Jeremiah Yuda Umam

And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

Book by Jon Meacham

DETAILS

Publisher : Random House (October 18, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 720 pages ISBN-10 : 0553393960 ISBN-13 : 978-0553393965 Item Weight : 2.29 pounds Dimensions : 6.43 x 1.48 x 9.53 inches Best Sellers Rank: #80 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in American Civil War Biographies (Books) #1 in US Presidents #1 in United States Executive Government , NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Jon Meacham chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how—and why—he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America. “In his captivating new book, Jon Meacham has given us the Lincoln for our time.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Kirkus Reviews A president who governed a divided country has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization and political crisis. Hated and hailed, excoriated and revered, Abraham Lincoln was at the pinnacle of American power when implacable secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions bound up with money, race, identity, and faith. In him we can see the possibilities of the presidency as well as its limitations. At once familiar and elusive, Lincoln tends to be seen as the greatest of American presidents—a remote icon—or as a politician driven more by calculation than by conviction. This illuminating new portrait gives us a very human Lincoln—an imperfect man whose moral antislavery commitment, essential to the story of justice in America, began as he grew up in an antislavery Baptist community; who insisted that slavery was a moral evil; and who sought, as he put it, to do right as God gave him to see the right. This book tells the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his leadership during the Civil War to his tragic assassination in 1865: his rise, his self-education, his loves, his bouts of depression, his political failures, his deepening faith, and his persistent conviction that slavery must end. In a nation shaped by the courage of the enslaved of the era and by the brave witness of Black Americans, Lincoln’s story illustrates the ways and means of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape events. Read more

REVIEW

Jon Meacham is one of our finest American historians and Presidential biographers. In this era in which far too many are either unaware of, or have forgotten, American history, his books are there for the ages. It is therefore no surprise that despite the thousands of books on Abraham Lincoln that Meacham still tackles the subject head-on. Though he does not appear to have broken any new ground, Meacham provides an eloquent retelling of the life of Lincoln. Not overlooking Lincoln’s faults, Meacham convincingly demonstrates how Lincoln gradually advanced in his racial views. It seemed the more Lincoln studied the issue of slavery the more he hardened in his determination to end it. Frederick Douglass was no doubt a huge influence on Lincoln. Still, had Lincoln not been “practical” and a disciple of gradualism until the time was right, Lincoln would not have become President and then taken the bold steps needed to end slavery. Our nation owes Abraham Lincoln a debt it can never repay. Meacham is terrific in reinforcing these themes and leaving his readers with the impression of how unique a man Lincoln was and how right he was for the times. Meacham’s treatment of the tumultuous times just before Lincoln’s swearing-in as President in March 1860, including those who threatened violence and wanted Vice-President John Breckinridge (a future Confederate general) to refuse to certify the electoral vote from each State are chilling reminders how easily Americans can forget and/or ignore their history. The quotes from Winfield Scott about taking actions against those lawless miscreants who wanted to stop the electoral count are timeless and priceless. There are other dramatic moments related in the book. Why then can I not give this book 5 stars? A number of problems, some small. The largest problem I have is the narrative becomes dense at times, almost as if I was a student in a graduate level course in college. The second large problem is the excessive amount of quotations that at times seem to overwhelm the narrative. I enjoy quotes as much as the average history reader, but at times I felt as if I was fighting through the brush of the Wilderness in May 1864 that Union and Confederate soldiers encountered. This problem in particular took away from my enjoyment of the author’s treatment of Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1864. Compare Meacham’s account with that of Ronald White in his biography, A. Lincoln, and you will easily see how much more accessible White’s account is to the average reader versus the Ph.D version provided by Meacham. I also felt some subjects were given short shrift in sacrifice to unnecessary extended quotes and intellectual analysis, sometimes on minor points. Another reoccurring problem for me was in the photographs and illustrations in the book. While I have no objection in looking at new faces, far too many “unknowns” are included in this book for whom recollection afterwards is only ephemeral at best. Still, Meacham’s book stands near, though not in, the top rank of biographies on Abraham Lincoln. For my money, Ronald White’s biography and Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals collectively provide the best narrative on Abraham Lincoln’s life (still waiting for Sidney Blumenthal to complete his five-volume biography before I pass judgment).

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