Non-Fiction Review #2-INSIDE THE ALAMO

Inside the Alamo by Jim Murphy

 1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murphy, Jim. Inside the Alamo. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003.

ISBN 978-0-385-90092-8

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Jim Murphy gives a brief, but exciting look at the events leading up to the Battle of the Alamo, the people involved, and the aftermath of the battle and its effect on the territory of Texas. Names such as Santa Anna, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis are brought to life through short biographies that are interspersed throughout the book.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I found this book very informative and interesting. Jim Murphy did a good job creating visual images with his very descriptive wording. I grew up in San Antonio and went on many field trips to the Alamo but I really enjoyed Murphy’s interpretation of this famous piece of history. The added feature of the illustrations and actual photographs will make the book more interesting for children.  Murphy has done a remarkable job in presenting a well-balanced view of the events and the characters of the Alamo.  He offers differing viewpoints that exist amongst the eyewitness accounts of the time and of historians. For example, in relating the death of Jim Bowie, Murphy carefully recounts four different versions of Bowie’s death. He writes, “Which is true? As with many conflicting details about the siege and attack of the Alamo, there is no definite answer.”  Each story in Inside the Alamo contains a map, photograph, sidebar with interesting or pertinent information, painting, essay, or biography. The main text includes excerpts from letters and diaries of participants. Murphy’s biographies are just as well balanced as his narrative of the events of the Alamo.  The book has an index to pinpoint specific information that can help navigate the book.  This book would be appropriate for middle school children.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2004

From School Library Journal: “Murphy gives it his best shot and the  result is an absorbing, interpretive, highly readable account of a two-week period in American history in which a couple of hundred independent Texans (Anglo Texians and Hispanic Tejanos) played a major role in U.S. expansionism.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “A compelling behind-the -scenes look at the defeat that, ironically, helped create the state of Texas.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather read-a-like books to read such as:

Atkinson, Rick, D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944, ISBN:978-1-627-79111-3

Leyson, Leon, The Boy on the Wooden Box, ISBN: 978-1-442-49782-5

Gather other Jim Murphy books to read such as:

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, ISBN:  978-0-395-77608-7

The Great Fire, ISBN:  978-0-439-20307-4

Making a model of the Alamo is a popular project for students interested in the history of the site. 

Create a mini-play and have students act out the story told in the book.