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 5
... told me everything I wrote was good; Nat Sobel, not only for taking the time to find me and then cajoling me into finishing the manuscript, but also for his guidance and unrelenting confidence; Henry Ferris, for his advocacy, diligence ...
... told you last night . " She glanced past him . “ I don't listen anymore . He sighed . " Well , it's done with . ” " And I am happy for you , Abraham . You gonna go kiss some nigger babies now ? Get on your knees and pick cotton and sing ...
... told him that his boy had had hair the color of the earth and maybe, somehow, that was where he truly belonged. Mr. Lincoln cut me off. “You've seen my boy?” When he said those words I could tell he was falling back into another place ...
... told all the new Union conscripts who looked to him with a green trail of fear in their eyes . " Milquetoasts , " he'd say in a voice that dropped like a bullet - ridden rebel flag falling from the boom . “ Cowards still holding on to ...
... told his father that he wouldn't mind going off to fight . He'd go to war in order to protect the Northern way of life . Plus , he thought to himself , it'd be a good way to get away from the farm and split the old fuck , and take it ...
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 |