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
... sides were no longer shadow figures, they were tired and worn and feeling helpless. The bullets and the cannons would finally stop pounding, the war was ending. Lincoln's secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, was due to arrive in the ...
... side to side . Sweated strings of dark 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 ...
... since the likes of Pharaoh has stolen a son from every home . On both sides of the border , North and South , the bodies are piled high and the tears of grieving parents wash the black from the night ∞ { ADAM BRAVER }
... 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 ... sides seem to have been born to just pass through too quickly . Maybe that's why the Lord put them here , I don't know ...
... side to side, sloughing off yellow showers of spit in thick-headed laughter. The young Zack studied the faces. Not concerned with knowing a Palomino from an Appaloosa from a Mustang. Just watching their drawn expressions, eyes that ...
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 |