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    Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
    Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
    Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
    Audiobook3 hours

    Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

    Written by Bill O'Reilly and Dwight Jon Zimmerman

    Narrated by Bill O'Reilly and Edward Herrmann

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    About this audiobook

    With more than 1.5 million copies sold, Killing Lincoln deftly recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—of how one gunshot changed the country forever.

    In Lincoln's Last Days, Bill O'Reilly masterfully adapts his historical thriller to appeal to a younger audience. Shorter text and abundant photographs make this is a useful, inviting, and accessible audiobook for younger listeners interested in American history and the Civil War. Both adults and children are sure to find this volume irresistible on its own, or as a compelling companion to Killing Lincoln.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateAug 21, 2012
    ISBN9781427226716
    Author

    Bill O'Reilly

    Bill O'Reilly is the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor, the highest-rated news show in America. He also writes a syndicated newspaper column and is the author of several number-one bestselling books including Killing Kennedy and Killing Reagan. He is, perhaps, the most talked about political commentator in America.

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    Reviews for Lincoln's Last Days

    4/5

    82 ratings54 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a great book that chronicles the last week of the civil War and the life and Abraham Lincoln, an easy read that places the reader in key events in history. The reader is alongside Grant and Lee at Appomattox Courthouse as the south surrenders, in John Wilkes Booth’s bedroom as the assignation plans are finalized and beside marry Todd and Abraham Lincoln as the fateful shot is fired. This book will be enjoyed by history buffs and novices alike. O’Reily offers great insight one of America’s greatest presidents.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable book to read; reminded me of the early television series, "You Are There," hosted by Walter Cronkite in the 50's which dramatized little segments of history and added fictional dialogue and emotional responses to the characters. Not sure how accurate it is, but it certainly captures the reader and puts him into the drama of the event.
    • 5/5
      A very readable and interesting history of the Lincoln Assassination. The authors do an excellent job of discussing the battles between the fall of Petersburg and the surrender at Appomattox. That period of time is not well covered in most history books except for those that are written just covering the end of the war. It is a time of Lee trying his best to slip away and of Grant trying his best to surround the Confederates and foil any attempt they might make to escape southward.The description of the lives of the main characters in the days leading up to the assassination are well done and gives the reader an understanding of what was going on at this time in the streets of Washington, D.C. It is a time of celebration on the part of some of the citizens and a time to try to come to an understanding of what the surrender of Lee means to those who secretly favored the South. The description of John Wilkes Booth is interesting because he had times when he could have walked away and gone back on the stage and not have become the pariah that he has in American history.For the general reader I believe this is an excellent summary of those days in April 1865 that led up to the assassination of Lincoln and the outcome that followed. As a retired history teacher I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what happened then and do not want to wade through an in depth study of the period. Well done.
    • 4/5
      'Killing Lincoln' is Bill O’Reilly’s first book dealing with American history. The book covers the last days of the Civil War. Lincoln prepares for the daunting task of rebuilding the nation while John Wilkes Booth begins his conspiracy to make the President pay for the South losing the war.This is a very informative book that provides detailed background information behind the events surrounding the assassination. The narrative is clearly written and very easy for the average reader to understand. This is not a dry history book where the author tries to be neutral about the events. O'Reilly does interject his opinions and has a clear point of view of the events.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed the format of this book. It read like a thriller, breaking down the events leading up to the assassination of Lincoln into daily segments that included information about each of the people who played a prominent role in what began as a plan to kidnap the president. I have read that this book is historically inaccurate. If that's the case, then I want to see a list of the supposed mistakes. It seemed very obvious to me that great care was taken with the research necessary to produce such a masterful recreation of a time period just as full of nefarious people as we've got currently in politics and the news. As a result of reading "Killing Lincoln"' I want to read more about that time period, learn more about who Abraham Lincoln really was, and become more familiar with the issues surrounding the war between the states. For me, this was a fascinating book that made me want to know even more about the history of the United States. I also believe that if more history books were written like this one, we'd have no problem in getting our students more involved in learning about where we came from.
    • 4/5
      I do not usually read non-fiction books but, I loved this one! Full of facts that I did not know, including all the people that were attacked the same evening as Lincoln was killed. I really enjoyed the way the authors included information on popular conspiracies and the facts that contributed to those ideas. Includes an appendix with samples from the newspaper articles from this time period.
    • 3/5
      starts very slow. End is very good
    • 1/5
      I don't like the fictionalized non-fiction approach at all. Hard to separate fact from supposition and dramatization. I'll take my morning cereal without sugar and puzzles on the back of the box, thank you. This belongs on the young-adult shelf at the library.
    • 3/5
      Short. Good description of Washington DC. A bit too much making up the thinking of the characters.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. No, it wasn't the research extravaganza most history books are but it was written in a compelling manner, such that I wanted to keep reading. Most people know the facts surrounding the Lincoln assassination but the conspiracy behind it is not well-known. The authors manage to make reading this book interesting when it could be just another history book. Each of the characters are given a personality and perspective, not just a mention. I like that; it make you keep reading. These are the kinds of books that get people interested in the history of our country. No, the minute details are not 100% correct. I've yet to encounter a history book that does.
    • 4/5
      First, let me say that I love stuff about the Civil War, so that's why I picked this one up. I'm not going to agree that it reads like a 'thriller' - after all, it's nonfiction and historical, so you know what's going to happen....in a thriller, you don't and that's what makes it thrilling. However, it doesn't read like a history book either. It's somewhere in between...creative nonfiction is what we called it in college - perhaps there is trendier name for it now. The book essentially chronicles the two weeks before and after Lincoln's death, including the surrender of Lee and the death of Booth. I found it intriguing and while I've read some about this time period and the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, I certainly learned some new things. Overall, while I don't think it reads like a typical fictional thriller (there is just too much of the technicalities of war here for that pace), it does read pretty quickly for a history book and is worth it. This was a turning point in the history of the United States....now I need to read more about Andrew Johnson and his presidency as they pointed out many times that he was a terrible President and I want to know more!
    • 5/5
      Most interesting. Wish my history teachers would have made my classes this wonderful.
    • 4/5
      I am not much of an O'Reilly fan, but this book is very well done. Dugard and O'Reilly are both historians and they have taken on a topic that continues to stir deep feelings still today. The book reads like a novel for those who love history but don't like history texts, yet it is filled with factual examinations of event and insightful exploration of motives and consequences. Exploring the last two weeks of Lincoln's life, they also share a bit about the end of the Civil War, as well as some insightful looks at Grant and his personality. They are not reluctant to discuss controversy, such as conspiracy theories around Stanton or Johnson's inability to carry out Reconstruction, and they do a good job of detailing the hatred of many Southerners for Lincoln. It is a readable, passionate exploration of the end of the war, the assassination and the subsequent investigation of Lincoln's demise.
    • 3/5
      The switching between first and third person is often confusing to the reader. Also this book takes a while to get interesting because Lincoln is basically a supporting character. The civil war leaders, Grant and Lee, are the leads in the first part and the assassin is the lead toward the end. We don't learn a great deal about the late president in this book. So I found it a little dull compared to Killing Kennedy. Perhaps O'Reilly should stick to killing people who had more interesting personal lives. I hear MLK was secretly a rascal. Maybe that story could be told without fellow blacks sending a posse for O'Reilly.
    • 4/5
      This is quite a terrific book - especially if, like me, you enjoy history. The pacing at the beginning, especially throughout the war/battle scenes, is a little slow and quite tedious. Once I got past that, I couldn't put this book down! The second half of this book really shines, making history come alive. I wish more people appreciated history and hopefully this book can encourage a few more people to take an interest!
    • 5/5
      If you like history, this is a must read. Bill O'Reilly brings to life the time of Abraham Lincoln, and totally draws you into the drama and mystery of this important event in the story of America. This book is absolutely a great read for adults and children alike; super for family discussions and school projects.
    • 5/5
      This is an extremely good book on Lincoln's final days. With two weeks of daily reports on Lincoln, the assasins and the Civil War activities the author builds up an intensity that reaches its climax with the assassination. It is quite understandable that this book was on best seller lists and has been recommended for students. I was surprised at how little I really knew about the period immediately prior to Lincoln's killing and I thought the book was particularly well written.
    • 3/5
      The book offers a good synopsis of the final days of the Civil War.Lincoln's murder and the pursuit of John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators. I enjoyed reading the book but it lost some of its credibility in my eyes when it emphasized the theory that Lincoln's Secretary of War, Charles Stanton, was involved in the conspiracy to kill the president. This seems ludicrous. I also wonder about the statement that 87 soldiers were drowned during the search for Booth in the swamps surrounding the Potomac. This does not seem believable. I also question the depiction of the terrible mistreatment of Mary Surrat during her captivity. I do not think that she deserved to hang and doubt her involvement as a conspirator. I hope that the book is in error regarding abuse toward Mrs. Surrat. Despite these flaws, it is still a book that I would recommend.
    • 4/5
      Clooney, Pitt or DiCaprio? Well, who will it be? Consider: John Wilkes was a handsome, well-recognized, full-of-himself actor. And according to O'Reilly, he was angry and looking for more fame. So he assassinates a sitting US president. It's too good to be fiction. And history belongs to the best story-teller.
    • 5/5
      Killing Lincoln is a terrific read, providing a driving narrative that transports the reader to the late stages of the U. S. Civil War. From Ulysses S. Grant’s pursuit of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, to Lincoln’s carriage ride from the White House to a performance of the light-hearted play “Our American Cousin”, “Killing Lincoln” accompanies the President during his last days to his last breaths in Petersen’s boarding house on Tenth Street across from Ford’s Theater on the evening of April 14th, 1865.Refreshing in the conspicuous absence of the ponderous and seemingly meaningless minutia and personal speculation so common in run-of-the-mill, self-aggrandizing history texts, “Killing Lincoln” provides rich detail in a coherent narrative, detailing Booth’s plan from the precise timing of his shot to coincide with a laugh-line in the play to his desperate, ill-fated escape and ignominious death in Richard Garrett’s barn. It is a gripping account of a great president’s tragic end rendered in the style of a contemporary action/thriller, something history teachers, writers and majors should take serious note of. For history buffs, the Afterward is nearly as interesting as the body of the text itself with details linking the 20th Century with the events of the late19th.For instance, Robert Todd Lincoln, Lincoln’s only surviving son, served as both the Secretary of War for the Garfield and Arthur administrations and then became the U.S. Minister to Great Britain under Benjamin Harrison. He died in 1926 at the age of 83 (the book claims 82) but not before seeing the dedication of his father’s Memorial in Washington D. C. in 1922.Booth’s lover, Lucy Lambert Hale, remained friends with Robert Todd Lincoln throughout their lives. She married William Chandler, and their grandson, Theodore Chandler, became a decorated World War II navy admiral who died in the Pacific during a kamikaze attack on his ship.If more history books were written like this, there would be far more interest in the study of history. The readability and personal involvement engendered by Killing Lincoln is reminiscent of the time-traveling immersion of David Macullough’s “1776” and “John Adams.” My only complaint with the book is the co-authorship because you don’t really know who did what: Did O’Reilly write while Dugard researched or vise-versa? Or did Dugard do the lion’s share while O’Reilly lent name recognition? I don’t know, but in any event, a great job all around and an entertaining and enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      I bought this book out of curiosity. I am not a big Bill O'Reilly fan. I was pleasantly surprised. It was like I had slipped in time and was present as the events surrounding Lincoln's death occured. This was a painless way to learn about history. I found this to be a quick read. It was a real page turner. It has short chapters for those that don't want to get too bogged down. I read this in only 3 days. I will probably read Killing Kennedy, but was surprised at the mixed reviews it received. I think everyone interested in this book should definitely read it!!!
    • 4/5
      A factual account of the death of Lincoln that draws you in telling a story not just the raw facts.
    • 5/5
      Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America. New York: Henry Holt and Co, 2011. 313 pp. $28.00.Bill O'Reilly is America's favorite political commentator as well as a bestselling author of ten books. Likewise, Martin Dugard is a bestselling author of four historical works.The content of this book is nothing new. Lincoln's life and death have been the center of much scholarly attention. However, this book presents the material in a fresh way. The style of writing is engaging and reads much like a novel. Yet, the eye for accuracy is not missing. The facts are correct without being dry. There are 62 chapters (average 4.5 pages in length), with each capturing a specific scene in the unfolding events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. Thus, the format is readable and bite-size with each chapter beginning with the date, location and time of day. Literarily, this allows you to experience the events in real time. Furthermore, the book includes maps and black-and-white photos of the people (e.g., Laura Keene, Lucy Hale), places (Appomattox courthouse, Ford's Theatre) and the events (the Arsenal courtyard hanging) which make the story of America's first presidential assassination. Killing Lincoln is a winsome and intelligent historical contribution that will inform and intrigue you page after page.
    • 4/5
      A sketch of the days just prior to and immediately after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln told in an easy, flowing style.A very readable book for everyone to enjoy - hard to put down.
    • 3/5
      Killing Lincoln is a nonfictional thriller according to its authors, Bill O’Reilly, host of television’s Fox News Channel’s ‘The O’Reilly Factor’, and Martin Dugard, historian and sports writer (with books on explorers Christopher Columbus and James Cook, and one about Stanley and Livingstone in Africa, another about Lance Armstrong’s 2005 Tour de France, and one about West Pointers Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Jefferson Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848). And so it is.The book’s 62 short chapters are organized into four parts:(1) ‘Total War’, about the 1864-1865 Richmond-Petersburg Campaign and Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House and the end of the American civil war;(2) ‘The Ides of Death’, about the conspiratorial planning by John Wilkes Booth and others to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln in exchange for Confederate prisoners against a social background of intense relief and euphoria in the nation’s capital and Lincoln’s expressed dreams and premonitions of his possible assassination;(3) ‘The Long Good Friday’, an hour by hour interplay of both Lincoln’s and Booth’s activities leading up to the shooting of the President at Ford’s Theater, and(4) The Chase, about the pursuit by federal troops of Booth and other conspirators ending with the killing of Booth at the Garrett farm in southern Maryland nearly two weeks after Lincoln’s death.An ‘Afterword’ recounting the biographical snapshots of the main ‘characters’ (to wit, Booth, Mrs. Lincoln, Edwin Stanton (Lincoln’s Secretary of War), Lee, Grant, and conspirator Mary Surratt) follows the book’s ‘thriller’ narrative. Also included is an ‘Appendix’ which comprises a facsimile of the April 29, 1865 Harper’s Weekly Journal of Civilization, that recounts the events of the assassination then just two weeks old. The story of the tragedy of Lincoln’s death at the height of his success has been told many times, most eloquently in comparison with JFK’s assassination nearly a century after Lincoln’s and both of these aligned with that of Julius Caesar according to Shakespeare. No matter that we know already the outcome the story never grows old. There are more detailed accounts (Blood on the Moon by Edwin Steers comes to mind) but the O’Reilly-Dugard approach will draw the curious to pursue related books and other sources. A good read!
    • 4/5
      I received the Early Reviewer copy of this book, so it doesn't have the final maps included yet. The placeholders were there, so I'm confident the published version will have the complementary reference material I found myself looking for while reading. I've been fascinated with Abraham Lincoln since the days when I was a student at Lincoln Elementary School. As I matured, I collected as many books on Abraham Lincoln as I could find, and I prize books from the 1800s whenever possible. One volume, originally published in 1955, titled THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT by Jim Bishop is particularly interesting and is mentioned along with other similar books in the Notes section of KILLING LINCOLN. For people unfamiliar with the assassination, this book is a steady, engaging read which illustrates a number of interesting differences between Presidential accessibility and security from the mid-1860s and today. In addition to walking the reader through the end of the Civil War and President Lincoln's last few weeks of life, the reader will see dramatic differences in public access to the White House, proximity to the President, and indifferent security measures employed around the President. Certainly, the lessons learned from the lax security can be traced to the security surrounding the President today.Other books illustrate this next observation more clearly, but O'Reilly and Dugard subtly illustrate the disparity of thought among the key people on Lincoln's staff as well as the non-relationship and diametrically opposed views held by Lincoln and Vice President Johnson. One can envision a very different post-War environment in the South had Lincoln lived and been able to guide the re-integration efforts for the Nation. I recommend this book, especially for the discussion of the people involved in the assassination plot. The book raises questions about the participants that I hope will prompt readers to seek out additional books on this subject to learn more, and the books referenced in the Notes section would be a good place to start.
    • 4/5
      This novel begins at end of the Civil War, describing the battles that concluded this epic war between the states, then on April 9th, 1865, General Robert E Lee commander of the Confederate Army surrenders to the Union Army commanded by Ulysses S Grant. Shortly after the war has ended President Abraham Lincoln gets assassinated by a lone gunman in the Ford Theatre by John Wilkes Booth and his attempt too escape the area is his ultimate goal, what developes arise within his conspiracy.
    • 5/5
      Bill O'Reilly's Lincoln's Last Days is the adaptation of Killing Lincoln for younger readers. It is an engaging and enthralling read, and younger readers will be pulled right in. It may also entice them to read more about Lincoln's history and the United States of America's history. Readers are drawn in from the very beginning. There is a "Note to Readers" that immediately jumps into the heart of the issue, granted it is a bit biased, but young readers will love it. The book itself moves readers through the planning and execution of Lincoln's assassination and the hunt and fate of John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. It is told in the present tense, and there are pictures and images that help readers see and understand the time period and people involved.This is a great book to use with young readers who are studying the Civil War, Lincoln, and/or Lincoln's assassination. Even if readers are only learning about the time period, they will most likely be very interested in Lincoln's Last Days. It will interest readers in history, and it gives them a seemingly first-hand perspective on a monumental event in our country's history.
    • 1/5
      I would have thought someone could have said No be fore this book was published. What a waste of paper!
    • 5/5
      "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly is very well done, much better than O'Reilly's other assassination book (JFK). This covers the last 14 days or so of Lincoln's life and the first 100 pages (of approximately 300) focus on the last days of the Civil War. Lee is trying to move his army from their encampment of the past 10 months at Petersburg and get to the Carolinas where he expects to find supplies and additional troops. There are a number of small battles as the scene shifts further and further west, inevitably toward Appomattox. There are strategies and counter-strategies with incredible successes and failures for both sides. Lincoln impatiently awaits news of the expected surrender, first on a ship in a nearby river, then in Richmond and finally in Washington. Slowly the story shifts its focus to Lincoln and how he spends his final days. The last 25% of the book deals with Booth's escape route and the efforts to track him down. Again, there is a well done "whatever became of..." of all the principal characters in an Afterword. Lots of photos and helpful maps.. The story is told at a brisk pace and the tension is maintained throughout. I've been to Ford's Theater and the boarding house where Lincoln was taken after the shooting, and I have read other books on the subject - but I still learned a good deal from this book and I recommend it highly. I will give it to my 13 year old grandson and I am sure he will find it as interesting and exciting as I did. It has its flaws though, nothing really major. The reader is constantly reminded that Lincoln "has X days left", and "this is the last Y he will ever do..." That's been done too many times by so many others and its just too melodramatic. He also mentions the rumors of Stanton's supposed involvement in this plot as a key ringleader but none of the evidence raised any doubts for me. Killing Lincoln is a bit too "pop" history, but it works nevertheless.