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Author: Roger Higgins
Publisher: Solas House Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-60952-137-0
If you are not
familiar with the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Roger Higgins'
Billy Gogan Gone Fer Soldier is a must read and should be on the
shelf of every student of American history.
The novel is the
second in the award-winning Billy Gogan series, and as mentioned on
the back cover, Higgins debut novel Billy Gogan American has been honored by the Hollywood
Book Fest, the International Book Awards, the New York Book Festival,
Reader's Favorite, Best Book Awards, and the Independent Author
Network. No doubt the second novel in the series will probably garner
as many awards.
Billy Gogan Gone Fer Soldier continues the
compelling story of an Irish immigrant who, at the age of fifteen,
lands in New York in 1844. The second volume, which will later form
part of Billy's memoirs, recounts his harrowing experiences and
adventures following the tragic death of his friend and companion,
Mary Skiddy during the Great Fire of New York. At the age of sixteen,
broke and without work, Billy enlists in Uncle Sam's army in 1845 to
fight the Sassenaugh (English or Protestant) in Oregon but finds
himself instead stationed in Texas which was at the time the preamble
to the Mexican-American War. A war that was justified based on the
principle of the “Manifest Destiny,” the conviction that God
intended North America to be under the control of the Americans. The
war would eventually establish the boundaries between Mexico and the
United States.
The ambitious superbly crafted narrative
triumphs in immersing the reader in the harsh reality of the
conditions of the Mexican-American War as perceived by one soldier
and depicts its evilness, atrocities, daring back-channel
negotiations, chaos, terror, fear as well and brutality with graphic
ferocity. It stands as a memorable story of war at its most emotional
and painful. As Billy states: “It didn't matter whether we were
doughboys (infantry), bowlegs (cavalrymen) or redlegs (artillerymen),
we were all naught but mere chattel of the United States Army by
virtue of voluntary servitude.” It should be mentioned that Billy
lied about his age and passed himself off as being twenty-one, the
legal age that one could enlist.
Unfortunately, often
forgotten and overlooked is the Mexican American War and to describe
the novel as historical fiction would not do it justice, and it
should not be reduced to such a ready-made category. It is a
rewarding and impressive work, intricately plotted, well-researched,
as it expertly blends fiction and fact evidenced by the fluid mix of
fictional and non-fictional legendary military figures. Many of the
more well-know historical figures would achieve prominence several years later
in the Civil War and to provide readers with some background
information concerning these characters, a brief description of each
appears at the beginning of the novel.
Higgins keen ear for
dialogue coupled with his story-telling acumen makes the reader feel
that he is listening to the yarn on someone's front porch rather than
reading it, and thus will surely live on in one's imagination long
after the book is put down.
Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With Roger Higgins