Customer Reviews

Jewel of Liberty, The

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Okay, I have to admit that I went to high school with David Long, so I may be a bit biased. However, as a dedicated fiction reader who ventures into history, I must say that I learned a lot about not only the election, but Lincoln himself. David is an unadulterated Lincoln fan, and the book is written from a mid-western point of view, which I found refreshing, since we normally hear the Southern or the Yankee version of the war. The basic premise that Lincoln showed incredible courage in even holding the election in a time of crisis was most interesting, but the sections on the racial diatribes of Lincoln's opponents after the Emancipation Proclamation are fascinating. Well worth the read for even the modest history buff. This book is almost too well documented which is hardly a sin, and he rarely veers into personal opinion and speculation, and certainly never wildly. Definitely worth the time.

Those readers who hate unsupported assertions and enjoy copious citations--and I am one--will love this work.