Book Recommender: ‘Old Abe” Unveils What You Don’t Know About Abraham Lincoln

A well-researched novel leaves loftiness behind in favor of a fly-on-the-wall walk beside Lincoln to appreciate his wit, intellect, and discernment during dark years in American history

In all the commemorative and even demonizing books written about 16th president Abraham Lincoln since his assassination 157 years ago, none show us his towering, 6-foot-4-inch frame squatting. But John Cribb’s 2020 novel, “Old Abe,” opens with, “He squatted, … whittling on a pine stick.”

It is a picture of an average American man passing time. Only Lincoln wasn’t just passing time. On May 9, 1860, he was waiting outside a makeshift convention hall in Decatur, Illinois, to hear if he would be named the Illinois Republican Party candidate for president of the United States. Suddenly he heard cheers, and a crowd hoisted him into the air and demanded a speech.