't for the shock value. There is also some language, and talk of alcohol consumption. It is more praised for its historical accurateness, as well as its portrayal of some non-fictional characters and locations.

This is a fantastic young adult historical fiction novel that mentions real life event, people, and location, all while telling the wonderful tale of love, truth, family, and loyalty.