My Brother Sam Is Dead

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1974

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 12-14 and Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier are brothers who co-authored My Brother Sam Is Dead in 1974. The brothers grew up in New York City and Wilton, Connecticut. The pair has written many other young adult historical novels and non-fiction titles.

James Lincoln Collier was born in 1928. His first career was as a journalist and magazine editor. He published his first book, Battleground: The United States Army in World War II, in 1965. James Lincoln Collier’s books have won many prizes, and twice he was a finalist for the National Book Award. Over the years, he has worked as a professional musician and jazz commentator as well as working full time as a writer.

Christopher Collier was born in 1930 and died in 2020. He graduated from Clark University, served in the US armed forces, and eventually earned a master’s degree from Columbia University. He then taught junior high and high school history, a career that encouraged him to write historical novels. After earning a doctorate in history from Columbia, he taught history at the college level. In addition to the works he wrote with his brother James, he also wrote historical papers and nonfiction. His book, Roger Sherman’s Connecticut: Yankee Politics and the American Revolution (1971) was a Pulitzer Prize nominee.

In an interview with Christopher Hardin appearing as an Afterword to the Scholastic Edition of My Brother Sam Is Dead, Christopher Collier stated, “The Revolutionary War is part of historical myths that Americans believe. One of the reasons for writing this book was to undermine that myth and bring the real story to kids” (223). In other words, the Collier brothers were interested in exploring The Glorification of War Versus the Reality. They wanted students to know that there were many conflicting forces and reasons for the war and that not all colonists (people living in the Thirteen Colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America) were in support of the Revolution. In the same interview, Christopher Collier also noted that there is a strong element of irony running through the pages of the novel. He offers the example of the British soldiers being called “Lobsterbacks” because of their red coats while Sam himself is wearing red as a member of a colonial militia opposed to the British.

Critical Context: Reception and Controversy

The novel met with instant critical approval, earning a Newbery Honor in 1975, a Jane Addams Honor, an American Library Association designation as a notable children’s book, and National Book Award nomination. It was also named by the New York Public Library as one of the best books for teenagers.

In the 1980s, the novel was widely used in elementary and middle schools across the United States as part of the American History curriculum. However, inclusion of the book was not without controversy. Beginning in the early 1990s, some parents, students, and educators objected to using the novel in elementary classrooms due to the violent content and the sometimes-profane language. A few challenges concerned the use of alcohol and the depiction of religion. In some cases, the book was allowed to remain in the curriculum, but the controversial language and violent scenes were deleted. In other cases, the book was limited to older students and removed from elementary classrooms. The novel made the list of most frequently challenged books from 1990 through 2009. Nonetheless, many teachers, parents, and students supported the use of the book, arguing that it offered a realistic, unbiased, and important reading of the American Revolutionary War.

Historical Context: The American Revolution

The first shots of the American Revolution were fired at Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, in 1775. It was during this battle that the colonists devised a guerilla-style strategy for fighting the better-armed and larger British army. As the British troops marched from Concord to Lexington, the so-called “Minutemen” hid alongside the roads and picked off the soldiers as they passed. There were many battles over the next eight years, culminating in the defeat of Lord Cornwallis’s army at Yorktown, Virginia, in October 1781. It was the last major battle of the war, although British troops remained in Charleston, South Carolina, and New York until 1782. In September 1783, the Treaty of Paris formally ended the war and the British Parliament recognized the independence of the United States.

My Brother Sam Is Dead describes the battles as well as the hardships endured by the Patriots, who early in the war were united as the Continental Army led by General George Washington. In addition, the novel demonstrates how both the British and the Americans sometimes behaved valiantly and sometimes despicably, engaging in thievery and brutality against civilians. The Colliers suggest that when men are starving or under duress, they will resort to whatever means are necessary to survive. This depiction differs from the heroic myth of the Revolutionary War in which the Continental soldiers behave honorably and the British soldiers behave dishonorably.

Many of the characters and events in the novel are based on real people and historical fact. For example, the town of Redding existed as portrayed by the Colliers and continues to exist today. General Putnam, Colonel Read, Tom Warrups, William Heron, and Ned, an enslaved person, were all real people, as were Jeremy Sanford, Captain Betts, and John Beach. The novel portrays the facts of their lives and deaths. Benedict Arnold, mentioned by Sam as his commander, was a real general in the Continental Army, although he is more famous for being a British spy and a traitor to the Patriot cause. Historically, there was a Meeker family living in Redding during the Revolutionary era, but very little is known of them. The Collier brothers used the Meeker name but largely made up the characters of Sam, Tim, Susannah, and Eliphalet Meeker to represent The Impact of War on Families. Likewise, the skirmish at Concord, the Battle of Lexington, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Battle of Saratoga were all real military engagements of the war, as was the hardship endured by the troops during the winter of 1777 and 1778.