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HISTORICAL FICTION

THE WHOLE TRUTH, EVEN WHEN IT HURTS

Posts in autobiography
Abe's Yarns and Stories

By Alexander K. McClure (Author), Colin Heston (Introduction)

Abe’s Yarns and Stories, edited by Alexander K. McClure and first published in 1901 by the International Publishing Company, is a unique and enduring contribution to the cultural memory of Abraham Lincoln. Rather than a conventional biography, this volume presents Lincoln through the lens of his own storytelling—anecdotes, jokes, parables, and recollections that he used to communicate, persuade, and connect with people from all walks of life. The book is both a literary and historical artifact, capturing the essence of Lincoln’s personality and the oral tradition that helped shape his public image. McClure, a journalist and political figure who knew Lincoln personally, compiled this collection not only to entertain but to preserve the wit and wisdom of a man whose humor was as integral to his leadership as his moral conviction.
What makes Abe’s Yarns and Stories particularly compelling is its blend of folklore and fact. While some of the anecdotes may be apocryphal or embellished, they reflect the way Lincoln was remembered and revered by those who knew him and those who came after. The book thus serves as a bridge between history and myth, illustrating how Lincoln’s legacy was shaped not only by his deeds but by the stories told about him. McClure’s editorial voice is respectful and admiring, but he allows Lincoln’s own words and the voices of his contemporaries to take center stage. The result is a portrait that is intimate, humanizing, and deeply American. His rich self-education and his storytelling formed the foundation of a presidency that not only preserved the Union but also reshaped the American identity. They allowed him to lead not just with policy, but with wisdom and heart—qualities that continue to define his legacy.

Read-Me.Org Inc. New York-Philadelphia-Australia. 2025. 360p.

The Buddha in the Attic

By Julie Otsuka

Winner of the Pen Faulkner Award for Fiction 2012. National Book Award Finalist 2011. From the cover. Between the wars a group of young, non-English-speaking Japanese women travelled by boat to America. They were picture brides, clutching photos of husbands-to-be whom they had yet to meet. Julie Otsuka tells their extraordinary, heartrending story in this spellbinding and poetic account
of strangers lost and alone in a new and deeply foreign land. “Harrowing. Otsuka tells a powerful, affecting story that ensures a largely forgotten voice is heard once more.” Scotsman. ‘Poignant, fascinating and tragic’ Easy Living

NY. Penguin. 2011. 130p.

Moonstone

By Wilkie Collins.

The loss of the diamond opens the beginning of this adventure and events as related by Gabriel Betteredge, house-steward in the service of Julia, Lady Verinder. “ The Moonstone is a 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early modern example of the detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. Told from the perspective of 11different characters, tale of mystery and suspicion was considered the first modern English detective novel at its time of publication.” (Amazon).

NY. Harrow and Heston Classic Reprint. (1868) 510 pages.

Great Expectations

By Charles Dickens.

This was Charles Dickens' thirteenth novel published in Dickens' weekly journal All the Year Round without illustrations. An American edition was also published in Harper's Weekly. The novel contains a strong autobiographical element, though not as openly as in David Copperfield. Dickens reread Copperfield before beginning Great Expectations to avoid unintentional repetition. It is generally acclaimed as his best work.

NY. Harrow and Heston Classic Reprint. (186-1861) 521 pages.