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Killing Lincoln Book Review
“Killing Lincoln” by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard is an informative and detailed account, which contains the events of Lincoln’s life and describes his death. It helps to get to know more information about the Civil War, political atmosphere of that era, and, of course, about Abraham Lincoln. In addition, the book shows many other details that have been unknown to most people. In other words, it depicts how the murder really happened.
The author portrays John Wilkes Booth as a fatally inconsistent character. With his right way of thinking, Booth could have everything he wanted. He is an attractive and popular actor. John has a beloved fiancée. O'Reilly's depicts Wilkes Booth, showing that the life of the man can be better in post-war America. Hence, Wilkes, a Southern adherent, hates Abraham Lincoln. John is a racist; he is sure that Abraham Lincoln is a despot. Therefore, Booth with the help of some people launches a scheme that will bring down the president. Booth believes that murder of the president is just a war act, but not a terrible murder; therefore, it is justified. The book Killing Lincoln describes a lot of events that are away from the murder plot and individuals of Abraham and John. The author writes a lot about the Northern Virginia Army that attempts to escape from Petersburg. O'Reilly claims that if Lee and his army fled to North Carolina, they would be able to continue a revolutionary confrontation in the mountains. Later, he depicts in detail how Lee and his army try to escape, their hopeless situation of tiredness and hunger.
The book is a good reading, which helps to get to know some interesting information concerning Lincoln’s life. Moreover, it represents General Grant as Lincoln’s close friend. Moreover, he was with Abraham at the Ford’s Theatre in the night of murder. Killing Lincoln also helps readers understand that the end of the Civil War was not exact at that point in the battle. Killing Lincoln depicts cruel plans of John Booth about the murder and escape in detail. However, the author shows John as lurid and charming.
Hence, readers can also see that Booth does not have sympathy to others. The author introduces readers to some other characters who they may not know. They play significant roles in Booth’s plans and help him escape. The book shows readers that the story of Lincoln’s murder is much more serious than the history tells. Reading Killing Lincoln, one can get to know that John Booth and his accomplices planned to murder not only the President, but also the Vice President and the Secretary of State. Moreover, it was planned to be done the same night.
The author evaluates the character’s strong points and depicts his faults and weaknesses. Killing Lincoln is neither an excuse nor a criticism. I like the book, because the author leaves readers the right to percept the events of the book in their own way. He does not make conclusions. To sum up, Killing Lincoln is an interesting and enjoyable review of the particular point in the history of the United States. Of course, it is worth reading. It helped me get to know a lot of historical details that I did not know before. I strongly recommend this book for future class because it is educational and concerns history. Moreover, it is perfectly written. In my opinion, everybody should be aware of the history of his country.
