Those Bones at Goliad
Judith Austin Mills’ Those Bones at Goliad follows the adventures of young Shelby Whitmire as he comes to manhood during the Texas Revolution, and through the viewpoints of Shelby and a handful of other characters, readers learn a great deal about the Revolution, its rocky course, Mexican opponents, starry-eyed volunteers from the American South, and its signature tragedies, like the massacres at the Alamo and Goliad.
Young Shelby lives through all this, forming friendships and getting wounded. Mills writes it all with plenty of conviction and dramatic details. The narrative is a bit too heavy-handed in doling out exposition – the author never quite lets her research fade into the background of her narrative. I wonder if the cover could have been a little more eye-catching? Is it clear to see at thumbnail size on social media, internet sites, etc?
But the story is inherently gripping, and Mills does a skillful job of maturing Shelby from youth to seasoned young adulthood and eventually family man.
Recommended for fans of the short-lived Republic of Texas.
