Holistic Guidance - Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
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Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 973.7092 EAN: 9780743270755 ISBN: 0743270754 Label: Simon & Schuster Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 944 Publication Date: 2006-09-26 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Studio: Simon & Schuster
This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: The Basis of the Ultimate Politician Comment: Doris Kearns Goodwin comes up with an unusual perspective in viewing the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln really won the Office of the President with his oration at Cooper Union.
His main opponents were William Seward, Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton and Edward Bates.. Lincoln won the election and all of the above served in major cabinet positions during the Civil War. The old saying of keeping your enemies close rings true in this study.
I found the political intrigues to be insightful. However, Doris fails to capture the true essence of Lincoln's political thought. I am grateful that I've learned of Lincoln's political adroitness. However, Doris overplays her hand. Lincoln was more concerned with the state of the union. These team of rivals only served limited purposes in his grand scheme. In all the Rivals were not the Big Bad Wolf that was promoted by Doris!!
The read was insightful but only rates 3 Stars!!!
Customer Rating: Summary: Wasa Lincoln some sort of God to be worship? Comment: I have just completed Ms. Goodwin's book. I realize that a huge number of people will not like this review. While no one would denies that Abraham Lincoln was one of the top three presidents in this country's history-perhaps Washington and FDR being the other two-it seems that Goodwin wants to create some type of God out of Lincoln, which he probably was not. Moreover, she makes the south out to be this huge bunch of minsters which they probably was not. Was what the south was doing in sustaining slavery wrong? Yes it was and no one would argue that point. It just takes more of an effort to understand why they were sustaining slavery. There are so many things we encounter today that are just as wrong, but people like to cover them up as Goodwin has done in her biography of Lincoln. I must add, and this should have been pointed out and was not, Lincoln did things as president that would never have been tolerated today, but still he is expected to be worship; and, that is just dangerous.
Customer Rating: Summary: a fascinating read Comment: Very interesting read using source material, in their own words, account. The characters are alive and believeable with the background of the election and civil war. The narrative is engrossing and I got lost in the book. It is a biography of the four people who ran for president in 1860. All four biographies enchance understanding of the times and complement Lincoln's story. The history is fascinating and is paced well and comprehensive. Customer Rating: Summary: Exceptional (and lengthy) book Comment: Doris Kearns Goodwin delivers an extremely well-researched and fascinating book about Lincoln and his leadership style. You don't have to be a history fan to truly enjoy this book as it is beautifully-crafted and highly readable. It is also filled with loads of interesting tales such as how unlikely it was that Lincoln was elected in the first place, and also how he was continually criticized by the press until the very end of his career. It also gives an excellent insight into the causes of the Civil War, personalities of the generals, and how Lincoln interacted with and motivated the troops.
This will be one of the most meaty and detailed books that you'll read, and this can cause it to drag slightly in places as the author invests just as much research into all of the other candidates that ultimately wind up in Lincoln's cabinet. This causes the book to be a bit slow in the beginning as the reader becomes familiar with all of the other characters, but it pays off in the end as it gives crucial background that foreshadows later events. Overall it is a wonderful book that fully showcases Lincoln's genius, and hopefully provides a model that could be followed by anyone in a leadership position. Customer Rating: Summary: Doris Kearns Goodwin is a treasure Comment: Saying great things about a great man like Lincoln reminds me of my favorite Christmas song: "And though it's been said many times, many ways...". But this book is a gem. It really shows us what a genius Lincoln was and gives us so much insight on him and his cabinet at the same time. She describes people and personalities until you find yourself in the room with them. Like the great Ken Burns, she is delivering these people to us-- not through a 'this happened and then this happened' manner-- but via "emotional archaeology". The ending-- although I know it well-- still made me choke up with anxiety and sadness; emotions that only a great writer like her can evoke. And while you cover all the great events, I LOVE YOUR DETAILS Mrs Goodwin. For example: Seward oddly noticed that his assassin was a "fine looking man" dressed in "handsome cloth". That sort of minutiae--- to a veteran of textbook history like myself-- is such gold. Doris Kearns Goodwin, I fell in love with you when I first saw you talking about George Washington's ill-fitting teeth, then again as you chronicled your youth as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan... and now, after this work, I find myself falling once again. Like I said, you are a rare treasure.
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