Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly

I love to read. I always have. I remember days and days spent curled up with a book as far back as remembering is possible for me. Once, when I was stationed in Wyoming during a terrible winter storm, we lost power in our beautiful antique dormitories. I took a candle and a magnifying mirror and attempted to read a book. I remember thinking, “Abraham Lincoln read this way when he was a kid!” (Obviously, I got a lot out of my education! All I remembered about Abraham Lincoln was that he ruined his eyes reading by candlelight and his wife was crazy …. oh, and he freed the slaves.) It's been a long time since I read a book. Any book. I miss them. I miss the escape. I miss taking short departures to other places while on a lunch break or the train. I miss having something other than my day to day stresses and challenges to fill the space in my head. So, I began reading Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever on a long plane ride to Colorado last month and finished it 4 weeks later. I'll admit, I read slowly, but this was a snail's pace, even for me. But it felt so good to read a book! This was an excellent escape from modern day Washington DC to our same beloved streets in 1865. It was a bit of time travel for me, and I love that! This book would be perfect for a teen or someone who thinks history is boring. It is fast paced and easy to read (so why did it take me 4 weeks to read it? That's my deal!) and lets the reader really feel the pulse of our country in the weeks leading up to Lincoln's assassination and the weeks following. History is not boring! Lincoln's assassination and the events surrounding it are not boring at all. Living in the area, I have had the pleasure of visiting the points of interest for this life-changing event in our history and I thoroughly enjoyed being taken back in time to the places I know so well … 147 years ago. Again, this probably is not the best book on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the events surrounding it, but it wasn't bad. And if you are just getting your historical toes wet … this would be an excellent wading pool!

1 comment:

My Little Room In The Corner said...

I love your blog. And I especially love your book reviews. My dad and I just got back from a trip to a couple of those places that changed our history...And the books we read to accompany our journey brought it all the more to life!