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Book Summary

Reviewed by Whitney Stewart

From beginning to end, Abraham Lincoln's life was full of grit, drama and glory. From his hardscrabble beginnings though perhaps the most heartrending trauma this country has ever known, Freedman shows the real Lincoln, public and private. Seeing Lincoln at home and in his private moments, readers will understand his depth as a man and as a leader.

Is It Any Good?

5

Although Abraham Lincoln was a complicated man, Russell Freedman digs through layers of hero worship and reveals the unpolished, moody, intelligent, and tenderhearted man who was one of America's most important presidents. Freedman understands child readers as well as he understands history and writing. Although he covers hefty political and social material, he does not mire himself in detail. He knows when to add an explanation and when to keep his sentences short and to the point.

The issues surrounding slavery in 19th-century America are not always fully explained in children's literature. Young readers often understand only that people were for or against it. Freedman accurately portrays the thorny problems that challenged Abraham Lincoln and the country in the mid-1800s. Children who read this book will gain an understanding of some of the personal, economic, and political ramifications of slavery and liberty. In the final chapter, Lincoln's assassination is described vividly but without exaggeration. Details of the final acts of Lincoln's life and of his burial are quietly moving.

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