A. Lincoln
By Ronald C. White, Jr.
Random House
$35.00, hard cover, 796 pages, 978-1-2019-6499-1
Anyone who knows me at all is aware that I’m an unapologetic Lincoln fan. I have many books on Lincoln, and have busts, posters and a replica of the Lincoln memorial in my office. So it should come as no surprise that I’ve read many Lincoln books. I’d like to think my knowledge of Lincoln makes me even more critical than I might normally be about a biography of our 16th President.
So it is no small feat for me to highly recommend A. Lincoln. (The title comes from the way Lincoln signed his name.) The author has done a thoroughly engaging review of Lincoln‘s life from early childhood up to the time of his assassination. It is clear that White has an immense knowledge of Lincoln and that he is able to present relevant facts in a lively and highly-readable manner.
This richly detailed biography is very different from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals which I reviewed and thoroughly enjoyed last year. Where Team of Rivals focused on President Lincoln and his cabinet members, A. Lincoln paints the larger picture of Lincoln‘s entire life.
Despite all my readings about Lincoln, I’m delighted that I learned many new facts about this great leader. For example: Lincoln’s family tree is explained in the book and it’s interesting to know that even Lincoln was unaware of parts of his family history during his lifetime; a comprehensive discussion about the seven debates between Lincoln and Stephen Douglas is presented and White explains that the location where the debates were held in Illinois affected the tone of each debate; and some newly discovered letters and photographs present a better picture of how Lincoln’s thought process and stance on slavery changed throughout his lifetime.
White excels at explaining some of the nuances of Lincoln‘s speeches and letters, and how Lincoln would often write out notes on scraps of paper and stuff them in his hat or keep them in a desk drawer. These notes would help him crystallize his thoughts and would often end up being incorporated into later speeches and public letters. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book was seeing Lincoln‘s thought process evolve.
Lincoln was a difficult man to thoroughly understand. White says it best when he writes:
One of the reasons we have never settled on one definition of Lincoln, and, indeed, never will, is that Lincoln never stopped asking questions of himself. Painfully aware of the shortcomings of his early education, Lincoln – whether as schoolboy, Illinois legislator, prairie lawyer, or as president – always continued his self-study, growing in wisdom and self-knowledge with each passing year. He read, discussed, and pondered the great ideas not only of his time, but of those of the generations before him. He also thought into the future, anticipating the moral questions of subsequent generations.
If, like me, you’re a Lincoln fan, A. Lincoln should be at the top of your reading list.
Buy it on Amazon here.
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