Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Book Review: Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those books that, when you are finished, you need a few minutes to sit and let it all sink in. It is a powerful, wonderful, insightful book that I was almost sorry to finish, for multiple reasons -- it was engrossing, and of course it didn't end well.
Goodwin does an excellent job of bringing Lincoln to life and showing his incredible talents for managing people. I had some knowledge about Lincoln, but when I finished this book, I was left with a feeling of sadness, not only for him and his friends and family, but for the country, because we were deprived of four years of Lincoln's leadership. And who knows how things would have turned out in the South and the country as a whole had he been able to preside over the infant stages of Reconstruction.
The relationship between Lincoln and Seward was a pleasure to learn about, as well as the way Lincoln dealt with the various personalities around him without creating personal enemies. Reading about his interactions with Frederick Douglass was also a special part of the book.
While this book may be long (about 750 pages) for those with only a casual interest in history, I would still recommend it to anyone. It is a remarkable book about a remarkable man.
Book Review: Outstanding and masterful biography
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a page-turner. There is not a false note or a deficient section or arrangement in it. The author does an excellent job in telling Lincoln's story from cradle to grave, with the emphasis of course on his political years, but with enough background to inform and enlighten the discussion of the political years. Even more amazing, the book weaves in substantial biographies of major figures like Seward, Bates, Chase, Stanton, and the Lincoln family. This complex effort could have collapsed under its own weight, become plodding, or become confusing. Nothing of the sort happens. Instead, the pieces fit together very nicely and you feel yourself learning and sinking into the era as you make your way to the tragic ending. The detailed research is impressive, as is Goodwin's ability to relay it in an engaging and clear style. Abraham Lincoln came to life like never before. I finished the book on April 15, the day he died, and found myself sad for his ending and grateful for the skill and dedication with which he led this country through a terrible trial. I highly commend this book, and a visit to Springfield, to tour Lincoln's home and visit his tomb, to those wishing to learn about, and honor, a great man.Book Review: In depth and well rounded
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book. Although it was not a quick read at about 750 pages, it was very interesting and packed full of details. You not only get a biography of Lincoln, but of his cabinet members, as well as necessary information regarding the supporting characters. I recommend this book.Book Review: Abraham Lincoln: Political Genius
Summary: 5 Stars
Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius Of Abraham Lincoln is, on it's face, an ambitious undertaking.
Not only does it tell the story of America's 16th President, it also tells the story of the men who were his main political rivals for the Republican nomination in 1860 and later became the core of a cabinet that was forced to deal with the greatest political crisis in American history -- William Seward, Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton, and Edward Bates. Unlike other Civil War-era histories that focus on battles, or on the story of Lincoln himself, Goodwin focuses on the politics of the era and the manner in which Lincoln was able to successfully navigate the political rivalries among his chief advisers and navigate the nation through a crisis that threatened it's very existence.
In taking this focus, Goodwin gives us a new perspective on a war that has garnered more research then any other in American history. Outside of focusing on the political impact of First Bull Run, the failed Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, and the twin victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July 1863, scant attention paid to events on the various battlefields of the war. Instead, we see Lincoln navigating the political battles taking place in Washington, often between his cabinet members and, in one case, involving a cabinet member who was openly planning a nomination challenge to him in 1864. Time after time, Goodwin demonstrates, Lincoln's deft, though underestimated, political skills allowed him to solve problems that other President's might have allowed to fester.
Throughout it all, Goodwin shows, Lincoln never lost faith in the rightness of the cause that he was elected to lead, or of the inevitability if it's ultimate triumph, even if that triumph took four years to occur. More importantly, though, Goodwin shows us just how a man who had no formal school and, only ten years before coming President, was essentially a back-country lawyer riding the circuit in Illinois was able to ascend to the highest office in the land at the nation's most crucial moment.
At over 900 pages, this is not a light read, but if you're interested in the era and the man, Goodwin's book is essential reading.
Book Review: A joy from start to finish
Summary: 5 Stars
I've always believed that the aim of every biographer should be to make the reader care about the subject. In other words, you should like / dislike / despise / deplore the subject of the biography but the last thing you should be is neutral. In this biography of five wonderfully gifted and ambitious people Kearns really does make the reader care about the characters. You might not like them all but you can't help admiring them and what they did. The civil war period comes alive in this book. The book is rivetting from start to finish. It really does have that 'hard to put down' quality which every good book should have. If you buy this book, turn off the TV / CD / radio, do whatever it takes to get some peace and quiet, put your feet up and enjoy the simple pleasure of reading an exceptionally well written book.