Young Lincoln

Young Lincoln is a novel about the childhood and young adult years of Abraham Lincoln. Abe himself tells the story of his years in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Abe encounters the same problems that young adults have faced for generations: tension with a demanding parent; the need for friendship and the need to be alone; feeling shy and awkward around girls; recurrent depression; and what path to follow in his life. Using primary sources, drawing mostly on materials gathered by Lincoln s law partner, William H. Herndon, Jan Jacobi gives young adult readers a portrait of Abraham Lincoln they do not encounter in their history books. Abe has serious doubts and concerns about his future, his ability to cope with loss, his lack of religious faith, and his relationship with his father. It is a youth and young adulthood of struggle, doubt, and loss--and there is no guarantee he will survive it.