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"Killing Lincoln" Review

Updated on March 1, 2018

If you like history, I think you will enjoy this book

"Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

I have read several books about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln but none compared to "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. You may not be a fan of Bill O'Reilly and may not agree with him politically but I hope that will not prevent you from reading this great book. Bill O'Reilly does a magnificent job of telling the story of the weeks before the assassination and the weeks following.

From the first pages, the reader is drawn into the time and place and you become a spectator watching the events unfold. The one thing that made this book stand out from the other accounts that I have read is that Bill O'Reilly brings in so many of the small but important details that really bring this story to life. I realize there have been some critics who are making claims that this book is not factually true. Bill O'Reilly is a historian and I believe that he and Martin Dugard did much research before writing this book. If there are some questionable facts, they are very minute and insignificant in my opinion.

I think it was a wonderful read and very well written. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in history. I had never read a book by Bill O'Reilly and was pleasantly surprised to find out what an excellent author he is. Now, Killing Kennedy is next on my list and then Killing Jesus.
.Photo Credit: Amazon.com - see below to purchase "Killing Lincoln"

"Killing Lincoln"

The Book

Abraham Lincoln

"Killing Lincoln" Review

by OhMe aka Nancy Tate Hellams and Friends

This period in our Nation's history is so very hard to understand and being a Southerner, I find it especially difficult to imagine what my great grandparents were experiencing. I had several relatives who fought in the war but none of them were slave owners. They were poor "dirt" farmers who worked hard and were good Christians. I have finally come to the conclusion that it was the times and there is no way for me to get a complete understanding of those times.

I have to admit that I was glad to read that General Grant regretted not dressing better on the day that Lee surrendered. He felt that it showed disrespect and I would have to agree.

I am interested in our Nation's history and think it is important as a citizen to learn as much as I can about it. Therefore, I enjoy reading accounts of the people who have contributed toward the greatness of our nation.

Reading Killing Lincoln was not the experience that I was anticipating. I thought it would be more like a history book with lots of facts and that is exactly what it was but written in such a way that I did not realize it. The book jacket states that it is history that reads like a thriller and I can't think of a better way to say that same thing. I felt that I really knew the characters because Bill O'Reilly's extensive research and his way with words made the characters very believable. Reading Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln was an enjoyable and educational experience.

As stated above, I really enjoyed the Afterword in which he explains what happened to each of the players in the assassination. I also enjoyed the re-creation of the April 29, 1865 Harper's Weekly which is included at the end of the book and is dedicated to the assassination and death of President Abraham Lincoln.

Foolishly, I thought I knew all there was to know about Lincoln's Assassination. Oh, I was so wrong and I learned much from reading this great book.

Here is what a friend had to say about Killing Lincoln

"I read Killing Lincoln and found it to be an interesting read. I was struck by the irony that by killing Lincoln, Booth ruined any opportunity for the South to recover with dignity. Reconstruction was a terrible experience because Andrew Johnson was determined to punish the South... and did... where Lincoln was determined to take the "high road" and to encourage a United States by encouraging the Souths recovery had he lived. Good book."

Here is what campingman had to say about the book:

"I bought the book because of your review. I had heard the book being advertised, but your lens shifted my gears. I enjoyed the book very much and found that Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard did a superb job researching and laying out the story. We all think we knew about the assassination but this book brings it to life and tells the complete story. Your review is spot on. Thanks for a great recommendation."

Photo Credit: Abraham Lincoln Public Domain Photo

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (Bill O'Reilly's Killing Series)
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (Bill O'Reilly's Killing Series)
So often when I read a book that I thoroughly enjoy, I start wondering about what happened to the characters later in life. Bill O'Reilly shares this information with the reader at the end of the book and I found it so interesting. It is easy reading and the book is being read by school aged students as well as adults with very positive feedback. He has published an edition just for children entitled, This book held my interest from the first page to the last. I am not the only one that has enjoyed it and you can read some of the letters that he has received on BillOReilly.com.
 

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Audio Excerpt by Bill O'Reilly - Bill O'Reilly reads "Killing Lincoln"

I hope you will take the time to listen to Bill O'Reilly read from Chapter 1 of Killing Lincoln and you will hear what I am talking about. You can almost smell the night air and see President Lincoln pacing the upper deck of the River Queen.

Some Thoughts About the Book


I have taken the tour of Ford's Theatre and seen the reenactment of the Assassination of Lincoln plus have read and studied the accounts of that fateful day. What I did not know was the details of the time from when Lincoln was shot until he was across the street at the Peterson House and what was going on elsewhere. This is written in 20 pages of Killing Lincoln. It was such a struggle carrying President Lincoln from the Ford's Theatre through the muddy street to the Peterson House. I felt like I was right there with Dr. Charles Leale tending to Lincoln the whole time.Killing Lincoln is not sold in the basement museum of Ford's Theatre but it is sold in the Ford Theatre Society gift shop in the lobby according to the Washington Post. The National Park Service did not approve the book to be sold in the museum because of factual errors. The Ford Theatre Society decided to sell it and let people choose for themselves which I think is a good thing to do. It would be a shame for someone not to read this book because of something they have heard or read about it. It would be much better to read it and decide for oneself.My friend, TomVee, had this to say about the book, "Killing Lincoln":

"B. O'R. and Martin Dugard have teamed up to provide a fascinating, almost "visual," account of the days leading up to, and immediately after, the killing of Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth, ever the megalomaniac, and his motley collection of brigands and misfits have the stars align for them and assassinate the one man ready and able to start healing the wounds of war. Instead, the South got Thaddeus Stevens' boot on the neck and Reconstruction, with all its attendant suffering and misery. Thanks, Booth; we appreciate your assistance in setting the binding up of the nation for another generation. (sarcasm inserted intentionally.) The book was an excellent introductory framework to use as a jumping-off place for further examination of the life and death of the wartime President in the darkest hours of American history."

A Video About Ford's Theatre - Learn more about Ford's Theatre by watching this YouTube Video

"Killing Lincoln" - The Movie

National Geographic ChannelNext Airing: Check your local listings

Killing Lincoln - The Trailer for the Movie - National Geographic Channel

I watched Killing Lincoln on February 17 and I sure enjoyed it. Tom Hanks was a superb narrator. This is more than a documentary. "Killing Lincoln" will continue to be shown on the National Geographic Channel so don't worry if you missed it the first time around. Just check your local listings to see when it will be airing again.

Ad Campaign for the Movie - Billboard Photographer Joel L

Billboard on Times Square for the National Geographic Movie of Killing Lincoln
Billboard on Times Square for the National Geographic Movie of Killing Lincoln

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Commercial Photographer Joel L - Joel L. collaborated with Variable and photographed the ad campaign for National Geographic Channel's "Killing Lincoln". This is the billboard on Times Square. Photo is not to be copied. Note: click the picture to go directly to Joel L's website. Amazing.The Billboard shows Murderer John Wilkes Booth as the Villain and President Abraham Lincoln as the Hero but it also shows just the opposite with Booth as the Hero and Lincoln as the Villain which is exactly the way that John Wilkes Booth thought of the situation. Booth felt like he was going to be a big hero for getting rid of the who he felt was the nation's villain.I thought this was a very clever approach to the movie and really seemed to stimulate a lot of interest in it.

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I had read some great things about this movie and was not disappointed. What did you think?

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