The Canawlers is an excellent introduction to life on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the effects of the Civil War on it. It is suitable for junior high through adult readers. Those who live near or are familiar with the canal from Washington, DC, to Cumberland, MD, will be especially interested.

The book is set from March to November, 1863, and is the tale of a family owned boat plying the canal. It includes family life, courting, war, rape, spying, mule care, murder, bar fights, arson, mischief, hunting, prostitution, the Battle of Antietam, wound nursing, business operation, beatings, operation of the underground railroad and gun and knife fights.

Set in 1862, during the chaotic and deadly American Civil War, Canawlers is a novel about a family who worked proudly on the C & O Canal, transporting coal 185 miles between Cumberland, Maryland and Georgetown. Their secret involvement with the Underground Railroad that helped slaves to freedom further jeopardizes their livelihood as the tides of war close ever inward. A powerful, thoughtful, and fascinating historical novel, Canawlers documents author James Rada Jr. as a writer of considerable and deftly expressed storytelling talent.

Mr. Rada presents an interesting slice of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal boatman's life set against the backdrop of the turbulence and uncertainty of the American Civil War. The use of the canal as a route on the Underground Railroad is also woven into the plot which reveals how hard work, a strong family and difficult times could come together on the canal.