My Name Is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker [Hardcover]

William Durbin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: My Name Is America

The author of the award winning The Broken Blade tells the story of a fifteen-year-old who goes to Nebraska to work on the Transcontinental Railroad with his father.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Sean gets a job with his father at the Union Pacific Railroad. In his journal, he tells of working his way up from the lowest position of "water carrier" to "spiker" and shares plenty of railroad lingo and information about the boomtowns that he observes along the way. In the first few pages, he sees his first scalp and his first dead body in two unrelated incidents. The issue of prejudice is addressed, both in fights among various workers from Ireland, and with the deadly battles between the employees of the U.P. and the Chinese workers from the Central Pacific line. The role of the press in the races between the two railroads to lay the most track in the shortest time and the fact that much of the U.P. track was so poorly set that it was replaced soon after is noted. Sean is a likable protagonist who notices the small details and reacts to things realistically. A section of notes includes history, period photographs, maps, and other information.
Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

In the My Name Is America series, Durbin (Wintering, 1999, etc.) offers the story of Sean Sullivan, whose first day in Omaha, Nebraska, brings him face to face with a victim of an Indian attack; the man survived, but carries his bloody scalp in a bucket. It's August 1897, and Sean has just arrived from Chicago, planning to work with his father on the Intercontinental Railroad. Pa, who carries terrible memories of his stint in the Civil War and of the death three years ago of Sean's mother, is already a foreman for the railroad, but Sean must start at the bottom, as a water carrier, toting barrels of it to the thirsty men who are doing the back-breaking work on the line. At night, everyone is usually too tired to do anything but sleep, but Sundays are free, and Sean discovers the rough and rowdy world of the towns that seem to sprout up from nowhere along the railroad's path over the prairie. Through Sean's eyes, the history of this era and the magnitude of his and his fellow workers' achievements come alive; Durbin has no trouble making Sean's world palpable, and readers will slog along with Sean every step of the way on his long and arduous journey to building a railroad and becoming a man. (b&w maps, photos, reproductions) (Fiction. 8-14) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1st edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439049946
• ISBN-13: 978-0439049948
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Durbin is an award-winning author and a former teacher who lives at the edge of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Wilderness. A winner of the Great Lakes Book Award and a two-time winner of the Minnesota Book award, Mr. Durbin has published eleven novels for young readers. His novel El Lector was optioned for film by Jane Startz Productions; and his most recent work, The Winter War, deals with Stalin's invasion of Finland in 1939. His other honors include a Junior Library Guild Selection, Bank Street College Children's Book of Year list, the ALA's Amelia Bloomer list, New York Library Books for the Teen Age list, Maud Hart Lovelace nomination, Jefferson Cup Series of Note Award, America's Award commended title, and a Book Sense Summer Pick.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings History to Life, January 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker (Hardcover)

This journal describes the building of the Union Pacific Railroad in a realistic manner that truly brings history to life. With the dramatic landscape of the West as the backdrop, we see the struggles between the whites and the Native Americans, the Irish and the Chinese, and the main character Sean and his own self-doubts. This is a classic, well-told tale.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sean Sullivan, January 10, 2001

By 

timothy (michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Name Is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker (Hardcover)

" I saw my first scalp today and I have to admit it scared me good." That's only the begging of The Journal of Sean Sullivan. William Durbin wrote the book. It's a book about boy who writes in it and the book is his journal. He tells what happens on different days. What I liked about the book was that it was interesting and it was like no other book I have read before. What I didn't like was it kept skipping days and it made it hard to follow. The style the author writes is both diary and journal style. He also writes about things in the past. This book is a journal and it has some historical fiction in it. I'd recommended this book to any one who likes to read about someone's experience or history. Some of his other work is The Journal of Collin Pendleton. It's about World War two and a guy writes in his journal. You should try to read one of these books because you can learn about what people did in the past to make your life easier. Who knows you might even like the story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good story for all my name is america fans, June 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker (Hardcover)

This story is about all the hard and difficulties Sean went through as he helped his father to build a railroad. Some parts of the story were gross...dirty plates and people. Fun to see how different and fun life was then.