John Bradford's Slingshot by Jim Wayne

John Bradford's Slingshot: A Civil War Novel
by Jim Wayne

When ten-year-old John Bradford is sent to live with the Shakers of Pleasant Hill while his father fights for the Union Army, he imagines the Civil War will end quickly, and he’ll soon be reunited with his family. But after the news that a Rebel solider has shot his father in the back, he knows life will never be the same. John vows revenge, despite the teachings of the Shakers, who maintained a self-sufficient, pacifist community even as the Civil War ravaged the rest of Kentucky. John and a new friend set out to find the solider who killed his father but are caught up in 1862 Battle of Perryville. After witnessing the brutality of war, John is faced with two questions: Is more violence the answer to his problems? Can he, or anyone who has lost a loved one to war, choose forgiveness over hate?