19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent but not a biography, March 26, 2003
This review is from: The Real Lincoln (Hardcover)
(originally written when I was in the 8th grade: excuse the poor writing please!)
Those who believe all the trash taught in public schools about Lincoln being a great man must read this book. It uncovers all the trash swept under the rug and reveals his hideous legacy. Everyone needs to know their history, and this book must be read to understand Lincoln and how he was responsible for killing 25% of the South in a completely unnecessary and brutal war.
However, this book is not a biography. It presents one side to a very complex man. I hate Lincoln, but I have no problem quoting him sometimes. He is very insightful as far as human nature is concerned and was personally a man of some weird brand of integrity. At the very least, he could have been well-intentioned.
But that isn't Minor's point. He knows it isn't a biography. That isn't his agenda. His agenda is to expose all the lies we have always been told.
This book buys its own veracity by only using first-hand source--and weirdly enough, all Yankee sources. We can thus rest assured that the information is not exactly biased, thus warranting critical alarm!
If you buy this book to learn about Lincoln, buy another Lincoln book as well. This book only presents his bad side (and it is really bad), but doesn't present the whole man.
Highly recommended reading.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Lincoln, behind the myth, June 25, 2003
This review is from: The Real Lincoln (Hardcover)
This Book is written by a soldier who fought in the Civil War, had a college education, and was a minister.
One will find out more than he may or may not wish to know, concerning Lincoln.
Charles Minor removes the "myth of Lincoln" a layer at a time.
If you're a Southerner, Lincoln biographer, or the average American just wanting to see who the REAL LINCOLN really was, this is an excellent book. ( If you're a defender of Southern Heritage, you NEED this book)
There are several publishing dates on this book. ( 1904,1927,1928, and more current)
NOTE---PRIMARY SOURCES
This book was written over a century ago. If you check the quotation such as ones from Shermans Memoirs, they are accurate, but he uses the OLD TWO VOLUME set, so the page numbers will not be the same as the new single volume.
Quotes from the O.R. ( Official Records)
Again, this was written over a century ago.
The FIRST set of the O.R. that came out, is NOT the ones we have today. The FIRST set of the O.R. were so confusing, few people had the time to research them. They also were very unorganized.
Charles Minor quotes from the first set. ( as a matter of fact, Minor says, "the O.R. is now over 100 volumes") What he quotes IS in the O.R. you may have to cross-reference it with the current O.R. though.
When reading Civil War books, I always check the authors primary sources, if I am in doubt.
Charles Minor used solid references. This is a nice addition to our Lincoln/Civil War/Presidents/ or American History Library
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Lincoln, May 11, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Real Lincoln (Hardcover)
This is a very insightful book. I enjoyed it greatly. It gives a very different and truthful look at a very famous Lincoln. I would recommend this book to any history buff.
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