Sandra Zink’s most recent book, Struggle for the Union: Connecting the Causes and Conflicts of the American Civil War describes how the newly formed America of 1776 modified its views about slavery over the next several decades as the country expanded west until irreconcilable differences launched the Civil War in 1861. The book is designed for any reader who wants to know more than just a description of the battles and is organized to include a section on public opinion about what people thought at the time. Briefly summarized battles are often illustrated with a map.
Struggle for the Union: Connecting the Causes and Conflicts of the American Civil War follows America’s evolution of its views about slavery that resulted in the Civil War which began in 1861 only seventy-four years after the signing of America’s Constitution. After four years of bloody battles, victory of the North over the Confederacy ended slavery and the nation was once again a “United” States of America. Although Civil Rights Acts granted freed Blacks voting rights and citizenship, political differences and attitudes have remained to prevent the full integration of Blacks into American society.
 | Why You Don’t Mess with Texas: How the Battle of the Alamo and the Mexican American War Forever Changed America (published 2019), describes the Texas Revolution of 1836-38 and the defeat of Mexico in the Mexican-American War that followed ten years later. Both events drastically changed the border between the two countries and opened up vast areas of new land in California and the American Southwest for settlement. But conflicts over whether slavery would expand into the new lands would reach a breaking point in 1860 and launch the American Civil War. |
 | The Adventures of Ricky Raton: the Baja Solar Eclipse describes the antics of a stowaway mouse in a camper van as the travelers drive through the Baja peninsula on their way to view the solar eclipse of 1991 (published 2018). |
 | Discovering Nepal 2014 – an account of Sandra’s adventure to discover Nepal for her 75th birthday, fulfilling a life-long dream (published 2016). |