Reading Through History: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (1987)

Lincoln: A Photobiography tells the life story of President Abraham Lincoln from his childhood in Illinois until his assassination in Ford's Theater. The text is accompanied by photographs which provide context and insight into various aspects of Lincoln's life, including his career as the owner of a general store, his early days as a prairie lawyer, his inauguration day at the unfinished U.S. Capitol, his role in the Civil War, and his funeral procession. This book won the Newbery Medal in 1988.

I listened to this book on audio, but also followed along with my physical copy so as to fully appreciate the photographs. Though the photos might seem to be the main attraction in a book which calls itself a "photobiography" I was pleased to note that the text is equally as distinctive as the many fascinating images Freedman includes in his book. Lincoln really comes to life in these pages, and the reader comes to know him not just as the stoic face on the five dollar bill, but as a flesh-and-blood man with flaws and fears, interests and ideals, loves and losses just like anyone else. This book sympathizes with Lincoln in a way that makes it easier to understand the decisions he made at various points in his presidency and to appreciate the ways being the president of the United States was a real challenge for him.

My favorite passage in the book, unsurprisingly, describes Lincoln's reading life during his years as a farmer:

There are many stories about Lincoln's efforts to find enough books to satisfy him in that backwoods country. Those he liked he read again and again, losing himself in the adventures of Robinson Crusoe or the magical tales of The Arabian Nights. He was thrilled by a biography of George Washington, with its stirring account of the Revolutionary War. And he came to love the rhyme and rhythm of poetry, reciting passages from Shakespeare or the Scottish poet Robert Burns at the drop of a hat. He would carry a book out to the field with him, so he could read at the end of each plow furrow, while the horse was getting its breath. When noon came, he would sit under a tree and read while he ate.

Somehow this image of Lincoln pausing at the end of his plowing to read a favorite book makes him feel like a kindred spirit across the generations. It's hard not to feel a connection to a fellow reader, no matter his time period.

This is an excellent book for introducing young readers to Abraham Lincoln as a real person, not just a a name and date in a history book. Though it might be a bit much for my first grader, I imagine it will be just right by the time we hit American history in third or fourth grade. I'm also really interested in reading some more books by Russell Freedman; his writing really resonates with me, and I'm eager to learn more about the other historical figures he wrote about.