DREAD NATION by Justina Ireland

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

 Opening line:
"The day I came squealing and squalling into the world was the first time someone tried to kill me."

I loved this story!
I loved the alternate reality of the Civil War.  How the blacks weren't neccassairly slaves but were used to fight the zombies, or "shamblers" as they were called. The blacks were also used as bait to bring out the shamblers so they could be killed. 
Jane is tough and sassy and funny and smart. She doesn't take crap from anyone, but knows when to keep her head down until she can escape.
And I LOVED listening to it! Bahni Turpin has the best voice for this story!

There is swearing and fighting and zombies.

DISCLAIMER: I would not recommend this book to everyone.