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My Thoughts Be Bloody

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"My Thoughts Be Bloody", whose title is taken from a line in Shakespeare's "Hamlet", is an absolutely fascinating examination of the lives of an American acting dynasty. The Booths - father, three sons, son- and daughter-in-law - comprised the most influential, yet notorious, family of thespians in 19th century America. Nora Titone has mined hundreds of sources to chronicle the multiple rises and falls of this historic clan in surprising detail. It reads in part like one of the classic tragedies for which the Booth men were famous, and in part like one of the overdrawn melodramas of the age. In an America still small enough that nearly all citizens of note circulated within a relatively small universe, Edwin and John Wilkes Booth contested each other for favor, wealth and social standing. The interrelationships between the players on this stage are entirely engrossing. And as John's fortunes falter while Edwin's star rises, Titone leads us step-by-step to the well-known climax - and the less-familiar final curtain.

I've read a lot of books about the Booths, and I have to say, this is one of the best. I love this book. Hats off to Nora Titone; she has really done her work. Nora has masterfully researched and unearthed clues about the complex inner workings and circumstances that led two brothers along opposite paths during the time of America's greatest upheaval. One brother, whose allegiance was with the north, a supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and became the foremost actor of his time; the other whose allegiance was with the south to the point of obsession, struggled as an actor and assassinated the President, branding the Booth name forever in infamy.

In My Thoughts Be Bloody, the fascinating cast of characters who helped shape Edwin and John Wilkes' drives and ambitions are thoughtfully explored, beginning with their turbulent tragedian father, Junius Brutus Booth. This is the story of a family in turmoil, and it reads like a novel. Why did the two brothers compete with each other to the point of becoming bitter rivals leading to disaster? I believe this book persuasively answers that question and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Booths, the Civil War, American history, or just a great story.

The Lincoln bicentennial generated literally hundreds of new books, and, in the end, very few genuine surprises. The surprise here is that the relationship of the two famous Booth brothers is such an obvious subject, yet we knew so little about it. Think of this: A third-rate actor who is the brother of possibly the world's most famous actor stages an episode literally out of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." How did this come about? It turns out that their father, too, was a famous actor, but his messy family life on two continents was guaranteed to promote insecurity on top of sibling rivalry. Nora Titone makes great progress with her subject, and I highly recommend this book, but, in the end, questions of motivation can only be somewhat speculative.

The author, Nora Titone, grabbed me from the very first paragraph, in which she describes how Grover Cleveland, President of the United States, battles a blizzard to give a speech at a gala feast that would be attended by Mark Twain and hundreds of the leading figures of 1892. The honoree of the night would be an actor named Booth, an actor with strong ties to President Lincoln, probably the best-known actor of his day. No, not John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Lincoln, but rather, his brother, Edwin Booth.

Thus begins a mesmerizing account of the growth--and near death by civil war--of a young nation told through the lives of two men who participated in, either directly or indirectly, nearly every important event of the times. From the Gold Rush to the hanging of John Brown to the New York draft riots--and of course the Civil War and the assassination of Lincoln--Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth had front row seats. These nation-changing events are described by the author like the sharp jewels they were, terrifyingly dangerous crucibles in which men were either made or lost forever. With diamond-like clarity, Titone presents a stupendous amount of scholarly research in such an accessible and vivid way that even a reader such as myself, most definitely NOT a civil war history buff, becomes completely engrossed in the world being described.

Yet even more than describing a historical moment, the book is an extremely detailed look at the people who lived in that moment, and reads nearly like a novel. Through original letters written not only by the two brothers, but also by their family members and intimate associates, Titone reconstructs the thoughts, motivations and personal rivalries that drove Edwin and John Wilkes to become the men they grew up to be: Edwin, a colossally famous and wealthy Shakespearean actor; his brother John Wilkes, an itinerant actor always in his older brother's shadow and an infamous presidential murderer. Ironically, today every American grade schooler knows the name of the assassin, but the name of the man who was so famous in his day that he was recognized in the street by strangers has been completely forgotten.

I cannot put it any better than does Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of "Team of Rivals," in the forward she wrote for "My Thoughts Be Bloody": "This book forces us to look at the familiar story of Lincoln's assassination in a new way--through the lens of [Booth's] tangled family history." Without a doubt, one of the best books I have read in a very long time, and one that should be on every must-read list this holiday season.

Nora Titone has written a wonderfully readable biography of a family, and of one, mad, act. The "family", is the Booth family and the "act", of course, was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth.

British actor Junius Brutus Booth fled London with his common-law wife, Mary Ann Holmes in the early 1830's for the United States, where his fame preceded him. He took to the life of the itinerant actor, all up and down the eastern seaboard, presenting the Shakespeare villains to theatre audiences who appreciated his acting. While Junius was on the road, Mary Ann was home, birthing and raising ten children in relative poverty. Of the four sons who reached adulthood, three were actors. Two, Junius Jr and John Wilkes were middling at best and were never overly successful, while son Edwin became the foremost actor and producer of his generation. Junius Sr died early, leaving Edwin, who had long accompanied his father on the road as an aide (mainly to try to keep him sober enough to take the stage) to claim the Booth mantle. And seize it he did, a true acting talent.

As with any family, fissures appear as personalities begin to show themselves. Having received the lion share of the acting talent, Edwin was not above belittling his brothers while supporting the family monetarily. For oldest brother "June", his mediocrity didn't seem to bother him; he made a living and a life for himself. However, younger brother John Wilkes had inherited his father's looks without inheriting his talent, and he was on the edges of the acting profession. He resented Edwin his success, without knowing or acknowledging the long years of preparation Edwin had put in while his father's understudy. Currents of bad will floated among family members in the 1850's and 1860's, culminating in John Wilkes' assassination. He had long championed the Southern cause, as a direct reproach to Edwin's well-known Union sympathies.

Nora Titone presents all this - history and psychology - in a beautifully written book. It's a long book, but compulsively readable. By including many other notables of the time, Laura Keene, Julia Ward Howe and her husband Samuel, and John Brown are a few, Titone has written a story of both a time in history as well as the biography of a family. Excellent.

Happy, well-adjusted people seldom become assassins, it would seem. In "My Thoughts Be Bloody" Nora Titone explores the contentious relationship between John Wilkes Booth and his elder brother Edwin as being the foundation for John Wilkes Booth's murder of Abraham Lincoln. Today, we have largely forgotten about Edwin Booth, but in the mid- and late-19th century, Edwin was widely touted as the greatest actor of the era, adored by the public and accepted into socially elite circles. His younger brother John Wilkes, Titone believes, was consumed with jealousy felt completely in the shadow of his older brother's success. Whereas Edwin had vast natural talent, enhanced by deep training and careful labor, John Wilkes relied upon his physical presence and manic energy on stage to bring him acclaim. Although many a female audience member swooned, drama critics in general were less kind to the younger brother.

This is not another book about the Lincoln Assassination; the assassination is covered only briefly, with few details. Rather, the focus is upon the relationship between the two brothers and John Wilkes Booth's background before the assassination. As such, "My Thoughts Be Bloody" is more of a complement to Michael Kauffman's "American Brutus" which intensely examines Booth's role in the assassination with only a barebones examination of his personal history.

Many of Titone's conclusions of necessity must be inferential, because John Wilkes Booth never set down in writing that he wished to kidnap or kill Lincoln to overshadow his elder brother, but the author does present a persuasive portrait of how he became ripe for the conspiracy.

This book is a page turner. Ms. Titone's ability to bring history to life is thoroughly engaging and I would say, entertaining. The book also illustrates how our cultural mores have changed; one example, that of being "born out of wedlock." In Booth's time to be born out of wedlock was scandalous, bestowing huge social stigma and disinheritance on the child. Polygamy, alcoholism, treachery, greed, cut-throat sibling rivalry...it's all here. If you are looking for an amazing read, this is it.

I found this book fascinating.It presents many new insights and paints a vivid picture of America, and it's theater, in the mid - nineteenth century. My past reading about the Booth family led me to think that Edwin and John Wilkes were peers. I was surprised, and intrigued , to learn about the great disparity in their lives, and the extent to which their difficult relationship influenced John Wilkes Booth in the final years of his life.

Others who have enjoyed the book may be captivated, as I was , to hear a voice recording of Edwin Booth reading a speech from Othello. It is readily available on the internet, and it seems incredible to hear the voice of one of this fine book's protagonists nearly 120 years after his death

I have read quite a bit about brothers Edwin and John Wilkes Booth. However, Nora Titone's My Thoughts Be Bloody: The Bitter Rivalry Between Edwin and John Wilkes Booth That Led to an American Tragedy is the most well written and comprehensive book yet to be written about the actor-brothers.

Any book about Edwin and John Wilkes Booth must begin with their father. Junius Brutus Booth was one of the best Shakespearian actors in Britain, and his life had more high-drama than any play in which he starred. In 1821, he left behind a wife and young son to travel to America with his pregnant mistress. He settled down on a farm in Maryland, where he and mistress, Mary Ann Holmes, produced ten children. Junius took to drink, which made him erratic and undependable when touring. With so many children to care for, Mary Ann sent 12-year-old Edwin to serve as caretaker for his father. At the same time, Edwin learned his father's craft from the master. By the time Edwin was 17, he replaced his father playing Richard III and the torch was passed.

Meanwhile, while Edwin was on the road, John Wilkes remained at home where he was pampered and spoiled by his mother. As a teenager, John Wilkes made the decision to become an actor. Although he had no formal training, he had rugged good looks. Edwin was well established as an actor by this time, so he set the ground rules for his younger brother. "Edwin split the map of the United States in two, practically along the Mason-Dixon Line as it turned out, though his intentions had everything to do with business and not politics. Each brother, Edwin said, would claim one region in which to practice his profession, with the understanding that neither would cross into the other's territory. This plan, which would shape the course of John Wilkes's future and sow lasting seeds of conflict in the Booth family, had worked before." Contrary to popular belief, John Wilkes was not a talented actor and many of his reviews are scathing. "Aside from good looks and an athletic ability, he had little to recommend him to audiences. It was evident this Booth had never been trained to breathe, to project his voice, or to speak in a way that conveyed emotion. Shakespeare was a foreign language to him."

Titone takes us through the planning of Lincoln's assassination, and how this act affected both brothers. I do wish that Titone had included John Wilkes' diary entries from his time on the run, as they reflect his sense of outrage that his efforts were not praised by Southerners. The writings also show what an egomaniac he was (perhaps thanks to his doting mother). Lincoln's assassination devastated the Union-loyal Edwin and for a spell, he gave up acting. But he couldn't stay away for too long, and eventually, returned to the stage.

Edwin Booth has been called the best Shakespearian actor from the second half of the 19th Century. In addition to his acting, he also managed several theatres and founded the famous Players Club, which is still in operation at Grammercy Park in NYC. "In generations of mythmaking about Lincoln's killer, Edwin's own name and story were lost, leaving John Wilkes to stand alone on the stage of national memory, as he no doubt would have wished." Hopefully, Titone's wonderful book will help correct this.

In the hands of this remarkable author, I was transported to 19th century America. Yes, the book's about the strange and remarkable Booth family and the dangerous tension between brothers Edwin and John Wilkes. But it's also a story of popular culture, the life of the theater, social climbing and intellectual striving and the subtle as well as the bloody passions and politics behind the Civil War.

Titone carried me to that place and time and I really didn't want to put the book down. I didn't want to close the book when it ended. The story is made rich and credible by meticulous and thorough research. I highly recommend "My Thoughts Be Bloody," both for its vivid illumination of the time and for the captivating writing. It's one terrific read.