Shelf Control - June 24

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves sponsored by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. Here's how to jump on board:

• Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
• Add your link in the comments!
• Link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your own post.
• Check out other posts, and…

This week I am featuring a Kindle freebie from my TBR pile.

BLURB: In the early months of 1775, war is brewing in the American colonies. Although frightened, eighteen-year-old Betsy Russell of Menotomy Village, Massachusetts, wants to be prepared in case of attack by British troops. Her father, prosperous farmer Jason, is the fourth generation of Russells on this land yet their very rights as British Colonials are being stripped away one by one. Will the King of England take their land as well?

Tensions are growing here in the countryside west of Boston and the outbreak of battle seems a certainty. Jason desperately wants to protect his family his wife, children and grandchildren and their future. Betsy makes every attempt to be prepared for the worst. But not even the American militia could have predicted the bloody massacre that was about to occur right on the Russells' doorstep. If Betsy loses everything she holds dear, are the rights of all the Colonists endangered?

Fields of the Fatherless is based on a true story.

DATE BOUGHT: 5/28/18 (not as long as many on my list)

WHY I BOUGHT IT: Historical fiction is a genre I truly enjoy reading and writing. This is also one of my favorite time periods.

I am concerned for the marketability of this genre in light of current events. Will we need to forgo historical accuracy in order to sell this genre of fiction in the future? Will authors find themselves boycotted for their portrayal of the times in which their characters live?

In 2017, Literary Hub ran an article where 10 writers of historical fiction weighed in on the genre being more important than ever. I wonder if the slant of this article would be the same if released now.

Prejudice, in any form, has no place in the world. It never has. Using history as a way to teach about the mistakes of the past and encourage us not to repeat them remains important. That doesn't seem to be the sentiment these days. Maybe that's an outdated approach.

Do you read historical fiction? What do you like best about it?