The Day Lincoln Lost

May 1, 2020
Lincoln as presidential candidate, lawyer, and friend is brought to life in Rosenberg's tale of an escaped slave and the race to succeed the commander in chief referred to here as that drunkard Buchanan. Opening the book is Lucy Battelle, a teenager who is enslaved on a Kentucky plantation and who escapes to Illinois, only to be tricked into recapture. Illinois is a free state, but still Battelle is slated to be returned to her cruel origins, a fate vehemently opposed by abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster. When Foster is accused of inciting a mob to free Battelle, the abolitionist is reluctantly represented by Lincoln, who is desperate to have her acquitted so that, as president, he is not faced with the question of pardoning her. Also in the mix are a Pinkerton Agency detective trying to find Battelle and a journalist chasing the story, all making this account of Lincoln's pre-presidential life an illuminating and unusual read. Give this to fans of courtroom drama and politics. Rosenberg is also the author of The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from June 8, 2020
This thought-provoking alternate history from Rosenberg (The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington) centers on the 1860 presidential race. In August of that year, real-life abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster arrives in Springfield, Ill., Abraham Lincoln’s hometown, where Lucy Battelle, an enslaved 12-year-old, is being held. The girl escaped from Kentucky a month earlier, was captured in Illinois, and now, pursuant to the Fugitive Slave Act, is about to be handed over to the man claiming her as his property. After a speech in which Abby encourages action to free Lucy, some of the townspeople do just that. President James Buchanan, who’s opposed to Lincoln succeeding him, arranges for Abby to be charged with violating the Fugitive Slave Act in an effort to force Lincoln to take a stand on whether he’d pardon her if he wins the election. Whichever side he takes, Lincoln is sure to alienate a significant number of voters. Rosenberg keeps the suspense high as the results of Buchanan’s scheming plausibly play out. This well-researched, character-driven page-turner deserves a wide readership. Agent: Erica Silverman, Trident Media Group.