Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Henry Holt and Co. (2011), Edition: First, 324 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML: A riveting historical narrative of the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the first work of history from mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly The iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history�??how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased. In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth�??charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist�??murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions�??including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a th… (more)
Media reviews
This material [recently published primary sources] represents virtually all of the primary documentary record of the assassination, and is readily available for anyone wishing to research every aspect of the assassination for less than $200. It is inexcusable not to avail oneself of this essential
important event. By their own account, the authors relied on the writing of previous authors, and in doing so perpetuated both a wealth of errors and a number of hoary myths.
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record in researching and writing about thisimportant event. By their own account, the authors relied on the writing of previous authors, and in doing so perpetuated both a wealth of errors and a number of hoary myths.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member John_Vaughan
Not being a watcher or reader of popular media I had not heard of the author Bill O’Reilly before and requested this book purely on the basis of having read and enjoyed a similar work; Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L Swanson, and on my owning five other works on Lincoln.
This book is obviously based on the truth and the facts of Lincoln’s assassination but it relies more on the attitudes and opinions on the author(s) and those are often, confusingly, presented as facts. Reading a ‘history’ book without footnotes or sources is fine as there is an extensive Afterword and Epilogue to the work (although no Index). But the presentation of many of those ‘facts’ rankled …just one example; on the retreat of the Confederate President Jefferson Davis …
“ .. but Davis is done, fleeing to North Carolina in a train filled with looted confederate gold..” Now the sentence states that Davis is the Confederate President, and that the gold too, is confederate. So from whom was it “looted”? Is it the opinion of the author that it was looted from …?
We are told in great detail of the thoughts and musings of the assassin, not an invalid tool in a narrative, but a highly suspect usage in a history. We are told that one such thought : I am the man who will end Abraham Lincolns life ‘motivated’ Booth as he walked and that he “ruminates without remorse”.
The narrative is rapidly progressed to the conclusion of the firefight and the gallows, hanging for many of the captured conspirators, even for a woman, and life sentences for the rest including a Dr. Mudd who eventually is declared innocent and receives a Presidential pardon in 1869.
The book’s jacket has a banner that states the assignation “changed America forever” and, of course, this historical tragedy truly deprived the divided and war wracked nation of any chance of a healing reintegration. But I failed to find any support in the actual work for the specifics of that change.
I could not recommend this book to any serious readers of history, I can however suggest it as a light history reading to anyone seeking a rapidly moving, action packed thriller “based on the true-life facts”.
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Learning more about the author(s) rather puzzled me. O’Reilly, a former history professor, has several books to his credit already, so why would he need a ‘ghostwriter’, if that is the correct term for his co-author Martin Dugard? And Dugard, is a professional freelance writer and author who surely needs no “name” on the cover other than his own to get a book published? (I liked his book The Last Voyage of Columbus.) The only clues to my puzzlement (and I readily admit it is probably just mine) is in both the style of the rapid action-packed writing – at an early stage in the book there are two separate chapter heading on the same page – and a tiny mention in the book-jacket blurb referencing another of Dugard’s projects for a TV series. I concluded, before I was halfway through the book that I was reading a “made-for-TV” thriller, one of those that usually have “based on the true-life facts” on the cover.This book is obviously based on the truth and the facts of Lincoln’s assassination but it relies more on the attitudes and opinions on the author(s) and those are often, confusingly, presented as facts. Reading a ‘history’ book without footnotes or sources is fine as there is an extensive Afterword and Epilogue to the work (although no Index). But the presentation of many of those ‘facts’ rankled …just one example; on the retreat of the Confederate President Jefferson Davis …
“ .. but Davis is done, fleeing to North Carolina in a train filled with looted confederate gold..” Now the sentence states that Davis is the Confederate President, and that the gold too, is confederate. So from whom was it “looted”? Is it the opinion of the author that it was looted from …?
We are told in great detail of the thoughts and musings of the assassin, not an invalid tool in a narrative, but a highly suspect usage in a history. We are told that one such thought : I am the man who will end Abraham Lincolns life ‘motivated’ Booth as he walked and that he “ruminates without remorse”.
The narrative is rapidly progressed to the conclusion of the firefight and the gallows, hanging for many of the captured conspirators, even for a woman, and life sentences for the rest including a Dr. Mudd who eventually is declared innocent and receives a Presidential pardon in 1869.
The book’s jacket has a banner that states the assignation “changed America forever” and, of course, this historical tragedy truly deprived the divided and war wracked nation of any chance of a healing reintegration. But I failed to find any support in the actual work for the specifics of that change.
I could not recommend this book to any serious readers of history, I can however suggest it as a light history reading to anyone seeking a rapidly moving, action packed thriller “based on the true-life facts”.
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LibraryThing member KelseyKent
I received an "advanced reader's edition" of Killing Lincoln through the early reviewers of Library Thing. While the content of this book is interesting, the writing is shameful and in need of a lot of editing. Errors occur on most pages. All the maps are missing from the book, portraits of
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generals are mislabeled, and spelling mistakes are frequent. Basic rules of grammar are obviously too difficult for these writers. One sentence starts out "Now anger has now become..." This book is too painful to read. If there are so many grammatical errors and labeling errors, how can I be sure that the content is fact? The authors do not cite any sources, which I see as a major flaw in a historical book such as this one. Do not spend your money on this book unless changes have been made. Show Less
LibraryThing member fdholt
Killing Lincon is the story of the weeks before and after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, written by news show commentator and columnist Bill O’Reilly with Martin Dugard. The book is divided into 4 sections: the last days of the Civil War; the events leading up to April 14, 1865; the
The book contains many illustrations along with maps. In an appendix, the text of most of the April 29th issue of Harper’s Weekly is printed, giving a look at what was known at the time and the reaction to the death of Lincoln. There is an afterword with details of what happened later in the lives of persons mentioned in the book. Also the authors provide bibliographical notes for each of the 4 sections of the book. However, be aware that these are simply author and title with no further information. Some are scholarly works, some war memoirs, and some are popular history.
The book is informal and “written as a thriller” according to a note from the author. It was a bit disconcerting to read about the feelings of Abraham Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln and especially John Wilkes Booth along with the movements of the Lincolns and the conspirators. Where did this material come from or was it conjecture? Since there are no footnotes or endnotes, it is difficult to trace the sources of the information as well as the quotes in the book. This is not scholarly literature and I cannot recommend it for anyone who needs a factual and accurate history of those terrible events. But the book can be read as an enjoyable, semi-fictional account of the Lincoln assassination.
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fateful day; and the aftermath. The cast of characters is large and includes the obvious as well as the fringe players in the tragedy. The authors raise some very good questions for which there are no answers such as the missing pages in the diary of John Wilkes Booth; the connection between John Wilkes Booth, Lafayette Baker and Edwin Stanton; the complicity of Mary Surratt and family; the lack of security and the absence of Lincoln’s bodyguard on that night; and many others. The most important fact was that Booth totally misread the implications of his act. The story is far more complex than we learned in school and truly did change America, especially the nature of Reconstruction after the war.The book contains many illustrations along with maps. In an appendix, the text of most of the April 29th issue of Harper’s Weekly is printed, giving a look at what was known at the time and the reaction to the death of Lincoln. There is an afterword with details of what happened later in the lives of persons mentioned in the book. Also the authors provide bibliographical notes for each of the 4 sections of the book. However, be aware that these are simply author and title with no further information. Some are scholarly works, some war memoirs, and some are popular history.
The book is informal and “written as a thriller” according to a note from the author. It was a bit disconcerting to read about the feelings of Abraham Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln and especially John Wilkes Booth along with the movements of the Lincolns and the conspirators. Where did this material come from or was it conjecture? Since there are no footnotes or endnotes, it is difficult to trace the sources of the information as well as the quotes in the book. This is not scholarly literature and I cannot recommend it for anyone who needs a factual and accurate history of those terrible events. But the book can be read as an enjoyable, semi-fictional account of the Lincoln assassination.
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LibraryThing member ginger30297
I’m not sure what to make of this entertaining, though not enlightening, account of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. While I thoroughly believe that history can be as entertaining as fiction, I do feel that there’s a level of accountability that an author
As to the style of the prose, I found myself chuckling at some point and groaning at others. “The great hooves of his horse beat a tattoo on the bad roads and forest trail of Central Virginia,” begins one chapter. And do I really need to know about Mary Surratt’s menstruation while she was awaiting execution? They mention that Booth planned on yelling “Sic semper tyrannis” but do not mention it when detailing the attack. There’s a photograph at the beginning of Part Three that is captioned “The last known photograph of Lincoln, February 1865,” though there is a photograph taken in March of the same year that I have found.
And the charge that Samuel Mudd was a knowing conspirator in the assassination plot needs more evidence. Historians are split on his involvement on the kidnapping plot and most agree he had nothing to do with the assassination. But O’Reilly and Dugard split no hair as they brand the man who was exonerated by Reagan and Carter as complicit in murder.
In all, the book has far too many shortcomings for me to endorse it in any way. Anyone interested in the Civil War or Lincoln’s assassination have fare better materials to consider, particularly Kauffman’s “American Brutus” or Sandburg’s Lincoln biography.
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must conform to if he purports to tell the truth. This means that you are allowed to provide opinions, but you must state that that’s what they are. When you stray from truth to unsubstantiated speculation, you cannot shroud you words as facts. Abraham Lincoln was arguably the most controversial American in the history of this great country. As a president, he had as many failures as successes. But O’Reilly and Dugard make no mention of this and do a great disservice to the memory of a great, but flawed man. Lincoln never belonged to an organized religion but the authors portray him as a reverent Christian.As to the style of the prose, I found myself chuckling at some point and groaning at others. “The great hooves of his horse beat a tattoo on the bad roads and forest trail of Central Virginia,” begins one chapter. And do I really need to know about Mary Surratt’s menstruation while she was awaiting execution? They mention that Booth planned on yelling “Sic semper tyrannis” but do not mention it when detailing the attack. There’s a photograph at the beginning of Part Three that is captioned “The last known photograph of Lincoln, February 1865,” though there is a photograph taken in March of the same year that I have found.
And the charge that Samuel Mudd was a knowing conspirator in the assassination plot needs more evidence. Historians are split on his involvement on the kidnapping plot and most agree he had nothing to do with the assassination. But O’Reilly and Dugard split no hair as they brand the man who was exonerated by Reagan and Carter as complicit in murder.
In all, the book has far too many shortcomings for me to endorse it in any way. Anyone interested in the Civil War or Lincoln’s assassination have fare better materials to consider, particularly Kauffman’s “American Brutus” or Sandburg’s Lincoln biography.
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LibraryThing member amramey
Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America. New York: Henry Holt and Co, 2011. 313 pp. $28.00.
Bill O'Reilly is America's favorite political commentator as well as a bestselling author of ten books. Likewise, Martin Dugard is a bestselling
The content of this book is nothing new. Lincoln's life and death have been the center of much scholarly attention. However, this book presents the material in a fresh way. The style of writing is engaging and reads much like a novel. Yet, the eye for accuracy is not missing. The facts are correct without being dry. There are 62 chapters (average 4.5 pages in length), with each capturing a specific scene in the unfolding events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. Thus, the format is readable and bite-size with each chapter beginning with the date, location and time of day. Literarily, this allows you to experience the events in real time. Furthermore, the book includes maps and black-and-white photos of the people (e.g., Laura Keene, Lucy Hale), places (Appomattox courthouse, Ford's Theatre) and the events (the Arsenal courtyard hanging) which make the story of America's first presidential assassination. Killing Lincoln is a winsome and intelligent historical contribution that will inform and intrigue you page after page.
Bill O'Reilly is America's favorite political commentator as well as a bestselling author of ten books. Likewise, Martin Dugard is a bestselling
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author of four historical works.The content of this book is nothing new. Lincoln's life and death have been the center of much scholarly attention. However, this book presents the material in a fresh way. The style of writing is engaging and reads much like a novel. Yet, the eye for accuracy is not missing. The facts are correct without being dry. There are 62 chapters (average 4.5 pages in length), with each capturing a specific scene in the unfolding events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. Thus, the format is readable and bite-size with each chapter beginning with the date, location and time of day. Literarily, this allows you to experience the events in real time. Furthermore, the book includes maps and black-and-white photos of the people (e.g., Laura Keene, Lucy Hale), places (Appomattox courthouse, Ford's Theatre) and the events (the Arsenal courtyard hanging) which make the story of America's first presidential assassination. Killing Lincoln is a winsome and intelligent historical contribution that will inform and intrigue you page after page.
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LibraryThing member MusicMom41
Killing Lincoln is an outstanding example of how history can be presented to the general reading public vividly, accurately and compellingly. The story covers the 26 days in April 1965, relating the last battles of the Civil War, the euphoria in the North when the war ended and the events leading
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up to a the assassination of Lincoln. The style and pace of the writing carries the reader along making it difficult to put down and when you are finished you feel as if you actually know and understand the main characters of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookerBoy
Exciting, excellent......the way I wish history would have been taught in my high school classroom. Written in a flowing narrative style this book kept me on the edge of my seat chapter to chapter. The book opens with the war's ending events: Grant's race to cut off Lee's escape to the Carolina's
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via the High Bridge and Lincoln's tour of Richmond just after its fall. All the time author O'Reilly is building the player base and bringing it to the fateful hour at Ford's Theatre. It is amazing at how many points the Booth and Lincoln families crossed paths. There are points of speculation in the book regarding things like the possible involvement of Secretary of War Stanton in the assassination plot. O'Reilly's description of the assassination plot and scene is one of the best I've ever read and I loved the section at the end where he recounts the lives of the players and what happened to them . All in all it was a top notch read! Show Less
LibraryThing member qstewart
A very readable and interesting history of the Lincoln Assassination. The authors do an excellent job of discussing the battles between the fall of Petersburg and the surrender at Appomattox. That period of time is not well covered in most history books except for those that are written just
The description of the lives of the main characters in the days leading up to the assassination are well done and gives the reader an understanding of what was going on at this time in the streets of Washington, D.C. It is a time of celebration on the part of some of the citizens and a time to try to come to an understanding of what the surrender of Lee means to those who secretly favored the South. The description of John Wilkes Booth is interesting because he had times when he could have walked away and gone back on the stage and not have become the pariah that he has in American history.
For the general reader I believe this is an excellent summary of those days in April 1865 that led up to the assassination of Lincoln and the outcome that followed. As a retired history teacher I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what happened then and do not want to wade through an in depth study of the period. Well done.
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covering the end of the war. It is a time of Lee trying his best to slip away and of Grant trying his best to surround the Confederates and foil any attempt they might make to escape southward.The description of the lives of the main characters in the days leading up to the assassination are well done and gives the reader an understanding of what was going on at this time in the streets of Washington, D.C. It is a time of celebration on the part of some of the citizens and a time to try to come to an understanding of what the surrender of Lee means to those who secretly favored the South. The description of John Wilkes Booth is interesting because he had times when he could have walked away and gone back on the stage and not have become the pariah that he has in American history.
For the general reader I believe this is an excellent summary of those days in April 1865 that led up to the assassination of Lincoln and the outcome that followed. As a retired history teacher I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what happened then and do not want to wade through an in depth study of the period. Well done.
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LibraryThing member tag100
Written in the style of a pulp-fiction detective story, this book is not exactly what one is used to seeing from Bill O'Reilly. Even so, it is an easy, but interesting, read. Assuming that O'Reilly and Dugard have their facts straight, I expect that anyone who reads this book will learn a few
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things about the Lincoln assassination. I give it three stars, despite the draft nature of the text, since the version I read was a pre-release copy. Show Less
LibraryThing member OccamsHammer
'Killing Lincoln' is Bill O’Reilly’s first book dealing with American history. The book covers the last days of the Civil War. Lincoln prepares for the daunting task of rebuilding the nation while John Wilkes Booth begins his conspiracy to make the President pay for the South losing the
This is a very informative book that provides detailed background information behind the events surrounding the assassination. The narrative is clearly written and very easy for the average reader to understand. This is not a dry history book where the author tries to be neutral about the events. O'Reilly does interject his opinions and has a clear point of view of the events.
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war.This is a very informative book that provides detailed background information behind the events surrounding the assassination. The narrative is clearly written and very easy for the average reader to understand. This is not a dry history book where the author tries to be neutral about the events. O'Reilly does interject his opinions and has a clear point of view of the events.
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LibraryThing member maneekuhi
"Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly is very well done, much better than O'Reilly's other assassination book (JFK). This covers the last 14 days or so of Lincoln's life and the first 100 pages (of approximately 300) focus on the last days of the Civil War. Lee is trying to move his army from their
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encampment of the past 10 months at Petersburg and get to the Carolinas where he expects to find supplies and additional troops. There are a number of small battles as the scene shifts further and further west, inevitably toward Appomattox. There are strategies and counter-strategies with incredible successes and failures for both sides. Lincoln impatiently awaits news of the expected surrender, first on a ship in a nearby river, then in Richmond and finally in Washington. Slowly the story shifts its focus to Lincoln and how he spends his final days. The last 25% of the book deals with Booth's escape route and the efforts to track him down. Again, there is a well done "whatever became of..." of all the principal characters in an Afterword. Lots of photos and helpful maps.. The story is told at a brisk pace and the tension is maintained throughout. I've been to Ford's Theater and the boarding house where Lincoln was taken after the shooting, and I have read other books on the subject - but I still learned a good deal from this book and I recommend it highly. I will give it to my 13 year old grandson and I am sure he will find it as interesting and exciting as I did. It has its flaws though, nothing really major. The reader is constantly reminded that Lincoln "has X days left", and "this is the last Y he will ever do..." That's been done too many times by so many others and its just too melodramatic. He also mentions the rumors of Stanton's supposed involvement in this plot as a key ringleader but none of the evidence raised any doubts for me. Killing Lincoln is a bit too "pop" history, but it works nevertheless. Show Less
LibraryThing member PolarBear
I received the Early Reviewer copy of this book, so it doesn't have the final maps included yet. The placeholders were there, so I'm confident the published version will have the complementary reference material I found myself looking for while reading. I've been fascinated with Abraham Lincoln
For people unfamiliar with the assassination, this book is a steady, engaging read which illustrates a number of interesting differences between Presidential accessibility and security from the mid-1860s and today.
In addition to walking the reader through the end of the Civil War and President Lincoln's last few weeks of life, the reader will see dramatic differences in public access to the White House, proximity to the President, and indifferent security measures employed around the President. Certainly, the lessons learned from the lax security can be traced to the security surrounding the President today.
Other books illustrate this next observation more clearly, but O'Reilly and Dugard subtly illustrate the disparity of thought among the key people on Lincoln's staff as well as the non-relationship and diametrically opposed views held by Lincoln and Vice President Johnson. One can envision a very different post-War environment in the South had Lincoln lived and been able to guide the re-integration efforts for the Nation.
I recommend this book, especially for the discussion of the people involved in the assassination plot. The book raises questions about the participants that I hope will prompt readers to seek out additional books on this subject to learn more, and the books referenced in the Notes section would be a good place to start.
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since the days when I was a student at Lincoln Elementary School. As I matured, I collected as many books on Abraham Lincoln as I could find, and I prize books from the 1800s whenever possible. One volume, originally published in 1955, titled THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT by Jim Bishop is particularly interesting and is mentioned along with other similar books in the Notes section of KILLING LINCOLN. For people unfamiliar with the assassination, this book is a steady, engaging read which illustrates a number of interesting differences between Presidential accessibility and security from the mid-1860s and today.
In addition to walking the reader through the end of the Civil War and President Lincoln's last few weeks of life, the reader will see dramatic differences in public access to the White House, proximity to the President, and indifferent security measures employed around the President. Certainly, the lessons learned from the lax security can be traced to the security surrounding the President today.
Other books illustrate this next observation more clearly, but O'Reilly and Dugard subtly illustrate the disparity of thought among the key people on Lincoln's staff as well as the non-relationship and diametrically opposed views held by Lincoln and Vice President Johnson. One can envision a very different post-War environment in the South had Lincoln lived and been able to guide the re-integration efforts for the Nation.
I recommend this book, especially for the discussion of the people involved in the assassination plot. The book raises questions about the participants that I hope will prompt readers to seek out additional books on this subject to learn more, and the books referenced in the Notes section would be a good place to start.
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LibraryThing member herbcat
The narrative is pretty much correct, although there is no documentation to back it up, but this is told in such a sophomoric manner that I can't recommend it. Whoever actually did the writing used present tense to try to make it personal and meaningful, but instead, it makes it sound as if written
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by a fifth grader. Even worse, he sometimes slips out of the present tense to use the past (which would fit the situation better), with no reason at all. Perhaps from time to time, he slips and forgets he's not using the correct tense and does since it sounds so much more factual and truthful instead of as a boy's adventure story. He also slips the conspiracy theory (the one suggesting that Edwin Stanton had arranged the murder) in a few places, almost in a gossipy way, without analyzing it or mentioning that there were several other theories circulated as well. A better choice for this topic is "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson. Show Less
LibraryThing member hadden
There is history. And then there is storytelling. There are historians, and then there are storytellers.
Historians write about facts. He went there. He did this. As a result, this happened.
Storytellers write about people. Why did he go there? Why and how did he do that? What happened next?
Bill
Historians document what they write about with primary sources, accurate maps and physical artifacts. They use footnotes to indicate where the facts come from, and where to go for further information. They avoid giving statements to people unless they can verify they actually said those things, and try not to interpret their thoughts and ideas from their actions and their action’s results.
Storytellers like O’Reilly and Dugard add conversations to and among dead people, who cannot contradict from the past what the storyteller says they said today. The storyteller adds insight and gives explanations to why people may have done what they did, and the emotions they may have felt. The future is also known to the storyteller, and in the past the storyteller can show how the actions done there inevitably result in the actions done here. There is no free will in the past, and all the characters must move about according both to the will of history, and dance like marionettes to the plotlines of the storyteller.
The assassination of Lincoln has many elements in it, and this is a thrilling and compelling story. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard tell this story well. However, like many storytellers, the interpretation and understanding of the storyteller are often presented as historical fact. Conversations and statements are made that can’t be documented. People did things only for the reasons the storyteller gives, and not for otherwise unknown or imperfectly understood reasons. Characters in stories are given specific actions to do, that, when done alone by someone who dies shortly afterwards, cannot be proven, only surmised or made up.
So, in many ways, this book is like a good play or a television drama. It is good theatre. It is a good understanding of human nature and human reactions. For a good overview of the story of the Lincoln assassination, it is a good story. As such, I highly recommend it.
But as for history, it has much to be desired. Several jarring mistakes of fact are given, such as the incorrect names for military flags, or some incorrect dates, or for the presumed reasons why a veteran general would not advance his troops against his foe. The lack of footnotes when statements are given also prevent the reader from looking further for explanation and information. One example is the jealous competition between Lincoln’s son, Robert, and John Wilkes Booth for the affections of Lucy Hale, who was Booth’s fiancée. Indeed, John Wilkes Booth visited Lucy Hale and broke off their engagement at 9:00am on April 14, 1865, and Lucy Hale and Robert Lincoln then spent that afternoon, the afternoon of the assassination, together. Or that Edwin Booth, John’s older brother, had saved the life of Robert Lincoln, John’s rival, just a few months previously from a train accident. Or that John Hay, President Lincoln’s 21 year old personal secretary, was also competing with 24 year old John Booth and 21 year old Robert Lincoln, for the attentions of 24 year old Lucy Hale.
There is a good bibliography given in the back, with several suggested titles for further reading. However, many items are not well defined, and many of the more recently published books are not available for free on google.com, as implied. Also, several journal articles are discussed in the text, but are not included in the bibliography.
There is also no index. With so many names and places mentioned in the book, it is difficult to keep them in order, and to go back and re-read something mentioned in previous chapters. An index would be a great help.
This is a good book for the story of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. However, it is not a history book; it is a story.
Historians write about facts. He went there. He did this. As a result, this happened.
Storytellers write about people. Why did he go there? Why and how did he do that? What happened next?
Bill
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O’Reilly and Martin Dugard are storytellers. In this book, they tell the story of one of the great tragedies of American history, the assassination of President Lincoln. And what a story it is! The characters of Lincoln and Booth have been defined and re-defined throughout the years, so that they are scarcely human today. The time in 1865, at the death of the Confederacy and the civil War’s end, is fantastical to most Americans today. They see the images of women in hoop skirts and subservient blacks and ignorant backwoodsmen through the lens of “Gone With the Wind” and from sixth grade history book reports.Historians document what they write about with primary sources, accurate maps and physical artifacts. They use footnotes to indicate where the facts come from, and where to go for further information. They avoid giving statements to people unless they can verify they actually said those things, and try not to interpret their thoughts and ideas from their actions and their action’s results.
Storytellers like O’Reilly and Dugard add conversations to and among dead people, who cannot contradict from the past what the storyteller says they said today. The storyteller adds insight and gives explanations to why people may have done what they did, and the emotions they may have felt. The future is also known to the storyteller, and in the past the storyteller can show how the actions done there inevitably result in the actions done here. There is no free will in the past, and all the characters must move about according both to the will of history, and dance like marionettes to the plotlines of the storyteller.
The assassination of Lincoln has many elements in it, and this is a thrilling and compelling story. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard tell this story well. However, like many storytellers, the interpretation and understanding of the storyteller are often presented as historical fact. Conversations and statements are made that can’t be documented. People did things only for the reasons the storyteller gives, and not for otherwise unknown or imperfectly understood reasons. Characters in stories are given specific actions to do, that, when done alone by someone who dies shortly afterwards, cannot be proven, only surmised or made up.
So, in many ways, this book is like a good play or a television drama. It is good theatre. It is a good understanding of human nature and human reactions. For a good overview of the story of the Lincoln assassination, it is a good story. As such, I highly recommend it.
But as for history, it has much to be desired. Several jarring mistakes of fact are given, such as the incorrect names for military flags, or some incorrect dates, or for the presumed reasons why a veteran general would not advance his troops against his foe. The lack of footnotes when statements are given also prevent the reader from looking further for explanation and information. One example is the jealous competition between Lincoln’s son, Robert, and John Wilkes Booth for the affections of Lucy Hale, who was Booth’s fiancée. Indeed, John Wilkes Booth visited Lucy Hale and broke off their engagement at 9:00am on April 14, 1865, and Lucy Hale and Robert Lincoln then spent that afternoon, the afternoon of the assassination, together. Or that Edwin Booth, John’s older brother, had saved the life of Robert Lincoln, John’s rival, just a few months previously from a train accident. Or that John Hay, President Lincoln’s 21 year old personal secretary, was also competing with 24 year old John Booth and 21 year old Robert Lincoln, for the attentions of 24 year old Lucy Hale.
There is a good bibliography given in the back, with several suggested titles for further reading. However, many items are not well defined, and many of the more recently published books are not available for free on google.com, as implied. Also, several journal articles are discussed in the text, but are not included in the bibliography.
There is also no index. With so many names and places mentioned in the book, it is difficult to keep them in order, and to go back and re-read something mentioned in previous chapters. An index would be a great help.
This is a good book for the story of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. However, it is not a history book; it is a story.
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LibraryThing member lwhitmill
Fantastic read. I have not enjoyed a book on Lincoln this much since I read "With Malice Toward None" many years ago. It was full of new and interesting information lending a personable feel to the book. I would recommend this to anyone even slightly interested in history as the narrative offers
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much to assist us in understanding the USA and the impact that the assassination had on us all. Show Less
LibraryThing member ertreada
This is a great book that chronicles the last week of the civil War and the life and Abraham Lincoln, an easy read that places the reader in key events in history. The reader is alongside Grant and Lee at Appomattox Courthouse as the south surrenders, in John Wilkes Booth’s bedroom as the
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assignation plans are finalized and beside marry Todd and Abraham Lincoln as the fateful shot is fired. This book will be enjoyed by history buffs and novices alike. O’Reily offers great insight one of America’s greatest presidents. Show Less
LibraryThing member labwriter
The audience for this book seems to be twofold: 1) those who don't read very much; and/or 2) those who don't read history. I give O'Reilly kudos for writing a book that might draw people into reading about Lincoln or the Civil War who might not otherwise do so. He seems to have worked hard at the
However, for those who do read history or who are conversant with Lincoln's story and Civil War history, there really isn't anything here that hasn't been done better elsewhere. Anyone reading this book should be prepared for a completely one-sided telling of this tale. O'Reilly's take on Lincoln is that he was the greatest president the country has ever had, and the whole book flows from that premise. There are no surprises here: what you see is what you get.
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"dramatic" aspect of the storytelling, which works for an audience of readers who normally wouldn't read a history book. However, for those who do read history or who are conversant with Lincoln's story and Civil War history, there really isn't anything here that hasn't been done better elsewhere. Anyone reading this book should be prepared for a completely one-sided telling of this tale. O'Reilly's take on Lincoln is that he was the greatest president the country has ever had, and the whole book flows from that premise. There are no surprises here: what you see is what you get.
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LibraryThing member horomnizon
First, let me say that I love stuff about the Civil War, so that's why I picked this one up. I'm not going to agree that it reads like a 'thriller' - after all, it's nonfiction and historical, so you know what's going to happen....in a thriller, you don't and that's what makes it thrilling.
However, it doesn't read like a history book either. It's somewhere in between...creative nonfiction is what we called it in college - perhaps there is trendier name for it now.
The book essentially chronicles the two weeks before and after Lincoln's death, including the surrender of Lee and the death of Booth. I found it intriguing and while I've read some about this time period and the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, I certainly learned some new things.
Overall, while I don't think it reads like a typical fictional thriller (there is just too much of the technicalities of war here for that pace), it does read pretty quickly for a history book and is worth it. This was a turning point in the history of the United States....now I need to read more about Andrew Johnson and his presidency as they pointed out many times that he was a terrible President and I want to know more!
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However, it doesn't read like a history book either. It's somewhere in between...creative nonfiction is what we called it in college - perhaps there is trendier name for it now.
The book essentially chronicles the two weeks before and after Lincoln's death, including the surrender of Lee and the death of Booth. I found it intriguing and while I've read some about this time period and the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, I certainly learned some new things.
Overall, while I don't think it reads like a typical fictional thriller (there is just too much of the technicalities of war here for that pace), it does read pretty quickly for a history book and is worth it. This was a turning point in the history of the United States....now I need to read more about Andrew Johnson and his presidency as they pointed out many times that he was a terrible President and I want to know more!
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LibraryThing member GabbyHayze
I thoroughly enjoyed the format of this book. It read like a thriller, breaking down the events leading up to the assassination of Lincoln into daily segments that included information about each of the people who played a prominent role in what began as a plan to kidnap the president. I have read
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that this book is historically inaccurate. If that's the case, then I want to see a list of the supposed mistakes. It seemed very obvious to me that great care was taken with the research necessary to produce such a masterful recreation of a time period just as full of nefarious people as we've got currently in politics and the news. As a result of reading "Killing Lincoln"' I want to read more about that time period, learn more about who Abraham Lincoln really was, and become more familiar with the issues surrounding the war between the states. For me, this was a fascinating book that made me want to know even more about the history of the United States. I also believe that if more history books were written like this one, we'd have no problem in getting our students more involved in learning about where we came from. Show Less
LibraryThing member pegmcdaniel
This has been on my TBR pile for a long time. I regret it took me so long to getting around to reading it. It's a great book and I give it 5 Stars
I learned so much about the Civil War which takes up the first 83 pages. I don't usually like reading about war but this was written in a way that made
This book is history which reads like a murder mystery/thriller. Even though we know how it all turns out in the end, the short chapters which all have a time line, flew by for me. All I learned in history class so many years ago is that Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. Even though I've toured Ford Theatre many times, I can't recall learning anything more. I knew little about Booth and had never heard of the other people involved before and after the shooting.
It's so obvious that this endeavor by O'Reilly and his co-author, Martin Dugard, is thoroughly researched. I like the fact that no footnotes were used but there is additional information in the back of the book that readers can peruse such as an Appendix which includes the Harper's Weekly-A Journal of Civilization dated April 29, 1865. There is a list of books, websites, and other archived information which reflect the main research sources for this book. The index alone is eight pages of small type.
Now I am inspired to read Killing Reagan, Killing Jesus, and Killing the Rising Sun.
I learned so much about the Civil War which takes up the first 83 pages. I don't usually like reading about war but this was written in a way that made
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it more interesting because of diaries and other historical documents.This book is history which reads like a murder mystery/thriller. Even though we know how it all turns out in the end, the short chapters which all have a time line, flew by for me. All I learned in history class so many years ago is that Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. Even though I've toured Ford Theatre many times, I can't recall learning anything more. I knew little about Booth and had never heard of the other people involved before and after the shooting.
It's so obvious that this endeavor by O'Reilly and his co-author, Martin Dugard, is thoroughly researched. I like the fact that no footnotes were used but there is additional information in the back of the book that readers can peruse such as an Appendix which includes the Harper's Weekly-A Journal of Civilization dated April 29, 1865. There is a list of books, websites, and other archived information which reflect the main research sources for this book. The index alone is eight pages of small type.
Now I am inspired to read Killing Reagan, Killing Jesus, and Killing the Rising Sun.
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LibraryThing member Pattymclpn
I bought this book out of curiosity. I am not a big Bill O'Reilly fan. I was pleasantly surprised. It was like I had slipped in time and was present as the events surrounding Lincoln's death occured. This was a painless way to learn about history. I found this to be a quick read. It was a real page
I will probably read Killing Kennedy, but was surprised at the mixed reviews it received. I think everyone interested in this book should definitely read it!!!
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turner. It has short chapters for those that don't want to get too bogged down. I read this in only 3 days.I will probably read Killing Kennedy, but was surprised at the mixed reviews it received. I think everyone interested in this book should definitely read it!!!
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LibraryThing member koalamom
A sketch of the days just prior to and immediately after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln told in an easy, flowing style.
A very readable book for everyone to enjoy - hard to put down.
A very readable book for everyone to enjoy - hard to put down.
LibraryThing member Savagemalloy
Short. Good description of Washington DC. A bit too much making up the thinking of the characters.
LibraryThing member wordplay7
I don't like the fictionalized non-fiction approach at all. Hard to separate fact from supposition and dramatization. I'll take my morning cereal without sugar and puzzles on the back of the box, thank you. This belongs on the young-adult shelf at the library.
LibraryThing member Amante
didn't like the book,guess I'd have to be a fan of Bill O'Reilly. but the book reads like a modern day series of soundbites with video to follow.
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011
Physical description
324 p.; 6.46 inches
ISBN
0805093079 / 9780805093070
UPC
715957494894
Other editions
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