When Will This Cruel War Be Over is a book about how Emma Simpson, a fourteen-year-old girl, felt during the Civil War. Brother Cole, the preacher, died while he was on guard duty. She remembers when they would be preparing for Christmas happily. Since Brother Cole has died they will not be celebrating Christmas this year. She remembers how it was when they would all be happy that it was almost Christmas and how everyone would be helping her mother tidy the house for the guests and help greet them when they came.