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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... Telling Lincoln the time is now , that you gotta ride out to Richmond tomorrow and declare victory by shutting down the rebel capitol . And don't hang your head so goddamned low , Abe , you're a hero and they'll be lining up halfway ...
... tell you , sacrificing everything , all those 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 ...
... telling : I was present for the preparation of both his body and his son's . I met President Lincoln once before I fit his black suit to his slain body in the Executive Mansion's upstairs guest room . It was in the summer of 1862 , not ...
... tell he was falling back into another place where a one-eyed sun could still shine brilliantly on this piss-drenched alley. In my position you're always in the hidden back- ground. A family member doesn't even want to know about the ...
... out and held my forearm. I'm sure I jumped a step or two. But he held on. At least his fingers were warm. “Tell me everything,” he said. I looked at him, shrugging my shoulders. " I want to know . " His voice barely 16. } {. Adam Braver.
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 |