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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. Meacham is such a solid researcher and writer, but none of his tomes come close to the Destiny of Power, his bio of HW Bush. That said, any book on Lincoln is going to start from both a place of prosperity and a place of question, with how many biographies there are in the market. I found this book to be smooth, insightful and caring. There is a historians eye to the writing and research (as evident in the 300 pages of notes), and it is told with a conversational tone of a professor who isn't too academic. Nicely done. It would be a 4 if Doris Kearns Goodwin hadn't written Team of Rivals, the definitive Lincoln book.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I have been curious about this book for a while. I was intrigued by its popularity and its Pulitzer Prize winning status. I've read several Lincoln biographies including Team of Rivals. This book is very easy to read. It's a thoughtful account of Lincoln's personal beliefs and his humanity. It doesn't make Lincoln to be the savior figure he's often portrayed as, and it doesn't seek to diminish or explain away the great things he did. It felt real and thoughtful. I appreciate that one of the key points was examining Lincoln's personal and sometimes changing theologies.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
The number of books written about Abraham Lincoln are about equal to the sands of the sea. How is it that there’s a new angle? Jon Meacham’s exquisite prose and respect for the subject emanate from every page. His treatment of the spiritual elements of the late President’s life are illuminating and thought-provoking. There are new ways to look at Lincoln and Mecham has done a masterful job of doing just that. This is a must read. Thanks to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book.
Really interesting book. I learned a lot. The chapter discussing Lincoln’s electoral college issues was disturbingly close to recent events.
Author did a nice job narrating
Author did a nice job narrating
Jon Meachem’s thoughtful meticulously researched books about american history always leave me feeling better and worse about the state of the nation. Better because he reminds me we’ve been here before and come out on the other side with our better angels in ascendance. Worse because he reminds me things actually can get worse before they get better.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I was a little taken aback by how much I liked this book. It was well written, emotional, thoughtful, and possessed of intense insight.
It’s been, I think, somewhat popular lately to denigrate Lincoln as a racist, with lots of “he only frees the enslaved to get elected” or “he freed the enslaved, but he hated Black folk” - this book delves into Lincoln’s ideology, his philosophy, and the things that made him stand out amongst his peers. It also fairly agrees that yes, he was a racist alongside those same peers, and his political motivations were complex, emotional, and oftentimes as odds with his personal, socially learned believe and prejudices.
It paid a great deal of attention to his legacy without getting too boring or in the weeds, and by the end I felt very reflective and emotional. I very firmly believe that the assassination of Lincoln set this country back 100 years, and this book reinforced that belief.
It’s been, I think, somewhat popular lately to denigrate Lincoln as a racist, with lots of “he only frees the enslaved to get elected” or “he freed the enslaved, but he hated Black folk” - this book delves into Lincoln’s ideology, his philosophy, and the things that made him stand out amongst his peers. It also fairly agrees that yes, he was a racist alongside those same peers, and his political motivations were complex, emotional, and oftentimes as odds with his personal, socially learned believe and prejudices.
It paid a great deal of attention to his legacy without getting too boring or in the weeds, and by the end I felt very reflective and emotional. I very firmly believe that the assassination of Lincoln set this country back 100 years, and this book reinforced that belief.