Wendy P. (wpoohd) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 34 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
I do not usually read non-fiction books but, I loved this one! Full of facts that I did not know, including all the people that were attacked the same evening as Lincoln was killed. I really enjoyed the way the authors included information on popular conspiracies and the facts that contributed to those ideas. Includes an appendix with samples from the newspaper articles from this time period.
Stephanie P. (2252steph) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This book gives a clear account of the days leading up to Lee's surrender and then Lincoln's assassination. The reader can feel the emotions of the end to the civil war and Lincoln's assassination.
Joannie N. (Nedheadz) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 128 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Well written and engaging!
I'm always amazed when all the layers of historical events that you thought you knew about and understood are put together to create a complete picture of what's going on and the complexities of just what happening. I kept screaming stay home President Lincoln as I read this, but my cries, of course, were not heard nor heeded.
Reads fast! I recommend it!
I'm always amazed when all the layers of historical events that you thought you knew about and understood are put together to create a complete picture of what's going on and the complexities of just what happening. I kept screaming stay home President Lincoln as I read this, but my cries, of course, were not heard nor heeded.
Reads fast! I recommend it!
Amy B. (galhusker) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Really interesting book....starts off a little slow, but the actual story and surrounding circumstances around Lincoln's assassination was fascinating. Good stuff!
Linda M. (dryheat) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book was captivating from beginning to end. It is a quick read and I learned a lot of the underpinnings of the Civil War, Lincoln, Booth. And events of the time.
I was at a two day event when I was reading it and people frequently came over to ask how it was or tell me how great it was., or did I like it.
I highly recommend the book.
Linda
I was at a two day event when I was reading it and people frequently came over to ask how it was or tell me how great it was., or did I like it.
I highly recommend the book.
Linda
Mike J. (mikej) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 73 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good book, quick interesting read, for a story we all know how it turns out. Clearly, it is not a pure history piece, it is a description of a theory that is presented as fact. It is a nice novel about what the players in this national event may have been thinking and doing.
Robert B. (SGTBob) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 156 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic read. Bill lays out information in a chronologhical order, beginning with the week before Lincoln's assassination. He and his co-author (Martin Dugard) have researched this informaiton and brought it to readers and an orderly/easy to read format.
Unlike some other books, the authors have include information at the end of the book detailing what became of many of the people mentioned within the book.
History buffs may find a few flaws in this writting, but only because the information may contridict what they have been led to believe in the past.
Read it before you pass judgement.
Unlike some other books, the authors have include information at the end of the book detailing what became of many of the people mentioned within the book.
History buffs may find a few flaws in this writting, but only because the information may contridict what they have been led to believe in the past.
Read it before you pass judgement.
Alyssa T. -
Helpful Score: 1
This was a very well written book. My only criticism was that the entire first half of the book was about the Civil War, specifically about Lee and Grant. Lincoln was barely mentioned in the first half of the book and it was more about the war tactics. I thought Lincoln should have been mentioned more often in the first half of the book and I wish they had talked more about his life before his assassination. Overall, a great read and I look forward to reading Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot.
jjares reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 3426 more book reviews
The opening scene of this book is surprising; as Lincoln is taking his oath of office for his second term, he has 6 more weeks to live. By the kind words Lincoln speaks at his second inauguration, he shows that he plans to quickly take the Confederates back into the fold of America. The war is winding down; amazingly enough, Northerners are sick of the war and are demanding that Lincoln stop immediately (in spite of the fact that they are so close to victory).
Quickly the scene changes to the fighting between Grant and Lee. Parts of it are hard to read; the authors explain the suffering in gripping detail. Throughout this book, I have the feeling that I am there. The characterizations of the participants are very clear. The authors keep the chapters short, which has the effect of seeming to move the action at a rapid pace.
This is not your father's high school American history. As someone who has read a great deal about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, I was surprised that the story could be told so succinctly (~325 pages) This book also includes two minor facts that are rarely included. First, Wilmer McLean was involved in both the beginning and end of the American Civil War. At the first Battle of Bull Run, a cannonball landed in his fireplace. He and his family decided to move to a place away from the fighting. At the end of the war, Wilmer McLean's out-of-the-way Virginia house just happens to be used as the meeting place of Grant and Lee, to hammer out the surrender of Lee's forces.
Second, Lincoln was effectively mummified because as his body traveled across the US (during the train trip after his death), he was repeatedly embalmed as he crossed into different states (where the rules for embalming were different). Over the next 150 years, Lincoln's casket would be opened six times and his remains would be moved from location to another 17 times. I remember reading one report by a man who had seen Lincoln's body (he was a child at the time; I believe he accompanied his father, a doctor), who reported that Lincoln's body was the same as when he had died. There had been virtually no decomposition, due to so much embalming.
I'm glad that the authors included the conspiracy theories and generally how they panned out over the years. The photos and other images added much to the story. Fascinating reading.
Quickly the scene changes to the fighting between Grant and Lee. Parts of it are hard to read; the authors explain the suffering in gripping detail. Throughout this book, I have the feeling that I am there. The characterizations of the participants are very clear. The authors keep the chapters short, which has the effect of seeming to move the action at a rapid pace.
This is not your father's high school American history. As someone who has read a great deal about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, I was surprised that the story could be told so succinctly (~325 pages) This book also includes two minor facts that are rarely included. First, Wilmer McLean was involved in both the beginning and end of the American Civil War. At the first Battle of Bull Run, a cannonball landed in his fireplace. He and his family decided to move to a place away from the fighting. At the end of the war, Wilmer McLean's out-of-the-way Virginia house just happens to be used as the meeting place of Grant and Lee, to hammer out the surrender of Lee's forces.
Second, Lincoln was effectively mummified because as his body traveled across the US (during the train trip after his death), he was repeatedly embalmed as he crossed into different states (where the rules for embalming were different). Over the next 150 years, Lincoln's casket would be opened six times and his remains would be moved from location to another 17 times. I remember reading one report by a man who had seen Lincoln's body (he was a child at the time; I believe he accompanied his father, a doctor), who reported that Lincoln's body was the same as when he had died. There had been virtually no decomposition, due to so much embalming.
I'm glad that the authors included the conspiracy theories and generally how they panned out over the years. The photos and other images added much to the story. Fascinating reading.
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 1228 more book reviews
I thought this was a very compelling narrative of the events leading up to Lincoln's assassination as well as the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. The book starts with the final days of the Civil War and the battles leading to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. This includes the role of George Armstrong Custer who I didn't realize was involved in those final battles. Then the story delves into John Wilkes Booth and his eventual plan to kill the President. I was unaware that Booth and many others were originally plotting to kidnap Lincoln up until the war ended which then led Booth to the assassination. As part of the plot, the conspirators also planned on killing Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward at the same time. Seward was actually viciously attacked in his home while recovering from a bad accident but the person who was supposed to kill Johnson backed out. There were also implications in the book that Secretary of War Stanton may have been involved in the plot. The assassination itself is also described in detail including the play the Lincolns went to see at Ford's Theater and the actors taking part. Ulysses S. Grant was originally going to attend with the Lincolns but backed out when his wife insisted on leaving the city. The hunt for Booth was also very compelling reading and the eventual fate of the conspirators included the hanging of the only female ever executed by the Federal Government, Mary Surratt, who really wasn't directly involved in the conspiracy.
Overall, I learned a lot from this one. I really didn't know the extent of the conspiracy to kill Lincoln and this book really shed a light on the whole story. While it was not as detailed as it could have been, it was a very educational experience. I'm not sure how much of this Bill O'Reilly actually wrote...I know his co-author Martin Dugard has written several other historical works so I tend to think he was the guiding hand in the book. In any case, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone wanting a good background on the assassination.
Overall, I learned a lot from this one. I really didn't know the extent of the conspiracy to kill Lincoln and this book really shed a light on the whole story. While it was not as detailed as it could have been, it was a very educational experience. I'm not sure how much of this Bill O'Reilly actually wrote...I know his co-author Martin Dugard has written several other historical works so I tend to think he was the guiding hand in the book. In any case, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone wanting a good background on the assassination.
Shri H. (litekepr) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 10 more book reviews
Review
As a history major, I wish my required reading had been as well written as this truly vivid and emotionally engaging account of Lincoln's assassination. And as a former combat infantry officer, I found myself running for cover at the Civil War battle scenes. This is the story of an American tragedy that changed the course of history. If you think you know this story, you don't until youve read Killing Lincoln. Add historian to Bill OReillys already impressive résumé.--Nelson DeMille, author of The Lion and The Gold Coast
Killing Lincoln is must read historical thriller. Bill O'Reilly recounts the dramatic events of the spring of 1865 with such exhilarating immediacy that you will feel like you are walking the streets of Washington, DC, on the night that John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln. This is a hugely entertaining, heart-stopping read.--Vince Flynn, author of American Assassin
Product Description
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 anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American historyhow 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 Boothcharismatic ladies' man and impenitent racistmurders 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 executionsincluding 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 thriller.
As a history major, I wish my required reading had been as well written as this truly vivid and emotionally engaging account of Lincoln's assassination. And as a former combat infantry officer, I found myself running for cover at the Civil War battle scenes. This is the story of an American tragedy that changed the course of history. If you think you know this story, you don't until youve read Killing Lincoln. Add historian to Bill OReillys already impressive résumé.--Nelson DeMille, author of The Lion and The Gold Coast
Killing Lincoln is must read historical thriller. Bill O'Reilly recounts the dramatic events of the spring of 1865 with such exhilarating immediacy that you will feel like you are walking the streets of Washington, DC, on the night that John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln. This is a hugely entertaining, heart-stopping read.--Vince Flynn, author of American Assassin
Product Description
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 anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American historyhow 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 Boothcharismatic ladies' man and impenitent racistmurders 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 executionsincluding 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 thriller.
Virginia W. (geepers13) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 47 more book reviews
Well researched with lots of details. Easy to read with a writing style. That flows.
John O. (johnnyo24) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 11 more book reviews
This book is a compelling look from many perspectives of Lincolns assassinatio. It puts you in the story which is always good for a book. I would recommend this book if you like history. The excerpts in the back from the original newspapers of the day are also fascinating.
Cathy I. (cathyi) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 36 more book reviews
pure history.. but reads like a novel...very engrossing
Tammy H. (stardust1) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 44 more book reviews
I really love this book. It goes into details that you normally do not here. It is a fun read.
Rita P. (RDP) reviewed Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever on + 36 more book reviews
Enjoying this take on History.
Excellant book, thank you
