Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

I do not usually read nonfiction.  I like to be entertained, taken to another place or time, etc. Not that I don't like learning, I just usually find nonfiction to be a bit dry.

Not so here, my friends!  Maybe because this book literally puts you in the midst of history with the very words spoken by our 16th President!  Dan Abrams, best known as a legal analyst on the news, has put together along with David Fisher a fascinating account of a court trial, a community divided and stirred up by the prospect of watching Mr. Lincoln do his thing, and history in the making.  I didn't even mind that there is absolutely no suspense - we know how the trial ends - but I found myself in anticipation of what Lincoln would do or say next.

It is 1859 in Springfield, Illinois.  Two local boys have a brawl and one ends up dead.  Is it murder or self defense?  And did you catch the year?  There will be a Presidential election in 1860 - one that will change the world.  And the lawyer hired to defend this case will be the one to do it.

As a lover of history myself, it was incredible to read Lincoln's actual words.  The book takes a lot of information from the transcriber at this murder trial who was familiar with Lincoln and was a consummate professional himself.  You really do get a personal feel for the man behind the tall hat.  The research here was immense and thorough - and even with all the subplots and flashbacks, I never felt that anything was superfluous.  The authors did a grand job of filling in the detail while pushing the trial story forward.  All the little details do come together like puzzle pieces to make a fascinating picture.

And seriously, all law students should be required to read this book.  A deep dig into the genesis of a self-defense approach and many other tidbits of original law in our country.  Indeed, this would make for great required reading in high school.  Will it win a Pulitzer?  Nah.  But that is not the point.  The point here is to bring to light a historic moment in the life of a great American, and in America itself.

I am charmed too, Dan Abrams.