Joe's Bookshelf #1

One of the things people visiting my office for the first time often say is something along the lines of "Wow! Have you actually read all those books?" My standard answer is "Yes, almost all of them, though some of them are reference books so they aren't the sort one reads cover to cover." Most people are duly impressed, though I'm not sure why, since I think my love of books is sometimes an indication I need to get out more. Ah well...

At any rate, I thought some people might enjoy an occasional feature in which I offer my highly enlightened opinion (note the humility!) on what I'm reading of late. Though this forum is a long way from the Oprah book club, perhaps it will encourage or challenge someone.

The first book from Joe's bookshelf is Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, by James L. Swanson. My first impression is that I had no idea so many people were involved in the conspiracy to shoot the president, or that one of Booth's co-conspirators made a near-successful attempt on Secretary of State William Seward's life on the same night as Lincoln was shot or that all that prevented Vice President Johnson's assassination was another co-conspirator's cowardice. Blame my public school education, I guess, but the myth of Booth as a crazy lone gunman had endured in my consciousness until now. It was also fascinating to read of the loyal Southerners who helped Booth escape the pursuing hordes of the largest manhunt in American history for 12 days. In our day, some 143 years later, Abraham Lincoln is America's president. But that was a far from universal feeling in April 1865. Those who agreed with the assassin's cry of "Sic semper tyrannis!" as he leapt from the President's box that fateful night far outnumbered those who did not, at least in the South. Given that fact, if Booth had not broken his leg on his theatrical leap down to the stage, he would have been able to get to the Deep South, where he probably would have made a permanent escape, living out his days as a Confederate folk hero. That possibility tantalizes throughout the book, even though the outcome of the chase is already known. It's a gripping story, well told at a fast pace in a narrative style which keeps the focus on the chase even while it informs with rich historical details. Would that all history books on my shelf were so entertaining...