American Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family--Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth Smith, Gene

The Booths were America's royal family of theater — until one of them became its most infamous killer. Gene Smith traces three generations: Junius, the brilliant, alcoholic patriarch who once tried to stab his manager; Edwin, who became the greatest Shakespearean actor of his age; and John Wilkes, the handsome, charismatic son who shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in 1865. This is the story of how ambition, mental illness, and Civil War politics tore apart a family that once commanded standing ovations across the nation. Smith excavates the scandals, the rivalries, the alcoholism, and the madness that swirled around the Booths long before that April night. Gothic is the right word — this family was cursed, and their story reads like a Shakespearean tragedy written in American blood. Essential reading for Civil War buffs and anyone fascinated by the thin line between genius and catastrophe. Rated 4.08 on Goodreads.