Mr. Lincoln's Wars: A Novel in Thirteen StoriesIn this highly ambitious collection, Adam Braver explores Abraham Lincoln's inner life and personal turmoils -- while also reflecting on the indelible impact Lincoln had on the nation during the last year of his presidency. Braver brings the president to life, not just as the strong and resilient leader of history books but also as a grief-stricken father, heartbroken over the loss of his young son. Across a rich canvas of truth and imagination, Mr. Lincoln's Wars reveals a president within the White House walls. We see Lincoln as he explores the meaning of loss through a chance encounter with the father of a slain soldier. And a good-hearted young Union soldier is quickly turned into a killer in the name of President Lincoln. Finally, there is the assassination and the autopsy, as seen through the eyes of John Wilkes Booth, Mary Lincoln, the assistant surgeon general, and one of Lincoln's closest friends. Brilliant in its depiction of the country during the waning days of the war, this book is an insightful and moving exploration of the myth of celebrity and the passions it arouses. More than anything, Mr. Lincoln's Wars introduces a talented new writer whose storytelling ability knows no bounds. |
From inside the book
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... Abraham , 1809-1865 - Fiction . American . 3. War stories , American . 2. Historical fiction , 4. Presidents — Fiction . I. Title . 5. United States - History - Civil War , 1861–1865 — Fiction . PS3602.R39 M7 2003 813'.6 dc21 2002023073 ...
... Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He sat in his second-floor office outlined in blue moonlight, kicking his feet high up against the wall, no shoes, just white socks with brown rings around the heels ...
... Abraham Lincoln , you bring tragedy to everything you touch . Kill off all the boys in this country , as well as your own . " And she looked deep at him with her eyes carrying a pierce of intentional hurt , rolling her lips into a grin ...
... Abraham . You gonna go kiss some nigger babies now ? Get on your knees and pick cotton and sing about Jesus with them ? ” Lincoln put his hand on the door . " I gotta get some rest . I have to go to Richmond in the morning ... Mother ...
... Abraham , what do you think of that ? And Abe just shrugs his shoulders , as his stomach boils , unable to reply because any thought of Willie sends him into a thousand thought dreams that swirl like a hurricane wind . And Mary tells ...
Contents
11 | |
25 | |
The Idiot Brother | 47 |
The Willie Grief | 67 |
His Stepmothers Sister | 89 |
A Letter to President Lincoln from a Good Girl | 97 |
The Ward | 107 |
On to the Next Field | 131 |
Crybaby Jacks Theory | 149 |
The Sad and Familiar Ballad of Captain | 181 |
The Necropsy | 195 |
A Rainy Night in Springfield Illinois1849 | 289 |
A Word on Researching Mr Lincolns Wars | 305 |