Saturday, January 26, 2008

The Madness of Mary Lincoln.

As a BookTV junkie, I watched a program on Jason Emerson's new book The Madness of Mary Lincoln, which deals with the often misunderstood mental illness of the wife of the 16th president. Her son, Robert Todd Lincoln, tends to be demonized for institutionalizing her; Emerson explains in an even-handed fashion the difficult situation in which Robert found himself, Mary's severe trauma via the violent death of her husband and the deaths of most of her children, her medical treatment, and her attitude toward her confinement as evidenced in her letters.

To watch the video from the program, go here. (And for Bill Crider and other Texans, this tribute to the late Molly Ivins may be of interest).

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Always good to see a tribute to a fellow Texan.