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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... soldiers had been lying in infirmaries screaming and moaning and crying like boys with men's pains, and some cursed Lincoln and others called him a good man, none of them ever imagining their president falling to his knees and fighting ...
... soldiers dying , and if that's the case , well . . . " His voice trailed into a thin breath . " I guess I don't follow , ” I said . Truthfully . “ If what I'm thinking is the case , " Mr. Lincoln barely uttered , " then I'm responsible ...
... soldiers ' job for them , and leave you out to rot with all the other whore cowards if you compromised his duty . That's what Zack Hargrove told all the new Union conscripts who looked to him with a green trail of fear in their eyes ...
... soldiers turn to fear when they saw the parallel cuts traveling up his calves, deep pink with thick brown ridges that looked like thick rubber worms. Then Zack would let go and the pant leg would slowly fall. “You hack little newborns ...
... soldiers bundled in their threadbare coats, hands in pockets, and forcing laughter to keep warm. The fire crackled in the background with forgettable pops and hisses. A nothing lieutenant by the name of Simpson broke branches with his ...
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 |