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Private Cathay's Secret
Private Cathay's Secret
Private Cathay's Secret
Rebecca O. Hayes
Private Cathay's Secret depicts the determination and perseverance of a young slave girl, Cathay Williams. Thrust from her home on a Missouri plantation, she becomes a cook for the Union Army. Little does she realize this servitude throughout much of the Civil War will prepare her for her greatest challenge: impersonating a male soldier in the U. S. Army at the end of the war. Alongside her male companions, Williams endures hardships and performs her duties with them equally, during a time when women are not allowed to serve in the military. No one discovers her gender until she reveals it at the time of her discharge. Much has been written about the Buffalo Soldier 10th Cavalry, but infantry escapades are largely clouded in obscurity.
1 Vote

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Historical Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
Private Cathay's Secret review by ATo1011_Barstow
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ATo1011_Barstow
The historical fiction book Private Cathay's Secret by Rebecca O. Hayes, is a mind-blowing novel that you will love. In the novel, soldiers took a slave girl, Cathay, to be their cook. She traveled many places with her cousin, Jasper, who was also a slave, and the soldiers, and along the way, she learned how to cook better. When she was able to finally be free, and not a slave, she was lonely and didn't know what to do with herself. She then decided to join the army as a man. It was a hard task not being caught, but she pulled it off.
Rating:
4
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
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