Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

Consider the book’s treatment of smaller human details of Booth’s life and death. Why does Swanson focus on these minutiae to the degree he does? How do they add or detract from the narrative?

Why does Swanson include verbatim quotations from telegraphs, newspapers, and personal letters throughout the text? How do these quotations contribute to the narrative?

How did technology play a role in the successful conclusion of the manhunt? How did old-fashioned investigative techniques play a role in finding Booth? Using evidence from the text, discuss whether technology was key to the conclusion of the search.

What is Swanson’s conclusion about the outcome of Booth’s assassination of Lincoln? Does he feel Booth was successful in his aims? Describe whether you agree with Swanson’s conclusions. Why or why not?

How does Swanson characterize both popular mementos of Lincoln’s assassination and the memorial sites of Petersen’s boardinghouse and Ford’s Theatre? Based on this characterization, what considerations should be made when memorializing tragic historic events?

Compare and contrast the roles of at least three women mentioned in the narrative. How do they contribute to the events? To what extent do they have individual agency over the events that occurred?

What were the goals of the official response to the crisis? Which of their tactics were effective in achieving their goals? What elements of the official response were not effective?

Identify at least four examples where Swanson uses sensory detail to describe a scene. What is the purpose of including the details he does? Are these details historically reliable?