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376 reviews for:
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever
Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
3.85 AVERAGE
376 reviews for:
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever
Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
3.85 AVERAGE
My dad loaned me this book while I was visiting them. I am fascinated by anything Lincoln and couldn't believe the amount of detail it contained. It was history, yes, but written so well that it read, for me, like a story. Finished in a couple nights. I will definitely be looking for his next book about JFK's assassination.
I have always liked Abraham Lincoln, and have been intrigued by the story surrounding his assassination. I found this book to be fascinating, and could hardly put it down! My only complaint is with the format of the ebook. I do not think this can be helped as my problem was with some of the documents and pictures being too small. Otherwise I think this book should be a must-read.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75, rounded up to 4 stars. Enjoyed the telling, learned several things, and stayed interested in the audiobook version (O'Reilly himself). Overall, great read. Would like to paw through a few of the other "Killing" series and see if they have the same feel.
Bill O'Reilly's voice does not lend itself to reading, in my opinion! I listened to him read his book on CD and had to get used to his cadence. He wrote an account of Lincoln's assassination as a murder mystery and built excitement to the climax of the shooting. He recounts a conspiracy of 5 men to take out the top government officials because they were so angry over the outcome of the civil war. John Wilkes Booth was the ring-leader. He was an adamant segregationist who believed that African Americans were like animals and should be treated as such. He also was an actor who did not receive the acclaim that his brother and father received. He wanted to do something that would bring him notoriety. When attempts to kidnap Lincoln and deliver him to the Confederate army failed, the plot turned to assassination. There are criticisms that some of the things presented as fact do not have evidence to back them up. Even though I consider Bill O'Reilly a blowhard, I think his book was well-written and interesting!
There is so much information in this work. I thought that both the authors have made history anything but boring. Not only do they tell the details involving the conspiracy but also other events going on around this time, especially the final days of the war between the states. I was not aware of a good deal of the conspirators or the mood of the people during this time. I have enjoyed all the books in this series and look forward to more in the coming years.
This is one of those books that is strangely both in and out of my comfort zone. It's in because I do have an interest in the Civil War and I think, honestly, that Lincoln may have been the last good president the US had. It's outside my realm of comfort because I am never really sure about Bill O'Reilly. He says some things I like but then will turn around and spin something on the "No Spin Zone," which makes me roll my eyes.
Either way, I am glad to have read this. Perhaps I should blame public school education but I only remember the bullet points of US/World history. Here it is: 1861, slavery is bad, Fort Sumter, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Four score and seven years ago, Appomattox courthouse, 1865, Lincoln shot at Ford's theater by crazed lone gunman.
Actually, I remember a lot more than that but you get the idea. It's wrong. I didn't know how deep or complex the level of intrigue was or about the multiple targets. Booth was not a crazed lone gunman but someone who had conceived a plan to decapitate the US government. It came dangerously close to succeeding. The book really does a good job of tracing the final days of both the Civil War and Lincoln himself. It made me, at the very least, want to research it more.
Either way, I am glad to have read this. Perhaps I should blame public school education but I only remember the bullet points of US/World history. Here it is: 1861, slavery is bad, Fort Sumter, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Four score and seven years ago, Appomattox courthouse, 1865, Lincoln shot at Ford's theater by crazed lone gunman.
Actually, I remember a lot more than that but you get the idea. It's wrong. I didn't know how deep or complex the level of intrigue was or about the multiple targets. Booth was not a crazed lone gunman but someone who had conceived a plan to decapitate the US government. It came dangerously close to succeeding. The book really does a good job of tracing the final days of both the Civil War and Lincoln himself. It made me, at the very least, want to research it more.
I loved this book far more than I expected too. I think O'Reilly is a conceited ass, but once I got past the sound of his voice (I listed to an audio version), I was completely taken in. While most of us know the basics -- Lincoln, 16th president, Civil War, ended slavery, assassinated -- this books brings the history to life. The details, the people and their personalities...an amazing story. It was almost like reading historical fiction thriller, except the story is true. I can honestly say that I mourned our nation's loss of this great and visionary leader at such a pivotal moment in our country's history.
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
I enjoyed this book and learned things about President Lincoln's assassination that I didn't know or had forgotten about. It also covers the last battle of the Civil War and Robert E. Lee surrendering, which I thought was very interesting. It reminded me what a terrible thing it was for our nation to be so divided, at war with each other, killing each other. I don't think the authors intended this book to be a scholarly work or to be great literature, but, as O'Reilly stated in the preface, they wanted it to read as a 'thriller', and it does. It is a page-turner. I would probably have given it 4 stars but I really didn't care for the frequent times the authors wrote what someone was feeling or thinking, surmising, but writing it more as fact. That gave the book a fictional, less credible feel. Also, there were things I was really curious about and would like to have known where they got their information, but there were no footnotes or sources. I wish they would have included that.