What to be Like.

I came to read this book after seeing the critical acclaim it has received where it appeared to be a defining book of Abraham Lincoln and his political philosophy. From reading it I have found Doris Kearns Goodwin has created a masterful exploration of leadership, character, and collaboration, centered on one of America’s most celebrated presidents. Published in 2005, the book is both a detailed biography of Lincoln and an insightful study of his political acumen, particularly his ability to unify a deeply divided country during the Civil War.

The narrative revolves around Lincoln’s decision to bring his former political rivals, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates into his cabinet. These men had been contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860, and each considered themselves superior to Lincoln. Goodwin meticulously details how Lincoln’s humility, empathy, and emotional intelligence enabled him to navigate their ambitions and egos, ultimately forging a team that contributed to his presidency’s successes. Goodwin’s prose is both accessible and deeply engaging. She weaves personal anecdotes, historical context, and political strategy into a compelling narrative. The book paints a vivid portrait of Lincoln not only as a shrewd politician but also as a man of great moral depth, who sought unity and justice even at tremendous personal cost.

One of the book’s most striking features is its focus on relationships. Goodwin highlights how Lincoln’s ability to listen, compromise, and earn the respect of those who initially doubted him was central to his leadership. She contrasts Lincoln’s approach with the more rigid and self-serving attitudes of some of his contemporaries, underscoring the importance of adaptability and collaboration in governance. We see how and why he brought these figures around to follow and respect him. For example, in the case of Salmon P. Chase who initially believed Lincoln to be indecisive but later saw him as being very fair. William
H. Steward who saw him as an outsider and later acknowledged Lincoln’s genius in managing the complexity of the war. Or most impressively Frederick Douglass who initially criticised Lincoln for not being aggressive enough against the South or prioritising emancipation. However came to see the picture was much more complicated and recognised Lincoln was a great man. All of this of course did not happen over night.

However, the book’s richness can sometimes feel overwhelming. The level of detail about the personal lives and motivations of the cabinet members may slow the narrative for readers more interested in Lincoln’s actions as president. Nonetheless, this depth is a strength for those seeking a comprehensive understanding of the era. Overall, ‘Team of Rivals’ is a remarkable achievement in historical scholarship. It provides timeless lessons on leadership, particularly in divided times, making it as relevant today as it is illuminating of the past. For anyone interested in history, politics, or the art of leadership, Goodwin’s work is essential reading. It has inspired politicians around the world and no doubt will continue to do so in the future.

This is the book that the film “Lincoln” is somewhat based on. President Obama has said that he looks to Lincoln as a model leader. He should. In TEAM OF RIVALS Lincoln brings genius to the adage “friends close, enemies closer.”

In 1860, the fledgling Republican Party nominated its second candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Four men competed for the honor: William Seward, a U.S. Senator, former governor of New York and one of the most honored and experienced politicians of his day; Edward Bates, a former congressman from Missouri; Salmon P. Chase, a former U.S. Senator and former governor of Ohio who had played a significant role in founding the party; and Abraham Lincoln, until very recently a little-known lawyer from Illinois who had served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives in the late 1840s.

As the convention neared, Seward was the presumptive favorite and considered himself the best of the possible candidates while Chase assumed that the convention owed him the nomination because of his early service to the party. But Chase ran an inept campaign and was unable even to win the consolidated support of his own home state.

Several of the candidates had been dismissive of Lincoln. Seward clearly assumed that he was superior to the Illinoisan both intellectually and in terms of his political experience. In the end, though, Lincoln ran a brilliant campaign, cleverly positioning himself as the first choice of a few delegates to the Chicago convention but as the second choice of a good many others. And when none of the other candidates could garner enough votes to win the nomination, Lincoln emerged with the prize on the fourth ballot.

His rivals, Seward in particular, were stunned by the outcome. But then, perhaps even more surprisingly, Lincoln invited all of his fractious rivals into his cabinet and when some initially demurred, Lincoln effectively maneuvered them into joining the administration. Seward became Secretary of State; Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, and Bates, Attorney General.

As Secretary of War, Lincoln initially selected Simon Cameron. But it early became apparent that Cameron was not up to the demands of the job and so Lincoln turned to another "rival," Edwin M. Stanton, a celebrated lawyer. Stanton had been briefly associated with Lincoln in an important court case in 1855, but he had contemptuously dismissed Lincoln and at one point referred to the future president at a "long armed ape."

Many assumed that Lincoln had made an horrendous mistake in forming the administration. Seward, for example, took the position as Secretary of State assuming that he would be the power behind the throne and that Lincoln would be a mere figurehead, taking his directions from the New Yorker. But The new President was determined to put into place the most talented men he could find, especially at such a critical moment in the nation's history, and he was perfectly willing to put behind him any slights or disagreements he might once have had with them.

Lincoln quickly proved all of the critics wrong, Seward included.
In fairly short order, he demonstrated that he would clearly be the master of his own political household and that he was easily the most talented member of the administration. He would spend the next four years mediating among these opinionated and often disagreeable men while at the same time demanding that each give his best effort in the enormous task of saving the Union and, ultimately, freeing the slaves.

Seward would ultimately become Lincoln's closest friend in Washington, readily admitting that he had vastly underestimated the President and that no one could have done a better job. In time, all of the other men were won over as well and together, this team of rivals, under Lincoln's direction, made perhaps the most significant contribution to the future of the nation of any presidential administration.

Doris Kearns Goodwin has, in effect, written the political biographies of these five distinguished men and demonstrated how Lincoln brilliantly brought them together and made the best use of their talents. She also clearly demonstrates how Lincoln was clearly the best choice for the Republican nomination in 1860, and how lucky we are as a nation that he was there to answer the call. Though much of this story is familiar, Goodwin brings a new perspective to it and provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Lincoln administration. The book is well researched and beautifully written. Certainly it will be of great importance to anyone interested in the topic of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

It might be something of an overstatement to say that I “lusted after” wanting to read this book. But maybe not by much. I have wanted to read it since shortly after it was published in 2005 so it took me nearly ten years to get around to it. And part of the reason I finally read it is because several months ago I got an iPhone and could finally synchronize listening to the audio and reading the eBook. This is a thick book, something that I do not generally do that well. Long books wear me out. And this one comes across as over 900 pages! Now that I have read it, I have to say that the last couple hundred pages are photos and footnotes and an extensive index. But since I was reading a Kindle, I couldn’t flip to the back of the book and see that. And there is no surprise ending: Lincoln is assassinated. No spoiler there.

I am also not much of a history buff although I do find myself hooked up with a lot of historical fiction. But real history with an emphasis on primary source research is outside my normal wandering. But I liked this book a lot although I wonder how well I would have done without the Audible text pulling me along. Sometimes I read too fast and miss a lot of the content. But when someone is reading you each and every word and you are trying to follow along at the same time, the details really have a chance to soak in. For me at least that is the case. But it does require some patience since taking over a month of pretty steady effort to read a book is a long time for me. My Kindle kept telling me how many hours I had to go in the book and it was slightly overwhelming. Of course, those footnotes were hiding back there at the end and I was not dedicated enough to really look at those impressive inclusions that proved the extreme work of the author.

I learned a lot by spending a month with this book. One of the things I learned is that nineteenth century politics is really not much nicer than twentieth century politics. I thought that politics had gotten nasty in my lifetime but discovered that nastiness goes way back. Lincoln was a politician and the Civil War was a nasty war that was probably just as divisive as Vietnam. What a realization that was for me! There was a lot of maneuvering and deceit. Disgusting stuff. It is true that you really don’t want to know what happens so you can end up with sausage.

In some ways I feel like I gave up a month of my life to read this book. And now that I am finished I am glad I did it and have a lot a respect for those who write real history books. But we still needed Howard Zinn to keep us honest. I will appreciate Doris Kearns Goodwin a lot more the next time I see her on some PBS program.

I tend to think that Goodreaders are pretty generous with their stars. I am going to give Team of Rivals three stars and feel that I am not gushing over it. It is a really good book but not easy reading at all. I might have given it four stars if it was four hundred pages! I was exposed to a lot of new information and some of it I even managed to absorb. That feels good to me. My big discovery: Lincoln was a politician whose story surprised me frequently as he tiptoed around the issue of slavery and mid nineteenth century race and political relations.

I loved this book. Although it was a beast of a book, and could probably have been a lot shorter. I had not read a Lincoln biography before, so was firstly blown away by how he rose up from nothing, self-taught himself a college degree, and then somehow rode the middle line and got himself elected President. Nobody seemed to have expected that, nor expected much from him, and he continued to surprise them all.

I am always curious about the motivations of successful people. In Lincolns case, he just literally seemed to want to have the respect of his peers, and of the American people. “Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition,” he wrote. “I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem.”

Lincoln's tactic to make his enemies his cabinet was also interesting and ultimately brilliant. Especially because he was so unknown, but also because they were the strongest options, and would be hard for him to manage. The confidence he had was impressive. Lincoln constantly showed this higher level of trust in people that many wouldn't have given because it didn't make themselves look good. Hiring people who are smarter than you, and giving them credit when things go right, is very hard to do.

But Lincoln could afford to trust his people and even hire people like Chase, who was on his staff yet coveted his job, because he was a masterful tactician. He seemed to have a knack for how to position things to the public at the right times to achieve the right outcomes. The main example of this is of course holding back the proclamation of emancipation so the border states didn't slip into the war on the side of south - but there were many more examples.

One thing that surprised me was how lax access to the white house and president were back then. You could literally just walk into the White House and get in line to see the President. And he seemed to only have one security guard - who happened to be "off-duty" the night he was killed.

I think Lincolns main strength was his empathy. He spent a lot of time trying to understand the people of different states, and putting himself in their shoes and imagining how they felt given what they knew about the situation. A tough, tough thing to do as his whole presidency was during a civil war during which over 600,000 soldiers died. I can't imagine having that on your conscience and trying to internalize that. But a very valuable skill to have as a leader.

"Lincoln had internalized the pain of those around him—the wounded soldiers, the captured prisoners, the defeated Southerners. Little wonder that he was overwhelmed at times by a profound sadness that even his own resilient temperament could not dispel."

(I thought it would make sense to start this while I'm still reading Gone With the Wind.)

This isn't a straight-up biography of Lincoln. And it's certainly not a history of the Civil War. Instead it's a portrait of Lincoln, defined by the diverse men he surrounded himself with on his Cabinet. In particular, Goodwin focuses on the 4 major contenders in the Republican national convention: Lincoln, Seward, Chase and Bates. The better part of the book takes place leading up to Lincoln's 1860 election to his death in 1865.

It's a fascinating, fabulous look at the politics behind the man. I'll be honest: politics - the rhetoric, the deal-making, the personal wrangling - bores me to tears. In addition, the details and minutia of war generally bores me silly. (I'm looking at you War & Peace!) Although quite necessarily, this book is mostly about these two things, politics and the U.S. Civil War, I was enthralled. Never before had details of when, where and how to make decisions seemed to be more vital to elucidate the nature of a man.

And it's really hard not to fall in love with Lincoln. The focus of the book, that Lincoln chose to surround himself with opposing personal advisers in Washington and Generals on the battlefield, not only shows his self-assured character to deal with warring factions but also shows his wont and need to ponder all sides of an argument before reaching a decision. What struck me the most about Lincoln, however, is his ability to let criticisms roll off his back, maintain his composure, and disarm people with a quick joke or story. If only I could have met Lincoln to hear some of these retorts in person!

I should mention that Goodwin doesn't shy away from Lincoln's mistakes or lapses in judgment. Particularly surprising was his gathering of free black leaders from the North at the White House to propose a plan of resettling all blacks residing in the U.S. to a new settlement somewhere in Central or South America. Luckily that proposal didn't go much further than that meeting. He occasionally let the temper get the best of him, but was quick to mend the broken fences.

I also appreciated Goodwin's inclusion of the women behind and beside Lincoln and his leaders. She presents quite a balanced portrait of these remarkable and distinguished women. It's quite clear that many of the men relied on their wives and daughters for council at work and with personal relationship. Mary Todd Lincoln was something else. Despite her wild mood swings, Lincoln by all accounts remained calm and kind to her. It's a pretty fascinating relationship, and not one I can understand or relate to.

After finishing the book, my first reaction is to immediately pick up other Lincoln books. (By the way, the page count is a bit deceiving - in the paperback edition, there's 'only' 757 pages of text. The rest are index and extensive bibliography.) The natural one to go to would be John Nicolay and John Hay's Abraham Lincoln: A Biography, but it's a 7 volume work! There are many condensed copies out there. Hay and Nicolay were Lincoln's personal secretaries/assistants who slept in the White House, and were quite intimate with Lincoln. The other book I'm dying to get to - because it's subject isn't really covered in Team of Rivals is Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. Likewise, I'm eager to read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. And I think Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era would round out my Civil War education nicely. Feel free to throw any other suggestions my way!

I don't read enough non-fiction.

Like a lot of people, I'm sure, I thought I knew enough about Abraham Lincoln that a book on his presidency wouldn't hold my interest as much as a novel might. Happily, I was wrong, and this book gave me a profound sense of appreciation for the ol' "rail-splitter" and a renewed sense of pride in America's history (a feeling that's been somewhat battered of late).

It took Doris Kearns Goodwin ten years to write the book, and no wonder. Her list of primary sources is astonishing. The book is fundamentally a compendium of private and public letters from the principal players, newspaper accounts, diaries, speeches, and official records. Just thinking about trying to organize a plot arc from all of that makes my heart weaken. Yet, the book is more than organized - the author has stirringly crafted the story of Lincoln's political life - from his unusual beginning to the tragic end that I could barely bring myself to read. I cried, I admit it. I just didn't want him to die - even on the page.

By the time I was done, I wasn't just in love with his "genius," as Kearns Goodwin puts it, but also his big tolerant heart and odd mannerisms. And his unshakeable vision of a unified slave-less country.

After the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, after Speaker Colfax "stood to announce the final tally. His voice shaking, he said, "'On the passage of the Joint Resolution to amend the Constitution of the United States the ayes have 119, the noes 56. [. . .] and "'utter silence'" descends upon the room, I was held spellbound until "'there was an explosion, a storm of cheers, the like of which probably no Congress of the United States ever heard before'" (says Noah Brooks as cited by Kearns Goodwin). And Lincoln is re-elected and the fight for the Union continues.

Frederick Douglass, held back at the door to Lincoln's second inaugural party, is finally allowed entry after Lincoln sends orders to the guards. Douglass writes that Lincoln "stood 'like a mountain pine high above the others [. . .] in his grand simplicity, and home-like beauty. Recognizing me, even before I reached him, he exclaimed, so that all around could hear him, 'Here comes my friend Douglass.'" When Lincoln asks Douglass how he liked his inaugural speech, Douglass "said finally, 'that was a sacred effort.'" And I have to think that this phrase applies to the noble goals that Lincoln accomplished before his assassination. He was a man so different than other men. He made mistakes, yes, but he never seemed to lose sight over the most singularly important and necessary ideals for the human good.

This was a genuine pleasure to read, and a great long lesson for anyone entering political life.

A True Leader and Genius of High Moral Character

If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for other business.... If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Pres. Abraham Lincoln, quoted in F. B. Carpenter, The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House (1869).

Truly, I didn't start out reading this book to compare President Donald J. Trump to Abraham Lincoln. Yet, the differences are so Radical, one would have to be marooned on a desert isle for the past year not to notice them. I am so glad I read it now.

One anecdote was most powerful and revealing in illustrating what most would agree is paradigmatic for any LEADER: taking responsiblity and loyalty. In early 1862, Congress made findings of financial mismanagement in the early months of the Civil War by the Secretary of War Simon Cameron, which it followed with a censure of Cameron by which time Lincoln had already replaced him. Instead of letting that be the end of the story and of Cameron's career, Lincoln sent a letter to Congress saying, "not only the President, but all the other heads of departments, were at least equally responsible with him for whatever error, wrong, or fault was committed...."

Now, whether you are a Trump supporter or hater, Republican or Democrat, can you imagine President Donald J. Trump writing such a letter or, Lord help us, "tweet," acknowledging fault, no matter the circumstances ?

Ever?!

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln is an absolutely outstanding and incisive biographical narrative showing Lincoln's road to becoming U.S. President and his Presidency as well as the lives of the most significant among his cabinet members, three of whom ran against him in 1860: William Seward, Secretary of State; Edward Bates, Attorney General; and, Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury. Hence, the name Team of Rivals; no doubt was there ever who was the Captain, my Captain.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is amazing (a term I almost never use) at showing how President Lincoln resolved the numerous conflicts among the egotistical cult of personality and among the radical and conservative factions among his Republican party. A hint: we are all human, all make mistakes and even the President must maintain a sense of humility and (this really should go without saying [see Twitter, 2017]) dignity.

Perhaps it's unfair to compare our MODERN DAY PRESIDENT to Lincoln. Maybe I should offer this as a plea and a hope that Lincoln should serve as the Standard Bearer for ALL PRESIDENTS for demonstrating the meaning of n  Leadershipn. If not, I am assured that "[a]ny people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government...." Lincoln, Speech in House of Representatives, 1848.

I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me. President Abraham Lincoln, Letter to Albert G. Hodges, 4 Apr. 1864.


No one can rationally argue that Lincoln was not the greatest leader of the United States and will go down as one of the greatest in history. I love the quote from Tolstoy in the book, a quote I had not before seen:

n  "why was Lincoln so great that he overshadows all other national heroes? He really was not a great general like Napoleon or Washington; he was not such a skillful statesman as Gladstone or Frederick the Great; but his supremacy expresses itself altogether in his peculiar moral power and in the greatness of his character.

Washington was a typical American. Napoleon was a typical Frenchmen, 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 ... 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.”n

Additional Telling Quotes of President Lincoln

You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time. Attributed in N.Y. Times, 27 Aug. 1887

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Attributed in Golden Book, Nov. 1931.

That [man] can compress the most words in the fewest ideas of any man I ever knew. Quoted in Henry Clay Whitney, Life on the Circuit with Lincoln (1892).

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.

I wanted so desperately to like this book especially since everyone I know loved it. I couldn't even finish it. I got to page 169 and had to quit. Lincoln's three rivals for presidency seemed so interchangeable I couldn't keep them straight. I found the writing ponderous. I was bringing it on the bus so I would have to read it but once I got home at night I was picking up something else. Maybe it gets better once he's elected but I just don't care enough to force myself to read further.

Writing a review of this book is a very difficult chore. What am I to say about a book that is almost universally acclaimed and is written by one of my favorite historians? I have read most of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s books, although they mostly deal with the twentieth century and historical figures in which I am more interested and familiar, this book introduced some historical figures about whom I would like to learn more.

The title Team of Rivals can refer to the fact that Lincoln invited his rivals for the Republican Presidential nomination, Bates, Chase, and Seward, into his cabinet. But it also can refer to the rivalries that existed within the Cabinet. Chase and Seward were frequently at odds along with several others. There were several letters of resignation submitted to Lincoln which he handled smoothly and the letters were withdrawn. As the time went on the rivalries became more intense, especially with Salmon Chase pursuing his ambition to be President. Lincoln handled the Chase controversy graciously. Lincoln was able to look beyond the pettiness of Chase when he eventually selects him to replace Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney.

The early biographical information I found rather dull. The Wives, and their families, and the courtships are described and then the woman largely disappear except for Mary Todd Lincoln and the “lovely” Kate Chase. Compare this to Goodwin’s Pulitzer Prize winner,
No Ordinary Time, where Eleanor Roosevelt is perhaps the major figure.

There is a flattering description of Grant. In addition to Lincoln he is a figure I would like to read about.

n  Everything Grant did during his four-day stay in Washington, from his unheralded entrance to his early departure, “was done exactly right,” the historian William McFeely concludes. “He was consummately modest and quietly confident; the image held for the rest of his political career—and beyond, into history.”n

When it became apparent that Lincoln would be the party’s nominee for President in the 1864 election

n  A visitor to the White House at this time told Lincoln that “nothing could defeat him but Grant’s capture of Richmond, to be followed by [the general’s] nomination at Chicago” — where the Democratic Convention was scheduled to take place later that summer. “Well,” said Lincoln, “I feel very much like the man who said he didn’t want to die particularly but if he had got to die, that was precisely the disease he would like to die of.”n

There is a section describing Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. Everyone is taught and probably had to recite this address, but it’s presentation gave me a thrill. Lincoln was not able to devote as much time as he wanted to this address and was working on it until the very day, and then

n  Edward Everett delivered a memorized speech for two hours “Seldom has a man talked so long and said so little.”n

Lincoln listened intently during Everett’s speech and then stepped forward to deliver his remarks.

n  When Lincoln finished, “the assemblage stood motionless and silent,”
The extreme brevity of the address together with its abrupt close had so astonished the hearers that they stood transfixed. Had not Lincoln turned and moved toward his chair, the audience would very likely have remained voiceless for several moments more. Finally there came applause,” Lincoln may have initially interpreted the audience’s surprise as disapproval. As soon as he finished, he turned to Ward Lamon. “Lamon, that speech won’t scour! It is a flat failure, and the people are disappointed.” Edward Everett knew better, and expressed his wonder and respect the following day. “I should be glad,” he wrote Lincoln, “if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”n

This book is an example of why I like reading history. A good historian (Goodwin) takes a historical event (the Civil War) and deals with it from a different perspective. The Civil War here is in the background. The important battles, Bulls Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg are all mentioned, but the War is only a backdrop to this book. It is Lincoln’s management of the government and the Cabinet that take center stage.

n  Perhaps the most surprising contemporaneous evaluation of Lincoln’ leadership appeared in the extreme secessionist paper the Charleston Mercury. “He has called around him in counsel,” the Mercury marveled, “the ablest and most earnest men of his country. Where he lacked in individual ability, learning, experience or statesmanship, he has sought it, and found it. … Force, energy, brains, earnestness, he has collected around him in every department.”n

The Civil War has a rich and deep library of books. My reading this year only skims the surface, but I am glad I included this book. However, the next 2 history books I plan to read involve the War itself, then I plan on reading a couple of books on the Reconstruction. I think this book would have been better positioned prior to the Reconstruction books because here Lincoln is proposing some policies that lead to that period.

Even before Lee’s surrender Lincoln and his cabinet had thought about how to handle the secessionist states once the conflict had ended. Lincoln wanted the confederates dealt with compassion. After the surrender he proposed that the states could continue their legislative governments. The cabinet universally objected to this. By leaving in power the people who had originally seceded from the union the “Lost Cause” was probably born, and we suffer from that to this day; these Southern “Yellow Dog Democrats” would impede any progress on Civil Rights. However, had Lincoln lived we cannot know how things may have worked out. General Grant noted that

n  “The President was inclined to be kind and magnanimous, and his death at this time is an irreparable loss to the South, which now needs so much both his tenderness and magnanimity.”n

The Lincoln described in this book is a president with intelligence, benevolent statesmanship, lacking vindictiveness, and an outstanding orator. He was a giant, both physically and politically. He truly deserves his spot on Mt. Rushmore.

Reading this book has not changed my opinion that Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of my favorite historians and it deserves all its acclaim.

I am seeing Doris Kearns Goodwin next month at an Author Event in Pittsburgh and decided that, along with her new book that I will be reading in October, I should also [FINALLY] read this book. I have had it for several years and just have not had the time to invest in such a large and immense book. Turns out, you can do this in 26 days. 1 chapter a day. On audio, that translates to a little over an hour on most days, though there is a 3 hour day and several 2+ hour days as well. It is A LOT of information. A LOT. I will be dissecting this book in my head for days, months, maybe even years. And even as daunting as this book is, I am sure I will reread it at some point as I know there is stuff I missed. You cannot help it when there is this much information. I will say that I had read Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by Robert Swanson 6 years ago [and highly recommend] and as I was coming to the end of this book, it made me think of Mr. Swanson's book and now I just want to dive back into that one as well. ;-)

Anyone who knows me, knows I love Lincoln. He is my favorite president [followed by Garfield and Obama] and I never can seem to get enough information about him. This really filled that need for information. And just reinforced all the things I love about this man. History would have been so different had he lived.

With the book by Mr. Swanson, I also recommend "The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War"by Daniel Stashower, which was an amazing read and filled with a plot to assassinate Lincoln BEFORE he was sworn in as president and a story I had never heard before. It was riveting to read.

I highly recommend this book - yes, it is huge, but you will not be sorry, especially if you love Lincoln as I do.