From: Beth Wright <bogus_at_does.not.exist.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 1998 11:46:05 +0000

One sentence from Russell Freedman's _Lincoln: A Photobiography_ that I kept returning to reread was "The war had become an endless nightmare of bloodshed and bungling generals." In these twelve words, Freedman summarizes Lincoln's greatest regret about the Civil War -- the loss of life -- and his greatest frustration -- the ineptitude of his commanders. As well as summarizing the facts, the sentence also conveys the depth of Lincoln's personal feelings about the situation: his profound horror is expressed in the words "nightmare" and "bloodshed," his deep impatience and annoyance in the words "endless" and "bungling." It's this economy that allows Freedman to write biographies that convey so much terrific information, and at the same time paint their subjects as such very human beings, and at the same time are of a length that doesn't scare young readers away.

Beth Wright Children's Librarian Edythe Dyer Community Library Hampden, Maine
Received on Fri 03 Apr 1998 05:46:05 AM CST