Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore
Introduction
In Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore, Hodge is a historian living in a world where the South won the Civil War. They call it the war of Southron Independence. He lives in a much-reduced North and wonders how his history was shaped. He gets the chance to see the past as it happens. Will the North win this time and bring the jubilee to the South?
Summary
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore is said to be a memoir by Hodge, a historian from the world where the South won the Civil War. Hodge grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. When he turns 17, he seeks his fortune in New York City. The South is a superpower, while the North is lesser. The South and Great Britain are allies, while the German Union and the Spanish empire are allied against them. Hodge gets a job in New York City and learns about the state of the world. He forms his desire to be an historian from living in New York.
The war of Southron Independence facinates Hodge and especially the battle of Gettysburg, which the South won which led the South to winning the war. He has an opportunity to see the battle firsthand. His goal was to be an observer only, but the reality did not follow his plans.
Recommendation
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore is an alternate history and time traveling novel that raises interesting questions. Would the world be a better place if the South had won the war? Would it be different? Can events change the course of history? Hodge raises these questions and more in the novel. He portrays the uninvolved observer. But not choosing is still a choice. He had a wonderful life in his timeline with Catalina, but he had to learn what he wanted to learn which cost him in the end. This novel is a tragedy to me, a well written tragedy. I’m glad a read this novel.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61355290-bring-the-jubilee
This novel has one alternate history narrative while the following novel has four alternate history timelines.
In The Female Man by Joanna Russ, four identical women, separated by chance, come together for a reason revealed only at the end of the novel. The novel explores how their different upbringing shapes each of these women. It was disturbing and thought-provoking.