Lincoln: A Photobiography

Author: Russell Freedman
Publisher: Clarion Books
Copyright: 1987
Genre: Biography
Pages: 160
Reading Level: Ages 8 to 12 (Barnes and Noble)
Summary: This is a great photobiography of Abraham Lincoln. As a boy he never had much schooling. He estimated that his total education might add up to about a year. He loved reading though, and learned to do a lot of things just by reading books about them. He eventually became a lawyer and then got into politics. He married Mary Todd despite her family’s dislike for him. They argued a lot but stayed together through the years. His mother died when he was young and his father remarried to a woman who had children of her own as well. He liked his step-family. He suffered from depression issues throughout his life but always pushed through the tough times. He took the office of the President in 1860 and in those days he was actually not too popular as a president. He struggled through the years of the Civil War and was tortured with his country be at war. He firmly believed, though, that slavery was in contradiction to the Declaration of Independence where it says that we believe all men are created equal. He created the Emancipation Proclamation to try and get the South to rejoin the Union and begin to put an end to slavery. Lincoln successfully led the country through the Civil War and watched the men return to their homes. He was assassinated shortly after the war ended when he and his wife went to the Theatre and his body guard left his post to go downstairs and watch the play. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the head. He was shot, himself. The contents of Lincoln’s pockets were put in a box and given to his granddaughter. She later donated them to be viewed by the public. This biography really shows how human Lincoln was and yet how inspirational he was.
Who would you recommend this book to? I think everyone should read this book but I would probably specifically recommend it to children who seem to be interested in history or presidents or politics.
Potential problems or conflicts: The book has a lot of information and may take children a decent amount of time to get through. Some of the material is a little rough too so make sure parents are open with their kids for discussion!
My reaction: I loved this book. Lincoln was a really interest person and I loved that this book showed that he was very human with problems and all!