LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS

This third installment of Jacobi’s historical fiction series follows Abraham Lincoln’s tumultuous road to the U.S. presidency.

By the late 1840s, Abraham Lincoln and his family are living in Springfield, Illinois. He’s fully devoted to his law office after serving his one congressional term in Washington, but the nation’s divisive issue of slavery ultimately pushes Lincoln back into politics. His former (and decidedly more successful) political rival, Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, supports popular sovereignty; this allows people of a given territory to vote on their status as a free state or a slave state. It also means repealing the Missouri Compromise, which prohibits slavery in specific territories. Under the Whig Party, Lincoln runs unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in the mid-1850s; the next time he runs, now as a Republican, he’s up against Douglas, a Democrat. Despite losing a number of elections, Lincoln aspires to be the president and remains dedicated to ending slavery without starting a civil war. When he’s finally a presidential candidate, he once again faces Douglas. Jacobi weaves fictional elements into real-world history; readers are treated to Lincoln’s insights as he narrates his own story (“What gave us the right to be so cruel to our fellow creatures?”). The narrative provides a lucid account of the 16th U.S. president’s political career, from his debates with Douglas to his famed Peoria Speech. Lincoln’s narrative voice reflects the warm and unruffled personality he’s known for—he stays positive even after an election loss and treats everyone respectfully. As he’s also a lawyer, there’s intermittent attention given to his curious legal cases, including his defense a man who’s on trial for murder. (These cases are historically accurate, as are the snippets from Lincoln’s speeches and political debates.) By the end, there’s room for another sequel, which readers will surely welcome.

An absorbing and an intimate portrayal of a celebrated figure in American history.