Book
How to dodge a cannonball : a novel / Dennard Dayle.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250345677 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 316 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2025.
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Impersonation > Fiction. Racism > Fiction. United States > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. Satirical literature. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Dayle | 31681010425270 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"A cutting, revealing caricature of the American Civil War, told through the story of a white teenager who joins an all-Black regiment of soldiers, for fans of Colson Whitehead and James McBride. How to Dodge a Cannonball is a razor-sharp and bitterly hilarious Civil War satire about American racism. It tells the story of a friendless, fatherless, and guileless white teenager named Anders who volunteers for the Union army as a flag-twirler to escape his abusive mother. In desperate acts of self-preservation, he defects-twice-before joining a Black regiment at Gettysburg, claiming to be an octoroon. In his new and entirely incredulous regiment, Anders becomes entangled with questionable military men and an arms dealer working for both sides. But more importantly he forms an awkward bond with the other men in the regiment, finding a family he desperately needs and gaining an intimate understanding of the lives of Black people. After deploying to New York City to suppress the draft riots and to Nevada to suppress Native Americans, Anders begins to see the war through the eyes of his newfound brothers, comprehending it not so much as a fight for Black liberation but as a negotiation among white people over which kinds of oppression will be acceptable in the re-United States. Uproariously funny and revelatory, How to Dodge a Cannonball is an insightful take on which America is worth fighting for"-- - Baker & Taylor
In a satire of the Civil War, an idealistic teen, Anders, stumbles through shifting allegiances, absurd battles and surreal encounters with a Black Union regiment, forcing him to question who gets to shape America and whether itâs worth dying for. - McMillan Palgrave
A New York Times Editorâs Choice PIck
How to Dodge a Cannonball is a razor-sharp satire that dives into the heart of the Civil War, hilariously questioning the essence of the fight, not just for territory, but for the soul of America.
How to Dodge a Cannonball is funnier than the Civil War should ever be. It follows Anders, a teenage idealist who enlists and reenlists to shape the American Futureâas soon as he figures out what that is, who it includes, and why everyone wants him to die for it. Escaping his violently insane mother is a bonus.
Anders finds honor as a proud Union flag twirlerâuntil heâs captured. Then he tries life as a diehard Confederateâuntil fate asks him to die hard for the Confederacy at Gettysburg. Barely alive, Anders limps into a Black Union regiment in a stolen uniform. While visibly white, he claims to be an octoroon, and they claim to believe him. Only then does his life get truly strange.
His new brothers are even stranger, including a science-fiction playwright, a Haitian double agent, and a former slave feuding with God. Despite his best efforts, Anders starts seeing the war through their eyes, sparking ill-timed questions about who gets to be American or exploit the theater of war. Dennard Dayleâs satire spares no one as doomed charges, draft riots, gleeful arms dealers, and native suppression campaigns test everyoneâs definition of loyalty.
Uproariously funny and revelatory, How to Dodge a Cannonball asks if America is worth fighting for. And then answers loudly. Read it while itâs still legal.
