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A review by anitaashland
Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
5.0
This book gives an overview of Lincoln’s life with an emphasis on his depression. The author helps you really get to know Lincoln as a person. The book made me wonder: could Lincoln have accomplished what he did if he hadn’t struggled with depression?
“Whatever greatness Lincoln achieved cannot be explained as a triumph over personal suffering. Rather, it must be accounted for as an outgrowth of the same system that produced that suffering. This is not a story of transformation but one of integration. Lincoln didn’t do great work because he solved the problem of his melancholy. The problem of his melancholy was all the more fuel for the fire of his great work.”
“After his election, a Democratic newspaper told the story of Lincoln’s first breakdown, noting how his friends “placed him under guard for fear of his committing suicide.” The author of the piece, an Illinois Democrat named John Hill, raised the history of depression not to question Lincoln’s fitness for office but to celebrate his triumph over difficulty. The piece enjoined young people that they, too, could become great if they “await the occasions which shall rule their destinies.” If Lincoln were alive today, his depression would be considered a “character issue”—that is, a political liability. But in his time, it may have helped more than it hurt.”
““How was it,” asks Mark Noll, “that this man who never joined a church and who read only a little theology could, on occasion, give expression to profound theological interpretations of the War between the States?” Viewing Lincoln through the lens of his melancholy, we see one cogent explanation: he was always inclined to look at the full truth of a situation, assessing both what could be known and what remained in doubt. When times were hard, he had the patience, endurance, and vigor to stay in that place of tension.”
“Whatever greatness Lincoln achieved cannot be explained as a triumph over personal suffering. Rather, it must be accounted for as an outgrowth of the same system that produced that suffering. This is not a story of transformation but one of integration. Lincoln didn’t do great work because he solved the problem of his melancholy. The problem of his melancholy was all the more fuel for the fire of his great work.”
“After his election, a Democratic newspaper told the story of Lincoln’s first breakdown, noting how his friends “placed him under guard for fear of his committing suicide.” The author of the piece, an Illinois Democrat named John Hill, raised the history of depression not to question Lincoln’s fitness for office but to celebrate his triumph over difficulty. The piece enjoined young people that they, too, could become great if they “await the occasions which shall rule their destinies.” If Lincoln were alive today, his depression would be considered a “character issue”—that is, a political liability. But in his time, it may have helped more than it hurt.”
““How was it,” asks Mark Noll, “that this man who never joined a church and who read only a little theology could, on occasion, give expression to profound theological interpretations of the War between the States?” Viewing Lincoln through the lens of his melancholy, we see one cogent explanation: he was always inclined to look at the full truth of a situation, assessing both what could be known and what remained in doubt. When times were hard, he had the patience, endurance, and vigor to stay in that place of tension.”