August 18, 2001
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

BCDC's rating: 3.85.

This meeting took place at Arlington's Common Grounds coffee shop. The menu was therefore sandwiches, coffee, and pastries that were bought at the shop.

The BCDC Reading Guide for The Killer Angels is below.

• Why do you think this got a Pulitzer prize?
• Was anything missing from the book for you? If so, what?
• What did you think this war was about? What do you think the southerners thought this war was about?
• Were southerners really Englishmen? Are they now?
• Was the war about slavery?
• How did you like the style? Was the amount of embellishment too much/just right/not enough?
• What did you learn that you didn't know already? What surprised you?
• The book portrays Lee as being loved by the men but tactically inept. Discuss the importance of leadership as opposed to the role of tactical skill in war.
• Did anything in the book change or inform your view about the "cause" of the Civil War?
• Was the war about slavery or not? The northern and southern people disagree.
• Was Robert E. Lee overly romanticized?