Peachtree City Library will welcome bestselling author John Cribb on Thursday, February 2, at 1 p.m., in the Floy Farr Room to discuss his latest work of historical fiction, The Rail Splitter. The event is free and open to the public.
The Rail Splitter tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s remarkable journey from a log cabin to the threshold of the White House—a journey that makes him one of America’s most beloved heroes. The story begins with Lincoln’s youth on the frontier, where he grows up with an ax in one hand and book in the other, determined to make something of himself. He sets off on one adventure after another, from rafting down the Mississippi River to marching in an Indian war. When he is twenty-six, the girl he hopes to marry dies of fever. He spends days wandering the countryside in grief. A few years later, he purchases a ring inscribed with the words “Love Is Eternal” and enters a tempestuous marriage with Mary Todd.
The Rail Splitter develops Lincoln as he literally and figuratively wrestles his way to prominence on the Illinois prairies. He teaches himself the law and enters the rough-and-tumble world of frontier politics. With Mary’s encouragement, he wins a term in the US Congress, but his political career falters. As arguments over slavery sweep the country, Lincoln finds something worth fighting for, and his debates with brash rival Stephen Douglas catapult him toward the White House.
A bestselling author who has written about subjects ranging from history to education, Cribb is the coauthor, with William J. Bennett, of The American Patriot’s Almanac. His first novel, Old Abe, covering the last five years of Lincoln’s life, has met with widespread acclaim. Incorporating years of the author’s research for historical accuracy, The Rail Splitter reminds readers during a time when our nation worries about its future, that the country Lincoln loved is a place of wide-open dreams where extraordinary journeys unfold. It is an important novel for everyone interested in American history, the American character, and the quest for the American Dream.
Books will be available to purchase at the event from Book Miser.
