Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 When Abraham Lincoln was eighteen, he lost his sister, Sarah, who was two years older than he was. She had been his only companion after the death of their mother. #2 Lincoln’s boyhood was marked by tragedy and grief, and his adult life was characterized by shocks of violence and suffering even greater than those of his youth. He was haunted by the specter of death. #3 On May 22, 1856, Preston Brooks, a congressman from South Carolina, walked into the Senate chamber and confronted Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. He had delivered a speech three days earlier against the institution of slavery, and Sumner had insulted several of his South Carolina colleagues. #4 The assault was so violent that the cane broke in half, and Brooks kept beating Sumner with the half still in his hand. Don’t kill him! an older Senator cried out as the assault continued.