For my money Teddy Roosevelt is the most interesting president, but on this reread of Team of Rivals, first read back in 2012 when I was doing my presidential biography readthrough, I have to say Lincoln was probably our best.

Makes you wistful about a time when the president, who, while far from perfect, wasn’t a thin skinned bully who had to surround himself with toadying yes men. And it reminds you that the party now trying to drag us back to the Jim Crow era was formed around the idea of preventing the spread of slavery and eventually abolishing it.

When you’re reading about Lincoln’s ability to sooth egos and work with people of differing views while still making the decisions, his clear thoughtfulness, his genuine understanding that his ambitions, if they were to be for the good, had to be in service to the people and not to himself, the contrast couldn’t be more stark. The Republican Party has fallen a long way in a hundred and seventy one years. And the nation is falling back into its worst aspects.

This is essentially a group biography of Lincoln and certain members of his cabinet: William Seward, Salman Chase, Edmund Bates and Edwin M. Stanton. Lincoln's humility in dealing with his rivals was key in pulling the nation through war and crisis. Even without the contrast to current politicians, it's a great read, but seems like a vital one in that context.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, Abraham Lincoln, what is with that guy? This is the book for you.

The answer to that question is both simple and complex. It’s complex because all people are complex, and the political landscape that Lincoln navigated–although lacking 24 hour news cycles, talking heads, and loudmouthed pundits–was nevertheless a treacherous and multi-faceted one. Team of Rivals is in large part Doris Kearns Goodwin’s attempt to illustrate just exactly how it was that he navigated those treacherous waters: gaining the presidency, winning the loyalty of the newly formed Republican party and love of the people despite his lack of education and political clout, bringing the country through the Civil War, passing one of the most influential pieces of legislation in history, and ultimately, ending with his assassination, and the Abraham Lincoln-shaped hole left in the world.

I say it is also simple because if DKG is to be believed (and I do believe her), Lincoln accomplished these things the same way he did everything in his life: by being a kindhearted, rational man with a good head for common sense on his shoulders, and a willingness to really listen and understand both his rivals and his allies. Early on in the book, DKG chronicles Lincoln’s tendency towards ‘melancholy,’ which she concludes was largely brought on by his extreme empathy. He brought a balance to everything he did that is probably most exemplified by his decision to bring his political rivals into his cabinet, and make them his chief advisors, a decision for which he was criticized, even by those same cabinet members.

The book is as much about those rivals as it is about Lincoln. William H. Seward, the most heavily favored candidate for president in 1860. Salmon P. Chase, a noted abolitionist, and a man simultaneously riddled with insecurities and absolutely rabid about his desire for the presidency, to the point where he believes himself destined for it, even though he has no talent for judging the climate of a situation. Edward Bates, the elderly statesman, who ran for president and then joined Lincoln’s cabinet despite a fierce desire to remain at home with his family. And Edwin M. Stanton, the famous lawyer, who upon first meeting Lincoln thought him incredibly dull and a hopeless rube. These are the men Lincoln surrounded himself with, and it’s notable that with the exception of Chase, who was a first class egomaniac and a total asshole to the end, all of them came to understand what a remarkable man Lincoln was, and to appreciate his unique abilities.

DKG’s writing is remarkably thorough, and by time I finished the book, I felt like I’d been through a master-class of Civil War era politics. Like all good historical writers, she mostly refrains from passing judgment, letting the evidence speak for itself. There were a few parts where I questioned the ‘Team of Rivals’ concept, but mostly only in regards to Chase. Seriously, you guys, that dude was really smart and he’s basically the reason we have paper money and everything, and he almost single-handedly helped fund the war effort, but . . . ASSHOLE. He never once acknowledged Lincoln’s aptitude for the presidency, believing until the end that HE should have been president, even going so far as to sow disloyalty in the cabinet leading up to the 1864 election (which he again was surprised at not being a top candidate, showing his total inability to understand why people disliked him). Of course, these actions cost him his place in the cabinet, even if he never understood why (he also never understood why his actions were so harmful). I mean, this is a guy who REGULARLY threatened to resign as a negotiation tactic with Lincoln, because he had the emotional maturity of an eight year old. But I will not say any more about Chase other than to emphasize that I really wish DKG would have clarified a little more why exactly he was such an essential piece of the team, because honestly, I think he was more trouble than he was worth. Lincoln, bless his heart, probably would have disagreed with me. He defended Chase’s integrity to the end, even giving him the Chief Justice position over several other less controversial candidates, because he truly believed Chase was the right man for the job, despite the backstabbing and manipulating he very well knew about.

Besides the big stuff, Team of Rivals was also chock full of tiny little details that were by turns amusing and disturbing. I will never get over Mary Lincoln and her shopping addiction, or how Lincoln’s secretaries called her ‘The Hellcat’ (they called Lincoln ‘The Ancient’). VP Andrew Johnson was totally wasted at the 1865 inauguaration, to the point of forgetting cabinet members’ names during his speech, and pointing to them instead. Almost all of the cabinet members took drastic paycuts to be in the cabinet, to the point where a couple risked financial ruin. And of course, the little tidbits about Lincoln himself. How awkward he was with the ladies, how much he loved to read (he carried a book with him everywhere), how he told stories constantly as a way to communicate . . . so many tidbits.

It took me three months to read this book, via audiobook. It was worth it. This is the kind of history I wish I would have read in high school, not that sanitized dumbed-down crap. The kind that takes history out of the realm of story, and gives it flesh and blood. The kind that makes me feel enough to cry for ten minutes while driving, to the point where I had to stop and park to gather my bearings. The kind of history that makes you feel the joy, and the wasted potential. The thing that makes me most sad–besides Lincoln’s death, obviously, is that with that idiot Andrew Johnson running things, the chance of a productive Reconstruction period (full of Lincoln’s trademark common sense and empathy, even for the South) went to almost nothing. How much different things could be even today if Lincoln had been the one to shepherd the reunification of our country, we’ll never know. But I like to think it would have mattered. That one man can be that influential, just by being kind and sympathetic from a place of power. It’s the reason Lincoln is so mythologized. He’s easy to mythologize. Hell, this is my favorite t-shirt, and I wear it with pride:



Fittingly, DKG ends her book with this quote, that I feel sums up things nicely.

“Washington was a typical American. Napoleon was a typical Frenchman, but Lincoln was a humanitarian as broad as the world. He was bigger than his country – bigger than all the Presidents together.”

It’s a good book, is what I’m saying.

[4.5 stars]

When it seems that more and more books are being written with an ever narrowing focus - a battle, a speech, "A Day in the Life ..." - it's a pleasure to pick up an old fashioned well researched and well written history that one can sink his or her teeth into.

Team of Rivals is just such a book. Although per se there is nothing "startling" or "new" in this biography, the author's perspective/premise - examining Lincoln's growth, evolution, his success(es) and failures in conjunction with the members of his Cabinet - does yield a fascinating look into the multi-faceted character/mind of Abraham Lincoln and proves that 140+ years after his untimely death there is still much to learn from this man. Because of this, Team of Rivals is a welcome and worthy addition to the ever growing catalog of Lincoln history.

The only caveat I have in recommending this book would be to a reader who wanted to start here in understanding this complicated time in U.S. history. The amount of information and the number of topics covered might be overwhelming. (Starting with other Lincoln bios by Guelzo or Donald; Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson on the US Civil War would provide background and are excellent books in their own right.)

Doris Kearns Goodwin weaves a masterful tale as she follows the lives of Lincoln and his intimate circle of friends and rivals from the early 1800s, through the Civil War until the catastrophe assassination of the President in April 1865. It is a complex, but fascinating story of the political genius of Lincoln who was able to get consensus from his most bitter rivals all while holding on to his own high moral code. Particularly moving, besides the horrors of war and the cataclysmic night at the Ford Theater, was the various contexts for his greatest speeches and writings including the moving Gettysburg Address. Readers will find Lincoln to be both humorous and melancholy, but ultimately curious, brave, and human.

There is some beautiful psychological analysis of Lincoln's personality along with a Pynchon (one of my favorite authors!) quote on melancholy on page 109. In fact, all the characters are analyzed with great insights into their motivations and characters: one of the primary strengths of this book is this intimate portrait of these men. I feel like I can sympathize greatly with Lincoln's particular pathos: The melancholy stamped on Lincoln's nature derived in large part from an acute sensitivity to the pains and injustices he perceived in the world. He was uncommonly tenderhearted.. We are also treated to many of Lincoln's wonderful stories. Drawn from his own experiences and the curiosities reported by others, they frequently provided maxims or proverbs that usefully connected to the lives of his listeners. Lincoln possessed an extraordinary ability to convey practical wisdom in the form of humorous tales his listeners could remember and repeat. This process of repetition is central to the oral tradition. (p. 151)
That is one of the things that struck me about the world described - oral communication played a far more critical role in these days before the internet, and it would seem that we have lost a generation of able statesmen in our times of vacuous soundbites.

Some time is spent on the catastrophic Dred Scott Supreme Court decision written by Chief Justice Taney. It was admirable how Seward fought this tooth and nail. I feel that today's Justice Roberts may be nearly as corrupt as Taney and may yet deliver some similary catastrophic decisions. (p. 191)

Another phrase that certainly rung a bitter bell for me was during the presidential campagn of 1860 when the Chicago Press and Tribune wrote: if Mr. Lincoln is elected President, he will carry little but that is ornamental to the White House. The country must accept his sincerity, his ability and his honesty...He may not preside at the Presidential dinners with the ease and grace which distinguish the 'venerable public functionary,' Mr. Buchanan; but he will not create the necessity" for a congressional committee to investigate corruption in his administration. (p. 265). This is, sadly, very very far from where we have sunk today.

One piece of trivia I appreciated was that the officialization of Thanksgiving as a national holiday was, in fact, Lincoln's idea (p. 577) in October 1863. Brilliant. This was followed by one of the most moving speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address which is quoted in full on page 586.
Oh that today’s leaders had even a sprinkling of Lincoln’s humanity. But that is a whole other debate.

The book was absolutely wonderful and ends with a fascinating quote from a young 23yo Lincoln, "Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other [ambition] so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow man, of rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition, is yet to be developed." (p. 749) He certainly made good on that promise, and the United States is indebted to him for it. Hopefully, the winds of change will blow on Washington in November 2020 and renew a spirit of humanity which is so lacking today and so evident in Lincoln's story.

I read this book a couple of years ago. It is without question one of the greatest biographies of Lincoln out there. It gives a short history of each man in Lincoln's cabinet and then the meat of the book follows what they did and believed and how they interacted during Lincoln's presidency and the Civil War. I have never seen a book that so beautifully demonstrates how Lincoln brilliantly balanced the fine line between personal ideology and political necessity.

That is why I am shocked that I did not review it at the time. This book came up in a recent 4th of July type discussion and I came over here to see what I wrote about it only to find nothing. What? I'm half tempted to read it again just so I can give it the review it deserves. Strike that. I will be reading it again. But not for the review. No. I'll do it because the book is really good and definitely deserves another take. I've read a lot of books on Lincoln and the Civil War. This is, without hesitation, the best of the lot.

It's difficult to give a bad review for a book that takes this much of your life to read, but I've read too many Civil War books to give a bad one thumbs up.

“Team of Rivals” is in reality two books, one very good and one shockingly bad. The first book covers the lives of Lincoln, Bates, Chase, Stanton and Seward from birth to 1860. Tales of their rise is rich and detailed full of stories that paint a picture of their varying personalities. Great. The second book, however, is bad. Once the ‘Team’ is assembled and the guns of the Civil War are rattling, Goodwin’s narration falls apart. Anyone with even a vague grasp of the Civil War will be surprised at the author’s lack of knowledge on the subject. The battle of Fredericksburg is covered in one sentence, Chancellorsville in two sentences and Gettysburg in two paragraphs while various balls and festivals hosted by Mary Todd and Kate Chase are covered in 10 page slices. I find it ironic that Goodwin points out how unimportant Lincoln regarded these events, yet she insists on giving us a blow by blow of every decoration and dinner party. Disturbing how much the superficial dominates the book. I began to seriously wonder if the author was aware that the War and Lincoln’s perseverance in the face of it is why he is so admired.

Goodwin should stick to writing about baseball. To write about Lincoln and know so little about the War is not the work of a master historian. Read the fantastic first half but don’t waste your time with anything past 1860.

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of his extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires. It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war. We view the long, horrifying struggle of the Civil War from the vantage point of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to have his back and to see him through. This brilliant biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.

Put aside whatever you're reading now--yes, even those compelling vampire/romance books--and pick up this book. It's that good. Even though Goodwin is writing about Lincoln's cabinet, her work is eerily contemporary, given Obama's situation. Everyone but a handful of people thought Lincoln had risen too fast and was too untried to take charge of a desperate crises facing the country. Goodwin uses the main characters' diaries, letters, journals, and speeches to show how that opinion gradually changed. If Obama has half of Lincoln's greatness of heart, we are in good hands.

What an amazing man! I’d read a couple of other books about President Abraham Lincoln, but not of this depth. He was a great person. Goodwin did extensive research which resulted in a Pulitzer Prize winner. Lincoln was a humble man and one of dignity. He was one of the greatest leaders in American history.

A Pulitzer Prize winner worthy of the award.
All of the superlative adjectives apply to this book.
A monumental effort on a monumental book.
A remarkable study of Lincoln and the people who surrounded him during his lifetime.
The saying "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" applies throughout the book.

These are just a few of my thoughts and comments on this extraordinary book. Extensively researched and well-written, Goodwin expertly intertwined her prose with the myriad of letters, diaries and notes provided by the many historical figures involved in the political and personal events of Lincoln's life.
I must admit to the use of the audio version of the book at times due to its length and detail. The audio (read superbly by Richard Thomas of "The Waltons" fame) was edited so much that I had to stop listening and read from time to time. While the audio stayed true to the political theme of the book, so much of the personal side of events of the main and secondary characters was edited out. Though seemingly unimportant to the audio, these personal stories were a welcome addition to my reading enjoyment and showed the human side of this terrible time in American history. I would have missed so much information and knowledge just by listening to the audio. This contributed greatly to my reading experience.
If you intend to read this book, please do so word for word with the printed text. You will be greatly rewarded for your commitment. Highly, highly recommended for all Civil War and Lincoln enthusiasts.

By the time I finished this book I felt I had lived a life time with Abe and was fully acquainted with the members of his cabinet. The book is actually five (or more) biographies which explains its length. It's hard to imagine any other personality being able to do what Lincoln did in holding the northern political extremes together during the Civil War.

The following short description of the books is from my Book Lover's Calendar (Workman Publishing Co.). I thought it was a very good summary of the book.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of nonfiction’s gifts to the world. Here she examines Lincoln’s political savvy in his choosing for allies disgruntled rivals William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward M. Stanton, and Edward Bates, enlisting all three opponents in the Republication nomination of 1860 for important posts in his cabinet. The “rube” from Illinois won the respect and loyalty of these accomplished, urbane men, and together they put their skills and abilities to work in the service of a nation very much in need of leadership and vision.

Solid 4 Stars: Intricate details spin an illuminating web around this historical colossus.

We all know about Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents ever, and are well versed in the legend and legacy of Lincoln — but what about the man behind the public persona?

This book pulls back the curtain and humanizes Lincoln, brining him to life through the wide array of lives closest to him, providing a fresh view of his vivid personality, strength of character, and unflagging belief in his country.

Lincoln was a master statesman, handling and maneuvering men remotely as pieces upon a chessboard. As soon as he secured the Republican nomination, he set about enlisting the help of the very men who had fought him for it — Chase, Bates, Seward, and Stanton. These men transitioned from adversaries into his most loyal allies, a true team of rivals.

Author Doris Kearns Goodwin admits in the intro that some of her assumptions about Lincoln were incorrect at the outset—Lincoln was not a depressive individual, but actually one of the most even tempered of all of his colleagues. He had a gift for story telling, and a “life affirming sense of humor” — both were news to me.

Other tidbits that took me by surprise:

— Details about Mary Lincoln, including her temper, migraines, and carriage accident

— Walt Whitman worked as a nurse for wounded soldiers

— Lincoln considered colonization of the freed slaves?!?

Thought to Consider:

“Without the march of events that led to the civil war, Lincoln still would have been a good man, but most likely would never have been publicly recognized as a great man. It was history that gave him with the opportunity to manifest his greatness, providing the stage that allowed him to shape and transform our national life.”

Favorite Quotes:

“As he had done so many times before, Lincoln withstood the storm of defeat by replacing anguish over an unchangeable past with hope in an uncharted future.”

"'Washington was a typical American. Napoleon was a typical Frenchman, but Lincoln was a humanitarian as broad as the world. He was bigger than his country — bigger than all the Presidents together. We are still too near to his greatness,' Tolstoy concluded, 'but after a few centuries more our posterity will find him considerably bigger than we do. His genius is still too strong and too powerful for the common understanding, just as the sun is too hot when it's light beams directly on us.'”