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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... lives , for the nigger . The nigger comes first around here . I can't tell you how that makes me feel . ” Lincoln pulled his hands behind his back . " I suppose you got a war to go and fight , ” she mumbled . Lincoln looked down ...
... live by Dumbarton Oaks Park in Washington , and work as an undertaker's assistant dressing bodies for Drs . C. D. and J. Brown , Undertakers , on 469 Broadway . I guess I believe in Jesus , although it's not like I talk to him at my ...
... live much longer , pushed his head into my chest when he died , and sat by his side in the East Wing two days later and cried harder than I'd ever thought I'd known . I know it seems strange to have to know everything , like there aren ...
... live with that crazy old drunk of a father . He thought hard and he couldn't think of anything left for him , because , after all , besides war , what other legal occupation is there for a man who likes no other feeling flowing through ...
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 |