Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Fascinating insights into Lincoln's cabinet ( )

Stellar work by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Each life is a tapestry full of individual interactions and tiny defining moments and she does her best to illustrate these, while at the same trying to capture and share visions of, not just one, but upwards of 15 or more personalities. The genius of it is that she can portray some that I disliked (such as Seward) and gradually unpack them into a more complex state. She makes you sympathize with gruff, unlikeable personalities (like Stanton). She tries to help the reader understanding the much-maligned Mary Todd Lincoln---though she can't quite manage it with Chase. And she also makes the man "of the ages" human.

The result was that I came away from the experience feeling like I'd glimpsed a slow, but candid, snapshot of what life, what that particular community, was like back then.

Finally, the ending is almost perfect(which is so hard to do). You can see Tolstoy, telling in the simple way that he does best, the tale of a simple man.

This video does a good job of pointing out Lincoln's relevance to today---or, at least, in my opinion, his greatest virtue.

This review definitely deserves to be at the top.

P.S. in this case, I believe, that the book far outranks the film(as good as it is). ( )

This is definitely a good book. My expectations were high - probably a little unfairly - due to Spielberg’s movie Lincoln, but the book certainly meets those expectations. However, I am giving it only a 4 star rating due to the length; I feel like the length is necessary for the subject, but it could have been broken down a lot better than it was. Other than that, I highly recommend this as a read. ( )

There's little I can add to the other rave reviews. The view of history as the account of great individuals might be out of fashion, but this book would convince all but the most sceptical that Lincoln was indispensable for the outcome of the Civil War. The author has a hard time covering her distaste for the self-righteous Salmon Chase, nor for the self-aggrandising and maddeningly immobile George MacLellan, but for other major characters, she displays a depth of understanding that matches her thesis: Lincoln displayed his greatness not only by surrounding himself with his defeated rivals for the nomination, but then through strength of character becoming the undisputed master of the administration, winning the admiration of the others in the process. This could well be an unrivalled feat in the annals of government. Unreservedly recommended. ( )

Having just finished the book, I am finding it hard to put into words what i thought of this book. Lincoln was such a extraordinary leader that he was willing to surrond himself with men who were ambitious and often disagreed with him. Yet he was able to bring out the best in them and earn their respect and in some cases friendship. Doris Kearns Goodwin has the ability to put you into the time and place as if you are standing in the rooms and fields were the events are happening, you begin to know the people as if they are your neighbors and colleagues. Although you know how it ends, with each turn of a page you hope that the ending somehow doesn't occur. I do highly recommend this book ( )