Summary Of April Morning By Howard Fast

April Morning by Howard Fast, tells the fateful story of fifteen year old, Adam Cooper, on April 19, 1775- the beginning of the Revolutionary War. As Adam tells us about his life and surroundings, we experience twenty-four hours in his shoes. During this twenty-four hour period Adam not only witnesses the “Shot Heard Round the World”, which kills his father, but he also participates in the Battle of Lexington, all while grieving the loss of his friends and father. While all of this happens Adam gradually changes from child to a man and gives up his innocence. Throughout the book, it becomes more and more evident that the theme is change.
The setting of April Morning is based on the events at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, more …show more content…
In April Morning the introduction clearly shows that Adam is living in the eighteenth century. For example, when Adam is getting his mother bath water he “picked up the yoke and walked with it to the well…(pg. 3, last paragraph)” Another example that shows us that Adam is living in the eighteenth century is when Granny is spinning thread (pg. 6 last paragraph). Spinning thread by hand is a very uncommon practice in the twenty-first century. The climax of the book is when the redcoats arrive on the common. This is a point of extreme suspense. The suspense is broken when the first shot is fired and Moses Cooper “crumpled to the ground like an empty sack…” (pg. 100, paragraph 5). The “Shot Heard Round the World” is the very beginning of the Revolutionary War and is the one of the most pivotal moments in history. Moses Cooper and many of the villagers may not have been real people but what happened on the common actually happened. The resolution of the book is when Adam realizes that he has given up his childhood and reminisces about childhood games. “...I said farewell to a childhood, a world, a secure and sun-warmed existence…” (pg. 202, last