Extremely well-done history of the speech itself and the many threads of history of history that led up to it: the war itself (of course), the public perceptions of Lincoln (surprisingly crude and unforgiving), the people and their experiences (an extraordinary assembly that includes, in part, Walt Whitman tending to wounded soldiers in the hospitals; John Wilkes Booth, seething through DC and elsewhere and tending a secret romance with the daughter of a sitting American senator; Salmon P. Chase, haughty and ambitious, and his striking daughter, Kate; Ulysses Grant; foreign dignitaries; and many, many others, famous, infamous, and forgotten); the angry politics of the time and the diverse ways in which Lincoln’s in which Lincoln’s proclamations and speeches were received; the muddy streets of DC, filled with enormous numbers of people, on the day the speech was give; the thousands of people standing in line to enter the White House to shake Lincoln’s hand… It is a rich tapestry, and Achorn is adept at tracing each thread in a very accessible and engaging way.
Adam Barr’s narration was very good — perfect pace, tone, and enunciation.