The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America by Edward L. Ayers

The title of this book refers to the emancipation of American slaves. The unique perspective that this book provides is the consideration of emancipation in the context of the last two years of the Civil War. The author, Edward L. Ayers, was instrumental in the creation of a digital archive, called the Valley of the Shadow. His first book to utilize this resource of diaries, newspapers, Freedmen’s Bureau Reports, and other documents was In the Presence of Mine Enemies. It covered the years 1859-1863. This book takes up where that left off. It considers the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction throughout the Shenandoah Valley, but it zonks in on Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, to tell the story in very human terms. “Ayers’s splendid book… employs both a wide angle and zoom lens, interspersing fascinating individual stories with insightful historical context.… A seasoned historian… [and] a compelling writer. [Ayers] orchestrates many different voices int