Abraham Lincoln, a Man of Faith and Courage

Despite the title, this serviceable one-volume biography of Lincoln does not dwell on either his faith or his courage. Instead, author Joe Wheeler touches on both themes throughout to illustrate Lincoln's major achievements. A further subtitle describes the book as "stories," which is an apt description. The author recounts a series of anecdotes culled from extensive research (which the author himself reminds readers of more than once). They are interesting and informative. This story structure and its conversational style adapt well to audio. Grover Gardner carries just the right tone as narrator. His voice is folksy without losing the seriousness needed in reading about the grave issues that confronted Lincoln. In direct quotations, he slows his reading slightly but doesn't adopt special voices, which would sound forced. R.C.G. 2009 Audies Finalist (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine