A Heart Divided: A Shaker Teen During the Civil War

A Heart Divided is the story of Anna Stewart, who was raised by Shakers in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, after being orphaned at age eight. At sixteen, she is restless, pushing the boundaries of her cloistered life. Then, during the Civil War Battle of Perryville, more than one thousand Union and Confederate soldiers come through her village, and she meets James Cunningham, a young soldier who was a neighbor and playmate in her past life. Anna and James talk and become close, even though it is forbidden by her Shaker religion. Anna s growing feelings for James, as well as her desire to see her siblings and go where she wants to go, unsettle her mind and soul. While feeding armies and caring for wounded soldiers, Anna must decide if she will stay with her Shaker family or live her life in the world outside Pleasant Hill.

Grades 7-12. Paperback. 156 pages. 2020, Indiana Historical Society Press. By Elizabeth O'Maley.