Abe

For nearly a century, April 14, 1865 was the most notorious day in American History.  It was Good Friday, a rainy day in Washington D.C.  Our American Cousin was showing at Ford’s Theater.  Julia Grant’s husband begged out of his employer’s invitation to the theater because she couldn’t stand the boss’ wife.  A shady character sat drinking whiskey in the Taltavull’s Star Saloon next door to the theater.  A plan was in motion to change the course of the Civil War.  Or would it?

Whatever image you have of who Abraham Lincoln was…throw it out the window.  Most histories of the man either focus on his childhood, or his demise.  David S. Reynolds delivers a detailed portrait of the 16^th president in Abe that debunks the myths of his upbringing along with photographs and stories that show the true character of the man beneath the stovepipe hat.  Reynolds gives an intimate look into the tragedy of Lincoln’s childhood with the early loss of his mother, as well as his early career as a lawyer and sometimes unwilling politician.

I give Abe 3 out of 5 stars.  The amount of detail captured in this biography is absolutely stunning.  I was surprised with new information I had never before learned throughout my reading.  I found the use of photography invaluable in retelling Lincoln’s life story.  The author also gives a master class in persuasive writing by analyzing much of Lincoln’s most famous speeches and articles. However, the details sometimes became daunting to read and I ended up scanning multiple chapters that were more quotes and less biography.  This book is very long and would not have been my top choice for biographies about Lincoln if I had noticed the page count before downloading the Kindle version.

I recommend Abe for history lovers and those looking to learn more about the man behind the presidency.  This is not a light read, but does not read like a textbook as Alexander Hamilton did last month.  Given the discussion of the Civil War and the sometimes-daunting reading, I would recommend this biography for those no younger than high school students.

I chose Abe in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12^th and Presidents’ Day on February 20^th.  This is also my historical biography for the month of February.  As I mentioned, this book was very long – it took me hours over a 12 day span to read this one.  At over 1000 pages, this may well be the longest book I have read yet!

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Between Heaven and the Real World, Steven Curtis Chapman
• Current audio book: The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Jackie & Maria, Gill Paul