This is free ground. All the way from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. Here we judge you by what you do, not by what your father was. Here you can be something. Here’s a place to build a home. It isn’t the land–there’s always more land. It’s the idea that we all have value, you and me, we’re worth something more than the dirt. I never saw dirt I’d die for, but I’m not asking you to come join us and fight for dirt. What we’re all fighting for, in the end, is each other.

Who? What? It’s from chapter 2 of The Killer Angels. The speaker is Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, commander of the 20th Regiment of Infantry, Maine Volunteers. He’s speaking to a bunch of mutineers from Second Maine on the day he gets orders to move towards Gettysburg, June 29, 1863.

I’m not ordinarily a big fan of historical fiction, but this Pulitzer-prize winner is easily the best I’ve ever read. Sadly, Michael Shaara died after writing this marvelous book. His son Jeff carried on and wrote two more books to complete a trilogy about the people and the battle. Michael’s book was the basis for the movie Gettysburg. If you’re in need of a post-Harry Potter, post-Independence Day book with depth and great characters, this is a great choice.