In this gripping account of the boyhood, marriage and young professional life of Abraham Lincoln, award-winning writer Russell Freedman brings to life the presidential years, scholarly thoughts and reflections of the Civil War president. Winner of the 1988 Newbery Medal. This 1988 Newbery Medal-winning biography of our Civil War president is warm, appealing and illustrated with dozens of carefully chosen photographs and prints. Russell Freedman begins with a lively account of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood, his career as a country lawyer and his courtship and marriage to Mary Todd. Then the author focuses on the presidential years 1861 to 1865 , skillfully explaining the many complex issues Lincoln grappled with as he led a deeply divided nation through the Civil War. The book's final chapter is a moving account of that tragic evening in Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. Additional content includes a sampling of Lincoln's writings and a detailed list of Lincoln historical sites.