Book Log 2009 #20: Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson

As the Lincoln bicentennial neared, Ferguson, a Lincoln buff as a youth, decided to delve deeper into his boyhood idol to see how Lincoln is remembered and promoted in America today. To do so, he revisits both the wealth of Lincoln historical sites and the wide array of scholarship on Lincoln's life. Along the way he also tries to see what relevance Lincoln has with kids today by involving (or subjecting, depending on your point of view) his own children in visiting sites.

I'd expected something in a postmodern/ironic style, and while some of that does creep in (deservedly so in some parts), it's largely an authenic attempt to determine Lincoln's current relevance. There's also a fair amount of warmth for the subject, not surprising given Ferguson's ardor for Abe, and there's a generous amount of humor throughout. Certainly worth a read.