During the American Civil War, the United States was on the brink of falling apart irrevocably. As states seceded and brother turned against brother, hope for reconciliation was dim. This conflict, an essential topic of the social studies curriculum, is skillfully presented from its origins in the Southern slave-trade economy to bloody battles and, later, Reconstruction. Striking photographs and artwork of integral events and people will resonate with readers, while interesting sidebar information gives them more to reflect on about this terrible war and the lessons it taught us.