I am am so excited for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln which now has a release date of November 9. The Chicago Tribune says this may be the year that the Lincoln wave “crests.” Get me a surfboard, yo!
Now I have been late to the party on a few things. When it comes to my Abraham Lincoln obsession, I’m about a century and a half late on that trend.
This all started in February. I am an audiobook fiend as I am unable to read in a moving vehicle without spewing. I also like to spice up mundane tasks like folding laundry or steaming my dresses by listening to an audiobook (note: that last sentence is going to appear in the personal ad I post at age 85). Basically, if I’m not reading a book I’m probably listening to one.
I randomly downloaded Chasing Lincoln’s Killer on audiobook. I knew nothing about Lincoln other than the fact that he wore noteworthy hats. Within 25 minutes of listening to James L. Swanson’s book, I was hooked.
There is no better audiobook in the world. Will Patton narrates and he does an impeccable job.
This is the thing: I am Canadian. Presidents don’t get much stage time on our curriculum. This is about the most excitement we get from a national leader (which, granted, was a big deal):
So before listening to Swanson’s book, I didn’t really get the Lincoln thing. I certainly had no idea how insanely CRAY the events were before and after his assassination. The General Seward bit!? Mother of Pearl, I almost had a heart attack.
Since listening to the audiobook of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, I have watched several Lincoln documentaries and am slowly savouring Candace Fleming’s The Lincolns: a scrapbook look at Abraham and Mary. No matter what is going on in my life, reading that dang scrapbook totally takes me away. If I’m having a bad day, it always helps to know that I don’t have to tackle the abolition of slavery. For some inexplicable reason, anything Lincoln-related has an uncanny ability to distract and comfort me. This is exactly how those five-year-old boys who are obsessed with dinosaur books must feel.
So if The Chicago Tribune is right and the Lincoln wave is coming, that will no doubt trickle down to children’s books as all thing tend to do. And I can’t wait. It’s been tough for me to get Canuck kids and teens interested in Lincoln stuff (or, indoctrinate them with my obsession) because they have no point of reference and don’t really care about American presidents. And there is so much great Lincoln stuff out there already, with some notable 2012 titles. These are on my to-read list:
To close, here I am in a state of bliss outside the animatronic Lincoln Disneyland feature a few weeks ago post-ALA Saturday. There was no line, because people are suckas and don’t realize that an animatronic Lincoln rivals Splash Mountain.
Shannon Ozirny 