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Round 1 Match 8: The Lincolns vs NationApril 16, 2009
Judge Ann Brashares' Statement Well, it was hard to coax these two books into the ring. Not just because books in general don't make natural pugilists, (nor most of their writers, I guess), but because they are so completely different. One is fiction, the other nonfiction. One speeds along in a rollicking narrative line and the other accumulates in pieces to be enjoyed in order or out of it. They are easy to contrast, difficult to compare. Nation is a dry title for a wonderfully humid book. Terry Pratchett's novel takes place on a jungle island in the alternate-universe Southern Pelagic Ocean where Mau, a boy returning alone in his canoe from a manhood-ritual, discovers the Nation, his home, has been wiped out by a tsunami. Meanwhile a ship carrying a sheltered British girl of royal blood, Ermintrude (yes, she hates that name too, and becomes Daphne at her first opportunity), is a also destroyed by the great wave, tossed right into the middle of Mau's island. The two of them are the only survivors, but soon they are joined by shaken refugees from other devastated islands nearby. Nation has got natural disaster, swashbuckling adventure, romance (well, some), humor, and a great deal of wisdom ("Even our fears make us feel important," he writes). Mr. Pratchett knows all the elements of good storytelling; you can be sure the weapon introduced in the first act will reappear by the end. It's also got a tree-climbing octopus, a foul-mouthed bird, and a lot of sharks. The story feels mostly serious until somewhere past the mid-point after which it becomes mostly not-serious. It remains entertaining throughout. The Lincolns, by Candace Fleming is a scrapbook about Abraham and Mary. In her introduction, she writes that her book is more about people than battles, and that is certainly true. The book is packed with bits and pieces of their lives--photographs, news clippings, drawings, a recipe for white cake, the contents of Abraham's pockets the night of his assassination. Ms. Fleming's writing is simple and clear, but also intimate. I felt more of a connection to Abraham Lincoln than I've felt before, and I think this owes to the details, where sweetness tends to lurk. The small things (as when Abraham tried to cheer up his sister Sarah after their mother's death by catching her a raccoon and a turtle, but could not catch her a fawn), make it vivid and truly poignant. Mary Lincoln I found harder to love, but it is impossible not to feel sympathy for her. These are two immensely satisfying books and I recommend them both. I would have liked to flip a coin to get us to the next round, to tell you the truth, but that would have been an abrogation of my judgely duties. My instinct was to base my choice on apparent effort, I guess, and The Lincolns represents a remarkable amount of it. The volume of research both in the text and pictures is admirable. And this is where one of Mr. Pratchett's great gifts caused the loss. His book feels effervescent, ebullient, exciting and . . . almost effortless.
 Yes! Ann is amazing! But, wait! Oh, no! Argh! I am so conflicted here! These are two of my favorite books of the year. I would have been happy to see this match-up in the finals. How did they end up drawing each other in the first round? It’s ridiculous! I love Nation for its mixture of humor and poignancy and perhaps most of all for its brilliant treatment of faith, culture, and politics. I love The Lincolns for its wonderfully human portraits of Abraham and Mary, for the panoramic canvas of the nineteenth century, and for the detailed brushstrokes of the numerous primary sources. I will mourn the premature loss of Nation, while I rejoice in the fact that Team Nonfiction has now taken three of four matches in the first round. Go, Team Nonfiction, Go! Posted by Battle Commander on April 16, 2009 | Comments (5)
April 16, 2009
In response to: Round 1 Match 8: The Lincolns vs Nation Wendy commented: What on EARTH? You chose The Lincolns because you could see the effort that went into it?
April 16, 2009
In response to: Round 1 Match 8: The Lincolns vs Nation Annonymous commented: Wah... I had Nation as the ultimate winner... and my head is swimming. I don't have a blog to post about this, but it sure is an "
April 17, 2009
In response to: Round 1 Match 8: The Lincolns vs Nation Laura commented: Wendy, where are you blogging?
April 17, 2009
In response to: Round 1 Match 8: The Lincolns vs Nation Battle Commander commented: I believe Wendy blogs at Six Boxes of Books and I've put her links on this week's Peanut Gallery post.
April 18, 2009
In response to: Round 1 Match 8: The Lincolns vs Nation Monkey 51 commented: I have returned again and again to Fleming's Lincolns. I think it does some remarkable things. The book finds a fresh way to look at lives and events we thought we knew everything about. It's a coherent, no nonsense biography that can be read as a traditional history, but it can also be dipped into little by little. My students open to random pages and the small moments, as well as the large events ,spark discussion. The other thing that makes this bio remarkable is the overdue attention paid to Mary and her relationship with Mr. Lincoln.
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