Overview from Barnes and Noble:
When Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died from an ailment called the "milk sickness." Only later did he learn that his mother's deadly affliction was actually the work of a local vampire, seeking to collect on Abe's father's unfortunate debts .
When the truth became known to the young Abraham Lincoln, he wrote in his journal: henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become learned in all things—a master ofmind and body . And this mastery shall have but one purpose."
While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for reuniting the North with the South and abolishing slavery from our country, no one has ever understood his valiant fight for what it really was. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.
Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War, and uncovering the massive role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.
When the truth became known to the young Abraham Lincoln, he wrote in his journal: henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become learned in all things—a master of
While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for reuniting the North with the South and abolishing slavery from our country, no one has ever understood his valiant fight for what it really was. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.
Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War, and uncovering the massive role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.
My thoughts:
I loved this book! I wasn't sure going into it if I would enjoy it or not, but I really did. I love how the author took real facts and then told Lincoln's life story with a twist. I am hoping that the non-vampire facts were true, I don't know all the dates and people who were a part of his life, but I have to say this might be a way to get reluctant readers or students who are having trouble memorizing dates and names to learn them in an innovative way!
At the start we meet the reluctant biographer and find out how he came to have journals and records about Abraham Lincoln. Who gave them to him and for what purpose he was allowed to read and review these items. From there we get the story of Abe's life and how vampires made their mark on both his life personally and on the country as a whole. How slavery was perpetuated as a way to keep an easy food supply for vampires and how embedded they were in all forms of government and politics.
Abe comes to life as a hunter. Some real details such as how be became a lawyer, got involved in politics, married and had children are there to hold the new construct together so the vampire element can be added in. After finishing the book I commented to my husband that we should rent the movie. I'd like to see how they developed it all for the screen. Movies never really seem to live up to my expectations, but I plan to rent it anyway.
I enjoyed the audio for this book. Sometimes the reader that is chosen doesn't complement the story, but this time I think they really got it right! I am still struggling through a different audio book because I don't enjoy the woman who is providing the narration, but that was not the case this time at all!
Product Details
- ISBN-13: 9781455510177
- Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
- Publication date: 4/3/2012
- Edition description: Media Tie-In Edition
- Pages: 384
I really enjoyed this book as well, but didn't see the movie because I was certain there was no way it could be as good as the book!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked the book. And the movie is good fun too - while not a candidate for Best Film it's pretty entertaining. I might be prejudiced though, my husband spent a few months working on the movie. As an A.D. he worked with the Civil War re-enactors to engage in some amazing battles with vampires!
ReplyDeleteI never wanted to see the movie, and I'm still on the fence on the book. I'll have to think on it more.
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