A Different Type of Victim
Today I cried for John Wilkes Booth's brother.
At Grandma Ralph's house, I stayed in the "Red Room" which was named for the red curtains that hung. The room was once my uncles' bedroom and there were still indications that it had once been a little boy's bedroom. On the wall there was a Wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth. I asked Grandma about the poster and she proposed a trip to the library to research President Lincoln's assassination.
I remember a few of the details from that research project, but of course it is the larger lessons learned - when you want to know something, go research it - that resonate with me. I do remember from my research that John Wilkes Booth had a brother, but until today I never thought about what it would be like to live as that brother - the brother of a Presidential Assassin.
Wally Lamb explores the theme of twins and siblings in all of his books. His most recent book is about the Columbine shootings. What about those assassin's - Eric's and Dylan's - brothers? How do you carry that your whole life? How does it change you?
Sometimes you can research things and learn facts. I respect that. But the reason that not only do I respect literature, but that I love literature is that when it is done well, it means that facts are presented in a way that makes you think or feel something that you recognize even when you had never thought of it before.
Like what it would feel like to be Edwin Booth with a promising acting career. And then to have to be John Wilkes Booth's brother the rest of his life. I was so overwhelmed by that idea that I cried.
At Grandma Ralph's house, I stayed in the "Red Room" which was named for the red curtains that hung. The room was once my uncles' bedroom and there were still indications that it had once been a little boy's bedroom. On the wall there was a Wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth. I asked Grandma about the poster and she proposed a trip to the library to research President Lincoln's assassination.
I remember a few of the details from that research project, but of course it is the larger lessons learned - when you want to know something, go research it - that resonate with me. I do remember from my research that John Wilkes Booth had a brother, but until today I never thought about what it would be like to live as that brother - the brother of a Presidential Assassin.
Wally Lamb explores the theme of twins and siblings in all of his books. His most recent book is about the Columbine shootings. What about those assassin's - Eric's and Dylan's - brothers? How do you carry that your whole life? How does it change you?
Sometimes you can research things and learn facts. I respect that. But the reason that not only do I respect literature, but that I love literature is that when it is done well, it means that facts are presented in a way that makes you think or feel something that you recognize even when you had never thought of it before.
Like what it would feel like to be Edwin Booth with a promising acting career. And then to have to be John Wilkes Booth's brother the rest of his life. I was so overwhelmed by that idea that I cried.
posted by Lea at 8:45 AM
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