Title: Abraham Lincoln’s World
Author: Genevieve Foster
Major Themes: Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Napoleon, Queen Victoria
Synopsis: Events from around the world are woven through Abraham Lincoln’s life.
I have really been enjoying reading Genevieve Foster’s history books over the last few years. We just finished Abraham Lincoln’s World, which I had never read before. I really like how this author pulls worldwide history together and makes it a coherent story.
The framework of this book, of course, is the life of Abraham Lincoln. Woven around the story of this great man are stories of what happened in Europe and Africa. There are also a few chapters about events in China. A fair amount of time is devoted to Napoleon’s attempted conquest of Europe, and Queen Victoria’s life receives a lot of attention.
A lot of the book describes the conflicts over slavery in America, but I was pleasantly surprised at how small a part of it tells about the Civil War. It mainly focuses on Abe Lincoln’s part in the war, rather than the fighting.
My biggest problem with this book is the jumping around from one place to another. It isn’t too bad, but does sometimes cause a little confusion, especially when it’s been awhile since you’ve heard about a particular person and then go back to that person. I do like the way this book shows what events happened at the same time.
WARNING: We found damn on pages 16, 32, and 36; b’gosh on page 30, and heck on page 85.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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