That Nation Might Live

[Gene C]

by Jeff Oppenheimer, copyright 2014, about 150 pages

Excellent book!

The setting is two rocking chairs in front of a well fed fire in Mrs. Lincoln's prairie cabin home.

His longtime friend and law partner, William H. Herndon, interviewed Lincoln's step-mother, Sara in preparation for a biography of the martyred President. She tells Herndon about the life of Lincoln as no one else can. Not as mere facts but a mother sharing ten personal stories about her son. Based on Herndon's notes and other first hand accounts, Oppenheimer combines this into an authentic narrative with a touch for the frontier life. It's like your there watching and listening to the conversation.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A new, softbound copy, is a little over $3

http://www.amazon.com/That-Nation-Might-...might+live

[RJNorton]

This sounds fascinating, Gene. Thanks for posting.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Gene - how fictional is it? Despite the "rocking frame story" still in line with history?

[Gene C]

.
Very in line with history.

.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks, Gene - sounds good!

[Gene C]

I am re-reading this book. One of the things I liked about it are some of the quaint old fashioned sayings, at least I think they were some-what from the time period of the early 1800's. The book is about Herndon's interview with Sarah Lincoln, Abraham's step-mother.

In describing the crowded wagon they rode on Sarah remembers, "Between all of us and the property, there wasn't room to cuss a cat without getting fur in your mouth."

"If a man'd been doing anything low down, Abe'd make him feel meaner than a suck-egg dog about it."

Johnny Cash even wrote a song about a Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYNK8A_bXwA

And this one, "God selects unpromising cradles for his greatest and best servants."