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
Results 1-5 of 6
... breathing thing in the room; and Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He sat in his ... breath deep and constant. The air passed over his lips with a slight whistle that carried a tune all its own, yet as ...
... breath while his eyes stayed dry and the inside of his head seemed as if it would drown in a thousand different lakes. And even after three years he only occasionally came up for air, the rest of the time being spent holding on to his ...
... breathing hard. And he brought his hand up to his face and started stroking his beard beneath silent eyes. I started babbling about how he should be proud that he was able to have his boy for the time he did, that some things are just ...
... breathing hard . “ I know every chapter , every single line , except one : I don't know what happened when Willie went to the mortuary . I stood there when the doctor said he wasn't gonna live much longer , pushed his head into my chest ...
... breath . " I guess I don't follow , ” I said . Truthfully . “ If what I'm thinking is the case , " Mr. Lincoln barely uttered , " then I'm responsible for my boy dying . Just as I'm responsible for all those others boys going . " I ...
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 |