Customer Reviews

The perfect tribute

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"A Perfect Tribute" has no doubt fallen by the wayside among children's books, but should certainly be reevaluated for its historical and artistic merit. It is a fictionalized account from the perspective of Abraham Lincoln of the deliverance of the Gettysburg Address, and the events which followed. The author is clearly a Lincoln enthusiast, as most people were in the early 1900's (and still are today), but beyond Andrews' glorifying portrait of the nation's best beloved President, the touching story incorporates our favorite memories of Lincoln and his personal qualities, as well. The story of Lincoln attending the deathbed of a veteran of the battle of Gettysburg stirs the heart, and correctly portrays Lincoln to young readers: a man who loved peace and Union above punishing the rebel states. More books have been written about Lincoln than about any other American, but "The Perfect Tribute" stands out among them, as an excellent representative of the country's continued adoration of Lincoln.

I did not know, until today, that this was the book on which the television movie I'd seen was based.
That movie and the actor's delivery of the Gettysburg Address moved me to the marrow of my bones.
I'd never heard/read the whole address before, but have since, and no one, no one has done a better job of it.

It's a very moving story, exemplifying the whole point of the address. This story was written in the early 1900's, and we know how much better a job of it writers did back then.