More Americans were killed in the Civil War than in all other wars combined, and these 15 stories reveal death through the eyes of its unprepared victims and their fellow citizens—women, men, soldiers, farmers, and slaves. Award-winning historian Kelman and Fetter-Vorm (Trinity) introduce each vignette with a concise page of text that over the course of the book lays out the progress of the war. The effect is to reveal the intimate despair behind the statistics. "The Bug" shows soldiers, civilians, and an army doctor at the siege of Vicksburg, unknowingly up against mosquitoes as malaria's carriers. Throughout the artfully dingy watercolors, one mosquito flies from panel to panel to bite the husband of a malaria-stricken woman needing quinine. In other segments, horse carcasses lie rotting, limbs are amputated, dying men keep diaries. The subtle coloring minimizes distinction between Union and Confederate, showing compassion for all. VERDICT This series of narrative snapshots set into context enhances understanding of the human side of war underneath official policies and battle tactics. Very helpful for teens and adults for learning about conflict at the microlevel.—M.C.