The President Is Shot!: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

by Harold Holzer

On Friday evening, April 14, 1865, less than a week after the surrender of Confederate forces, John Wilkes Booth crept into Ford's Theatre and murdered Abraham Lincoln. Though it happened nearly 150 years ago, no one has been sure why it happened. In this riveting book, Harold Holzer, one of the country's leading authorities on Lincoln, sweeps away the fog of history to answer the questions surrounding Lincoln's assassination. He shows the conditions of the time that led to the tragic event at Ford's Theatre, and why those who hated Lincoln, such as John Wilkes Booth, sought such horrifying revenge. Filled with dramatic detail and illustrated with archival photographs, this book is bound to be considered an essential work for young readers.

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[ki dorcé · Rating 5 out of 5]

y’all have no clue how much 4th grade me ate this up genuinely so interesting and informative

[sarafem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it, I am not really into history and academia and all that crap. Give me some People magazines, Tivo'd Law & Order, Perezhilton.com, a Nancy Drew book, and London Calling, and I am set for a weekend. But sometimes I want to learn about something that I consider pretty dull and boring, just to say that I know it and can attempt to converse with my peers when they are throwing around four syllable words and making arcane references just to try to outdo one another.

This would be a great example. Lincoln got shot and it sucked because he did a lot of good things, yeah yeah, I get that and it's a shame. Our world might be a lot better right now if we had had someone like him around a little longer. Blah blah blah. So anyway, every once in awhile I go to the school library and look through the history section for some really uninteresting subject. I use the kid's library, because I know if I am bored just thinking about the possibility, I really need something written for ten year olds rather than old people, so I don't have to think as much and can still follow Law & Order while I read.

Then once in awhile you find a book on a really dull subject, but the book is so well-written that it actually becomes quite fascinating. I can make all sorts of semi-intelligent Lincoln references now and no one has to know that it's because I read a kid's book. That might not seem like an inmportant skill but my goal is to read up on something boring every week, so eventually my dullosity arsenal is brimming with boringness and I will always have some sort of almost-intelligent sounding references to throw into conversations as appropriate.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance this book probably looks like a boring book or a piece of material that your History teacher may make you read, but it's nothing close to boring, and if your History teacher does make you read this book then I applaude them for their good taste in books. "The President Is Shot!" talks about the assassination of President Lincoln shortly after the Civil war. Before purchasing this book I was always curious about the assassination of Lincoln and what was going on in John Wilkes Booths's head rigth before he shot Lincoln. This book has a lot of good info about Booth and Licoln, and the story isn't bad either. If your looking for a fun and easy way out of a book report then I wouldn't recommend this book to you but if you're looking for something a little different from your normal book routine then I would definetly recommend this one to you.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The events leading up to and immediately following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln are explained in simple text and highlighted by extensive black and white illustrations in this nonfiction account of Lincoln's murder. Excerpts from primary source documents are a strength in this reworking of familiar territory, as are Holzer's detailed explanations of why the South despised Lincoln so intensely and of the inaccuracies in many accounts and illustrations of the tragedy. His failure to include sources for the numerous quotes in the text is an inexplicable, regrettable omission, but Holzer does include an extensive bibliography and index which enhance the volume's use for reference.

[Stephanie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who considers themselves a history buff, this book is a must read. Not only history buffs will enjoy this, though; anyone who is interested in the Civil War or Abraham Lincoln will also want to read this book. I found it to be very intriguing. This book answers questions about Lincoln's enemies and assassination. There are also photographs in this book that are great pieces of history.

[Rachel]

i hafta do a tx. history book review on this book but it is amazingly historical

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this at the school library to read up before we visit DC this summer. Good book with a lot of information I don't remember ever hearing about the assassination and surrounding events.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy read . Footnotes would have been helpful. Also, more details would have been appreciated in several sections.

[Alice Shen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has amazing information