Mr. Mumau
APUSH
5 December 2012 Village Life In America 1852-1872 As told in the diary of a Schoolgirl This book is a diary written by a young girl named Caroline Cowles Richards. Carolina tells the reader about her life. How at a early age her and her sister Anna, lost their mother, were sent to their grandparents house in canandaigua, New York. They were brought up with simplicity, sweetness and Puritan traditions. The diary begins in 1852, and is continued until 1872. She recalls swift transitions throughout her life that the reader can recall events happening in a history book. The majority of the diary takes place well before the civil war begins, and it is fascinating to see what the daily life of a young girl was like. It begins when she's 10 years old, and ends when she turns 30. Much of the story revolves around her puritan grandparents and little sister who she lives with, and her school and church life. The descriptions of living through the four year war really opens your heart, and the people she meets throughout her life are often names you recognize from history books. Additionally, she is very opened minded, has many different attitudes, her diary was rare compared to letters or other diaries of this time period. I selected this book because its unique title caught my eye, ‘Village Life in America 1852-1872, as told in the diary of a schoolgirl.’ I knew when I was choosing my book that I wanted my book to go over the Civil War or include the topic of the Civil War. This Diary did just that but it was on a personal level. The author continued her diary through the Civil War, and readers can see a change in the tone of Caroline's entries as her diary documents home-front fund-raising efforts and the names of local boys who are killed in battle. The author appeals to Americans in general because of her family and her friends. The thesis of this diary is the main aspects of her life which is Church life,