Youth who are itching to meet a "real" character -- scratched, scraped and scarred -- from Pennsylvania and U.S. history will appreciate this fictionalized biography. 
     Born with a physical handicap, Thad Stevens hobbles through childhood essentially fatherless, friendless and penniless. He comes to discover that all men, indeed, are not treated equally in the early 1800s United States. The journey of young Thad toward confronting his adversity, sharpening his tongue and standing firm against his enemies will captivate students and the self-proclaimed "history-challenged" alike.
     Readers will witness mature U.S. Representative Stevens drive through failures and victories as promoter of public education, opponent of slavery, conductor on the Underground Railroad, framer of Civil War Reconstruction and prosecutor of a U.S. President. Observers will assess whether by his death on August 11, 1868, Thad has achieved his mission: To hold the country accountable for the primary principle of the Declaration of Independence: "All men are created Equal."