I am currently reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's - Team of Rivals - about the political genius of Lincoln. Goodwin makes Lincoln and his contemporaries come to life. With great detail she describes life, relationships, politics, social issues and other important factors that played a role in the eventual Civil War. Goodwin is so great with description that on at least three occasions I forgot that Lincoln gets assassinated. Seriously! I was reading a section of the book where Lincoln told his law partner that he would be back after his term(s) as president was over. It was at the moment that I realized that Lincoln never did return and I almost started to cry.