Bibliography:
Freedman, Russell. 1987. Lincoln: A photobiography. New York, N.Y.: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0899193803.
Plot Summary:
This award winning biography covers the life of one of the most important figures in American history with high-resolution mid-19th century photography and reprints of handwritten documents composed by Lincoln. The life of the sixteenth president is covered from his humble youth in a one room log cabin to his travels across the Midwest as a tireless lawyer, and finally to the years he spent changing the course of American history in Washington D.C.
Critical Analysis:
Freedman’s treatment of the subject takes readers from merely learning rote facts about a historical figure to gaining a full sense of what the man behind the legend was really like. Lincoln’s persona and physical characteristics are brought alive in this biography, and that’s before one even glances at the intriguing photographs. Anyone with an appreciation for photography will understand the complexity of the pictures presented in the text, and as described within Lincoln’s story, readers will realize that Lincoln himself had a slight fascination with his own portraits.
Some readers will probably be surprised to learn some of the details about Lincoln, such as the fact that he was not always regarded as such a fine president, and was only glorified after his death. Another interesting observation about the time period is how Lincoln, as well as many other prominent figures of the time, earned so many nicknames.
Freedman also includes at the end of the book a section called the Lincoln Sampler, which includes quotes from the president, a listing of places that Lincoln fans could visit, and a bibliography of other books about Lincoln.
Awards:
Newbery Award Winner – 1988
Jefferson Cup Award
Golden Kite Honor Book Award
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal: “Well-organized and well-written, this is an outstanding example of what (juvenile) biography can be. Like Lincoln himself, it stands head and shoulders above its competition.” – Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist, Editor’s Choice: “A realistic, perceptive, and unromanticized photobiography of Lincoln, including a sampler of quotations from his writings and speeches.” – Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Connections:
- Consult Freedman’s bibliography at the end of his book to find more interesting biographies and reference books about Lincoln.
- If possible, visit one of the sites listed at the end of book, and perhaps take a class field trip to experience the retracing of Lincoln’s steps.
- Have students rewrite the Gettysburg address using more colloquial language (rather than the old-fashioned formal language of which it was delivered). This might provide a better insight into the meaning of the speech if the language was more “current”.
