ABRAHAM LINCOLN by Benjamin Thomas September 30, 2006

I really put off reading this book and wasn't excited at all about it. But I forced myself to start my A TO Z PROJECT with this, thinking it would be good to get it over with. Why, I'm not sure, as I am a big fan of Abraham Lincoln. I guess most other biographies have made me less enchanted with their subject. And I didn't want to learn all the garbage in Lincoln's life. Happily, that is not the case with Thomas' book. The author acknowledges that material is left out in order to make this one volume, but he did a fantastic job. And even though, Lincoln was one of the greatest statesmen who ever lived, he wasn't perfect. Here is a quote from the book that largely sums up Lincoln's life:
"He will be a different Lincoln from the ambitious politician whose hopes were seemingly blighted in 1849. His ambition, reawakened, will become as compelling as before, but it will be restrained now by devotion to a cause. When he speaks again, it will be with a new seriousness, a new explicitness, a new authority. From his young manhood a lucid thinker and a clever man before a crowd, he will stand forth hereafter as a political analyst and a debater of surpassing power. The impact of a moral challenge, purging Lincoln of narrow partisanship and unsure purpose, is about to transform an honest, capable, but essentially self-centered small-town politician of self-developed but largely unsuspected talents into a statesman who will grow to world dimensions."
I learned many new things about Lincoln and the events leading up to and including the Civil War. The political games described in the book were fascinating and I usually find politics to be quite boring. Although half of the book dealt with the presidency and the war, Thomas did not burden the reader with in-depth details of the battles and maneuverings of the military campaigns. Just enough to show Lincoln's mistakes and triumphs. One reason I really enjoyed this book was that, even though I knew how things progressed in Lincoln's history, Thomas was able to keep a feeling of suspense -- Would Lincoln really pull off the Presidential election? Did the Confederacy win the war this time? Perhaps John Wilkes Booth would actually miss. -- Too bad he didn't. This is one of the few biographies I've read that made me admire the man even more. I've decided to do a post on my Life's a Picture blog to discuss Lincoln more, since this is supposed to be a review of the book not the subject.
Rating: 5

3 Comments:
Joy said...
Framed ~ I enjoy biographies also. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. A "5" is a wonderful way to begin your "project"!
booklogged said...
What a good feeling to finally read a book you've been putting off only to find it enjoyable and educational. Even with your great review I'm afraid I'm still going to put it off. Darn me!
SuziQoregon said...
Yay for starting out with a good one. Glad it turned out to be an enjoyable read!