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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... sometimes Mary tells Lincoln that she's already an old maid , and Lincoln looks away , unsure of words , because he himself feels like he's lived his life before , and the doors slam and the valves are tightened and the pressure builds ...
... sometimes when they wake up in the morning and the sky is a silver-blue with the sun hanging in the corner, rays forming perfect points from the center, the mother and father look at each other and remember the love and kindness without ...
... sometimes liked to. The day was drowning under a Washington humidity that could melt you from the inside out. He wore flat black pants, and his legs rose long and lean, but strong, like a fully matured poplar. He was coming toward me ...
... Sometimes I tend to talk when I start feeling a little uncomfortable. It's something about myself that I can't explain. Maybe it's pure nerves that set my mouth to moving, or maybe I've got some part of me that naturally wants to make ...
... sometimes saying things that aren't exactly truthful is not necessarily bad or evil . Sometimes it's even necessary . Just to keep somebody alive and standing on his own two feet . Lincoln looked at me for more . “ It was strange , ” I ...
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 |