It’s April 14th, 1865. The actor John Wilkes Booth pulls a gun and assassinates President Lincoln who is sitting in a balcony of the Ford Theatre in Washington DC. Booth becomes one of the most infamous men in American history. But what about his family? Who were they? What did they believe? Did they have any role in the killing? These are questions author and Man Booker finalist Karen Joy Fowler discusses in her epic book, Booth.Booth is a sweeping American saga that charts the rising fame of the Booth family from humble beginnings to their fame as the nation’s most famous family of actors. And, of course, it looks at their fates after the event that made them the nation’s most infamous family of actors.This conversation was recorded on 15 Sept, 2022 at the OBA Public Library in Amsterdam and was presented by the University of Amsterdam Professor, Katy Hull.Become a member of the John Adams Institute.Support the show

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related