[PHY]⋙ Download Free American Gothic The Story of America Legendary Theatrical FamilyJunius Edwin and John Wilkes Booth Gene Smith 9780671767136 Books

American Gothic The Story of America Legendary Theatrical FamilyJunius Edwin and John Wilkes Booth Gene Smith 9780671767136 Books

Download As PDF : American Gothic The Story of America Legendary Theatrical FamilyJunius Edwin and John Wilkes Booth Gene Smith 9780671767136 Books

American Gothic The Story of America Legendary Theatrical FamilyJunius Edwin and John Wilkes Booth Gene Smith 9780671767136 Books

This is a well researched, well-written, and compelling read. I found the lives of the Booth's fascinating and was intrigued with how they intertwined with all the major political and cultural figures of the day, including President Abraham Lincoln - who loved the theater (along with his wife). This is the first account I've read, which uses J.W.B's own words about his assassination of Lincoln, recorded as he was hiding from search parties, only a few dozen miles from Washington. The book does a very nice job of wrapping up what happened to all the major figures involved in the assassination and the Booth family. A very good read indeed!


Tags : American Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family-Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth [Gene Smith] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A biography of the theatrical family of which Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth was a member traces the rise of Junius Brutus Booth in the theater,Gene Smith,American Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family-Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth,Simon & Schuster,0671767135,General,Actors, American;Biography.,Actors;United States;Biography.,1838-1865,ACTING,Actors,Assassination,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY General,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Booth family,Booth, Edwin,Booth, John Wilkes,Booth, John Wilkes,,Booth, Junius Brutus,Family,General Adult,History,Lincoln, Abraham,Non-Fiction,United States,Booth, Edwin,

American Gothic The Story of America Legendary Theatrical FamilyJunius Edwin and John Wilkes Booth Gene Smith 9780671767136 Books Reviews

As the two reviews below demonstrate, many people might read this book just to find out more about Lincoln's assassin. From the post-Civil War era to this day, "assassin" is the only translation of the name "Booth" that most people understand.

But Gene Smith gives us the rest of the story of a theatrical "dynasty", and the depth of his research is amazing, at least in my opinion. Yes, there were other Booths besides John Wilkes, and other reasons for memorializing this family besides Presidential death. No one today remembers the father, Junius Brutus Booth, a wonderfully boisterous, crazy old drunk and ground-breaking actor who was adulated like a rock star in his time. Edwin and John, two out of the nine or ten (legitimate and illegitimate) progeny of JBB, surpassed their father, and Edwin has been called the greatest American tragedian who ever lived.

Like any biographer, Mr. Smith puts flesh on these characters, with a particular eye toward trying to rehabilitate John. It is a lyrical, touching, sympathetic story full of little-known details John's body finally being released to his mother from its secret basement hole for reburial in the family plot; Edwin burning his brother's theatrical trunk and every costume and prop in it, under the rueful eyes of a long-time servant; the spontaneous, disastrous collapse of the original Ford's Theater building, seemingly at the moment of the death of Edwin; a certain hummock in the median strip of a Virginia freeway, the site of the house on whose porch the "unfortunate" Johnny sucked his life away.

But Mr. Smith doesn't really answer the question of why Johnny did it. His (purported) fiancee, Lucy Hale, was a Yankee. John's animus seemed to be directed at Lincoln himself rather than the U.S. Republic. Maybe it was partly theatrics and partly the family tendency toward insanity.
I really enjoyed the book but some of the facts were different from other books I have read. That is always the problem with reading history.
Fascinating insight that gives historical perspective to one of our country's defining moments. The story of the family and its theatrical contribution helps us sense the passion of the players in this real drama.
Excellent book, well written about the family. It puts into perspective just how big stars these men were in their day. It also puts into perspective what it meant that John Wilkes Booth shot Lincolnit would be like Brad Pitt or George Clooney being an assassin. that's how big he was. Really enjoyed the read.
I read the book several years ago and thought that it was very interesting. I bought this one to give to my doctor, whose last name is Booth. I haven't seen him since and so I don't know if he's even read it.
Fascinating bio of one of the great American theater families, and the tragic ending for one of them.
Very interesting, detailed, account of the Booth family of actors, much about 19th century theatre people. The part about father Junius performing Shakespeare in the gold fields of California is fascinating. Although John's crime all but destroyed his family, Edwin's Players' Club lives on today. I learned a lot!
This is a well researched, well-written, and compelling read. I found the lives of the Booth's fascinating and was intrigued with how they intertwined with all the major political and cultural figures of the day, including President Abraham Lincoln - who loved the theater (along with his wife). This is the first account I've read, which uses J.W.B's own words about his assassination of Lincoln, recorded as he was hiding from search parties, only a few dozen miles from Washington. The book does a very nice job of wrapping up what happened to all the major figures involved in the assassination and the Booth family. A very good read indeed!