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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... runs around the Executive Mansion halls trying to smile and look so happy while his big brown saucer eyes look so lonely and sad , and he's scared to death to be in the same room with the woman who bore him . And sometimes Mary tells ...
... run straight through their spines. But Mr. Lincoln looked strong. Like he had flicked the weight of the world right off his shoulders. “I'm sorry about your boy.” I spoke first, although not certain that anybody actually needed to talk ...
... running across his mind like a handful of photographs. He was 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 ...
... running right through me like a shock , like I'm poking around in some place I don't belong . And it's a little confusing , because there is something that still seems alive to the touch . So what I do is take the pair of pants and ...
... Running free with all the power and strength in the world , in a way he wished he might have . Running away from an old man who ran a farm outside of Newcastle , Delaware , who had one hand on a hoe and the other around the neck of a ...
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 |