Customer Reviews

Abraham Lincoln's World, Expanded Edition

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This book is not about Abraham Lincoln alone, but about the world in which he lived. If you want a biography of Lincoln, this is not the book. BUT if you want to know what was happening in the world that shaped the events that affected his life(and others), this is the book.

I loved this book and the other Genevieve Foster books (Augustus Caesar's World, George Washington's World) when I was a kid. Foster writes about what was happening all over the world when the main character was alive. The stories are so vivid that I still remember most of them: Benito Juarez growing up in Mexico, a Chinese boy studying for exams while his friend gets hooked on opium . . . Most history is too vertical to let you see connections; this is very horizontal. I developed a lifelong love of history.

This is great story telling and a fun way to learn history. The World of Abraham Lincoln is not just about Abraham Lincoln, but the world in which he lived from birth to death. It covers from Lincoln's boyhood days in which Napoleon and Queen Victoria are discussed along with other major global figures. Throughout the book we are taken to various parts of the world to learn about impacting events and persons that shape history. From 1800 to 1865 is covered. The events of the USA are discussed: events like the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Alamo, the Missouri Comprimise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and much more. One learns about the first Reich of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm. The life of Abraham Lincoln is interwoven throughout these history time slices. These books are not just for kids, but for adults to learn history as well.

As a homeschool mom I found Abraham Lincoln's World and George Washington's World so well written that is doesn't seem like a school book at all. The authors keep the reader engaged as though you are reading a story. It is not a biography of Lincoln but a time line of history during Lincoln's life. It puts historical events in perspective with each other so that a middle school child can understand how events effect each other and how countries and history are entwined. I did find, though that note taking in this book was difficult for my child, we became more creative and decided to write each name that was mentioned in the book as we came to it and made a list of events for each name, this worked great. This book is by no means a boring reference book, it is interesting and fun to read. I highly recommend it.

What a unique book! Genevieve Foster shares with the reader a worldwide history lesson from the time of Lincoln' birth in 1809 to his tragic death in 1865. This is truly a masterful display of "horizontal history". I believe this expanded look at history is not only refreshing but puts contemporary lives and events in perspective. A true classic first published in 1944!