The Faults in a Talented Family Illuminated by a Tragic Question: "Why?"
Excellent book concentrating on the character and careers of three members of the American theatrical dynasty, the Booths: Father Junius, Succcessful Brother Edwin,(who seems to have had the greatest coping skills for dealing with his life's many tragedies) and, of course, Assassin John Wilkes. All had their flaws, but each had some pretty memorable gifts as well.
Yes, it is a tragic tale about the Booth family, but the author manages to make it a fascinating portrait on a broader canvas, detailing the far reaching dimensions of this event on the lives of each of the individuals, from the couple who accompanied the Lincolns that fateful night to the strange little man who shot Booth, all of whose lives were touched by a confused young man's attempt to...what? Avenge the defeated South? Live out his life as though he were a lead character in a Shakespearean play? Make the world aware of his existence in a tortured attempt to prove his legitimacy, (His father, noted Shakespearean actor Junius Booth was already married and a father when he decided to emigrate to America with the woman who became the mother of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth?)
The father was, it seems, sometimes sweetly demented, and occasionally and violently off his rocker, thanks, in many instances to John Barleycorn. The elder Booths was also capable of unforgettable performances of Shakespeare that were remembered vividly by audience members fifty years after attendance.
The author's portrait of the period and the people involved in the death of Lincoln is painted on a broad canvas, but doesn't try to spoon feed the reader easy answers regarding anyone's private thoughts or motivations. For example, we get a vivid portrait of John Wilkes Booth as a highly successful young man. He was only in his mid-20s at the time of the assassination and he was already in demand for theatrical engagements throughout the U.S. He was commonly referred to as "the handsomest man" ever seen by numerous men and women. He was secretly engaged to a Northern Senator's daughter in April 1865 and he had numerous other women that he was involved with at the time. He was able to make between $25k-40k annually at that time, (an enormous sum in the 1860s). Unlike most assassins, he was, on the surface, a winner. The enormous "Why?" of his life can never really be answered explicitly, but I would recommend this to anyone who also enjoys the questions surrounding the Lincoln assassination. I think that anyone who enjoyed the excellent "Manhunt" by James L. Swanson would also find this book a fine complement to that story.
America the Violent, America the Insane
In AMERICAN GOTHIC Gene Smith offers the best depiction of 19th Century America I've ever read as he traces the fortunes of America's first theatrical dynasty from the London birth of Junius Brutus Booth in 1796 until the death of his son Edwin Booth in New York in 1893. But the real center of the book is the heartbreaking story of Edwin's brother John Wilkes Booth, who would bring ignominy to the illustrious family when he assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
Smith has chosen the perfect title for his book. The America he presents is a feisty new country in which most people believed in omens and dreams. Lincoln himself believed in dreams and pondered a dream he had about his own death. As he reasoned, a great deal of the Bible was taken up with the interpretation of dreams, so it must have validity. One of the first things Mrs. Lincoln screamed when she realized that her husband had been slain was "His dream was prophetic!" Edwin Booth was born with a cowl (a portion of the placenta that stays on the top of the baby's head), which was said to portend greatness. Mary Ann Booth was holding her infant son John Wilkes when she saw the flames in the fireplace rise up and spell the letters "C-O-U-N-T-R-Y." Throughout his life she and her son John had a psychic connection. She always knew when things were not well with him even at distances of hundreds of miles. The America of this book is also a violent county embroiled in its history's bloodiest war. About half the dramatis personae of this book die violently or in a madhouse. Among those who died mad were Mrs. Lincoln and Henry Rathbone (who shared the Presidential box with the Lincolns on that fateful night at Ford's Theatre and was stabbed by John Wilkes Booth), and Edwin Booth's second wife. Lincoln's son Robert, who did not attend the theatre the night his father was assassinated (and forever blamed himself, thinking that he could perhaps have defended his father had he been there), was ironically to be present at the assassinations of both Presidents Garfield and McKinley. Boston Corbett, who fired the fatal bullet into John Wilkes Booth was a diminutive evangelical religious fanatic who had castrated himself rather than be lured into the temptations of the flesh. But perhaps maddest of all was John Wilkes Booth, who had been blessed by nature. Born into a prominent theatrical family, he possessed a keen intelligence, an athletic derring-do and an awe-inspiring physical beauty. Many regarded him as the most handsome man in the world. Some thought him a superior actor to Edwin and the only one of Junius Brutus Booth's sons to match his father's ability to thrill an audience. He did everything in a dramatic way. Ultimately, he assassinated the President of the United States in a theatre before an audience. Upon performing the act, he made a daring leap to the stage brandishing a knife, declaiming "Sic Semper Tyrannis! The South is avenged!" before escaping from the theatre. Breaking his ankle when his spur caught on the presidential bunting draped on the box as he leapt, Booth ended up a wounded fugitive on the lam in the war-ravaged countryside, rather than the acclaimed hero that he thought he would become. His story culminates in a burning barn surrounded by armed soldiers. His flight, his capture and the aftermath take up most of the book. Smith is a masterful writer and this part of the book reads like a thriller. But Smith also lets us in on things like how the hundred thousand dollar reward money for Booth's capture was divided and the horrifying treatment the conspirators in the plot to assassinate Lincoln received as prisoners.
This is great history writing-authoritative, detailed, and insightful, as well as dramatic and, at times, extremely moving. This is a book that grabs the intellect and the emotions. Five stars.
one of the most fascinating books I have ever read
Truly spellbinding, nicely paced, and perfect length. After you read this book you will be amazed at what is left out of the history classroom. Don't miss a chance to read it.
A Gripping Read!
Gene Smith is a well-known historian who sticks to the facts. Yet his writing keeps his readers intrigued every step of the way. Of course, he is working with a family of thespians and a thick plot to begin with, which always helps. But Smith refuses to include any heresay or rumor - his writing is respectable AND creative. Smith remains unbiased, which is unusual with such a heated set of events. I have read dozens of books on the Booth family, and this is by far the best!
If only history classes were taught like this!
All I'd ever heard about was Booth the assassin of Lincoln. I had no idea he came from such a fascinating and talented family! So many details are given of his life and the lives of those surrounding this one event in history and yet his life is generally summarized in a few sentences. This book (and audio tape which I highly recommend) should be filmed and shown in schools, it's that interesting. Hearing it read brings up images as from the days of radio programs, only more rich in color and depth. I like this book so much I'm trying to find a copy. It must be better the second time around.
