BEHIND THE LINES. by Holland, Isabelle - 1994

New York: Scholastic, 1994. 194 pp, 8vo (8 1/2" H). "The year is 1863, and the United States is tearing itself apart. Battle lines have been drawn across its soil; for two years, the country has been divided in a bitter civil war. Tension has spread from the rural battlefields to New York City, where fourteen-year-old Katie Farrell helps support her Irish immigrant family by working as a maid for the Laceys of Washington Square. Even though they may be rich and well-educated, she'll never think of them as her betters. Katie abhors the war; she watches in fury as her fellow Irish go to battle. 'This isn't our war', she tell herself. 'Let the rich free the slaves.' Katie isn't the only one who feels that way. When word of the slaughter at Gettysburg reaches the Irish slum, it explodes in violence. Soon the streets of New York are as war-torn and bloody as any battlefield. And Katie is no longer sure what is right or wrong. All she knows is what she feels in her heart. (The author) has crafted a stirring and illuminating story about a fiery young woman caught in the midst of the most violent and destructive riots in America's history: the 1863 New York draft riots." Dust jacket has minor wrinkling at top of spine. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine.