Bring the Jubilee: Ward Moore

This was an interesting Sci-Fi novel about the "original" outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg, where the South won the Civil War. A young boy, Hodgins "Hodge" McCormick Backmaker opens the book with "Although I am writing this in 1877, I was not born until 1921." Backmaker explains that the South won the war and the country is poverty stricken and does not enter WWII. People indent themselves and only have one child because they can't afford more. Lawlessness runs the land. Hodge leaves home and works at a bookstore in exchange for room and board. He becomes a historian and goes to a type of "cooperative" where he gets an education, but they have to spend the growing seasons growing their food for the year. A girl he is partially in love with, Barbara, is there as a scientist and builds a working time machine. Hodge decides if he is to be a proper historian and write about the war, he should go back in time and check it out. Only when he is leaving, Barbara has a funny smirk on her face. 1 day into the past Hodgins changes the outcome of the war by getting a general killed that was supposed to be a war hero. He goes back to the place he left his time machine and it isn't there. realization dawns on his that the general was Barbara's great grandfather. He was killed, so Barbara never existed and the time machine was never built. Whatever genius was in Barbara's head is lost with her and once the War is won by the Yanks, the know how to build a time machine is still not know in present day. We are lead to believe this possibly fatalistic Barbara went back in time and some how knew Hodgins would go back and mess things up and she lets him so he will be stuck in the past and won't be able to scorn her. It is hard to know if Barbara knew this would also be the end of her. Hodgin's interference changed the outcome of the war to what we know today. This was an enjoyable original read, even if it had a few slow spots.