Friday, January 14, 2011

Team of Rivals

I've read two other books while reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book on Abraham Lincoln.

That is in no way a criticism of her book. I'm throughly enjoying it, but the lengthy and detailed account is like a rich dessert that occasionally must be put down. Having read a lot about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, I expected to find little that was new and yet the book is packed with absorbing anecdotes. It also provides a fascinating look at what the United States was like when a large segment of the country was devoted to preserving slavery. For example, a brief account of William H. Seward's trip from the free states into Virginia is both understated and powerful. [Seward's wife became so disturbed by what she saw that she persuaded him to cut short their journey and return to the North.]

It was a time of hope and madness.

2 comments:

Tom Cooper (home) said...

I've had the same experience. Ive been working my way through that book (and Atlas Shrugged) for about a year. In the interim I've read several other books.

Life is rarely as simple as it seems, and this season of life in the US is no exception.


I found it fascinating to compare the Obama candidacy with the Lincoln candidacy - little has changed in terms of politics over the last 150 years. :)

Michael Wade said...

Tom,

Let me know if you get through Atlas Shrugged. I liked the start but then wandered off and have not felt a strong desire to return.

Team of Rivals has a lot to offer in terms of thinking about today's political scene.

Michael