The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter

I Expected So Much...

Published by Alfred A. Knopf in July of 2012

I love Stephen L. Carter - the essayist. He writes brilliant essays. He makes me think and I learn a lot. I have now determined that I just don't care much for Stephen L. Carter the novelist and I will stick to the essays.

When I saw the topic of this book I was thrilled. Carter is a law professor so he knows all of the legal angles. I am an enthusiastic student of the Civil War so I was already very familiar with all of the politics, legal issues and personalities that would have been involved with an impeachment of Lincoln.

The premise of the story is that Lincoln was not killed by John Wilkes Booth, although he was gravely injured. Vice President Andrew Johnson was killed and Secretary of State William Seward was injured so badly that he has not been seen publicly since the attempt on his life.

Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814-1869)
plays a key role in this alternate history novel.

In real life, Vice President Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached because he was unable to successfully navigate the rough political waters of post-Civil War America. Lincoln is caught in these same currents and is impeached on a host of different charges. Lincoln's lawyers include a young black woman who has recently graduated from Oberlin College named Abigail Canner. She is learning how to be a lawyer, like an intern. The book is mostly told from her point of view.

As the case against Lincoln moves from the House to the Senate the situation is clouded by multiple murders,  mysterious messages that come and go and witnesses disappearing. Canner and another young "intern" named Jonathan Hilliman team up to follow leads that no one else seems interested in. All the while the impeachment case moves forward.

The book is filled with great characters, the topic is interesting and his portrayal of Lincoln and other historical personages is dead on when compared to everything else I have read. But, this book is slow. The plot is byzantine in nature - so intricate, so many plotters out to get Lincoln and so many anti-plotters out to protect him that I just lost interest and the book just dragged. I found that I was forcing myself to finish a book that I should have been enjoying.

I rate this book 2 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln

Reviewed on November 11, 2012.

Jericho's Fall by Stephen L. Carter

It just didn't work for me

Published in 2009 by Knopf.

This wasn't a bad book - I finished it and I wanted to know what was going on, but...

The book successfully creates a mood. It reminds me of one of those novels set in the Highland Moors in which creepy Lord Whatshisname gathers his family, friends and professional acquaintances to his manor as he lies dying. The sparks fly and secrets are revealed as the horrible weather howls outside.

Jericho's Fall is not based on the Highlands, but on a lonely mountaintop mansion compound in Colorado. There is no English Lord, but instead we have a former Secretary of Defense/CIA Director. His daughters, his ex-lover and loads of professional contacts are in and out of the compound. Sparks do fly and secrets are revealed as freezing rain and snow fall.

Well, I hate those kinds of books and this one had a few too many hidden agendas, double secret agents and super spy secret gadgets for my tastes. Too much posturing and too many mind games. It is readable, but not great.

Stephen L. Carter

On the positive side, however, I was intrigued by the author's non-fiction titles inside the front cover and have begun to read them. I have found them to be quite well-written and have added many of them to my wish list.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Jericho's Fall by Stephen L. Carter.

Reviewed on July 23, 2009.

The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religion by Stephen L. Carter

A thoughtful look at the poo-pooing of religion by secular American society

Published in 1993 by Basic Books.

I found The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religion while reading another book by Stephen L. Carter, one that I did not care for, Jericho's Fall. However, I am glad I read Jericho's Fall because I found this book listed on a page of the author's other works.

Read the discussion boards on popular blogs, newspaper pages and any other site that attracts people from all walks of life and you will find a strong anti-religious bias. In fact, there is a rather insulting review of this book that does much the same on Amazon.com. Carter takes a look at this relatively new fact of American life - the secularization of everything and the expectation that religious people treat "God as a hobby" and the expectation of people not to use their religious beliefs as a framework for their lives. Fear of someone "imposing" one's religion on another rules all.

Carter explores the history of this movement, looks at legal cases that have run roughshod over religion and discusses the irony of the fact that Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement was based on religious arguments against discrimination and highlighted the main strength of autonomous religion in a pluralistic society: it can serve as a counterweight to government. In more common terms, it can "speak truth to power."

Carter is far from advocating theistic government (he is, in my opinion, very liberal politically), he is merely pointing out that religion cannot be a tool of the state - they have different goals. He warns that "nearly everyone seems to operate with the general presumption that the government can and should regulate in whatever areas suit its constituents' fancy - unless opponents can interpose a claim of constitutional right. And as federal constitutional rights go, the right to exercise religion freely is quite near the bottom of the totem pole."(p. 138)

The only problem with this book is that it is dated. There are many, many references to the 1992 Republican Convention (one that I vaguely remember for a particularly vitriolic speech by Patrick Buchanan) which was the last big national event that involved religion and politics. I would love for Stephen L. Carter to re-write this book and include recent events such as the Jeremiah Wright controversy, the Schiavo case, Islam in America and so much more.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Culture of Disbelief.

Reviewed on September 19, 2009.
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