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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... dropped, and every day seems like the one before. It can seem as if the only thing to make it better would be a quick stick of morphine into the veins and a skeleton key twisted in the lock, leaving the flame of a candle as the only ...
... dropping his face into his palms , listening to the mechanical growl in his gut . The office door pushed open again . Lincoln's youngest son , Tad , stood in a thin crack of light . “ Mama won't eat again , ” and his eyes opened wide ...
... dropped to a whisper . “ I don't know , ” I surmised , " maybe he was joining all them other boys on their marching . " It just spilled out that easily . Mr. Lincoln looked hard at me with that deep - set loneliness that always ...
... dropped like a bullet - ridden rebel flag falling from the boom . “ Cowards still holding on to Mommy . Well , I'm telling you that nobody is going to give a rat's ass how cute you were as a baby boy . I've fought alongside Grant ...
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 |