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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... hair shoelaced over her face. And her fingers wrapped around the door,red-and-white knuckles. “What is it?” she spit out. “What is it you want?” Lincoln stood composed, holding his stare firm against hers. “I understand you haven't ...
... hair the color of the earth and maybe,somehow, that was where he truly belonged. Mr. Lincoln cut me off. “You've seen my boy?” When he said those words I could tell he was falling back into another place where a one-eyed sun could still ...
... hair. Like he had done it all on his own. “How did you know Willie?” Mr. Lincoln asked. I bit down on the end of my thumb,calloused and cracked,though the flesh,like the rest of my body,had grown soft in my advancing years. “How did you ...
... see his boy,but I still wasn't seeing anything Mr. Lincoln didn't already know.The color of his hair,the texture of his skin,the slight rise of his upper lip,and his blue eyes set gently back behind 18. {. Ad am Braver}
... hair like it was a comb and looked right into my eyes with a stare so intense I felt it in my stomach. “You've been very helpful for me,Mr. Jackson,” he said. “I hope I can repay the favor some day.” I was entranced by his stare. “You ...
Contents
11 | |
25 | |
The Idiot Brother | 47 |
The Willie Grief | 67 |
His Stepmothers Sister | 91 |
A Letter to President Lincoln from a Good Girl | 97 |
The Ward | 109 |
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 |