Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Book review by Deane Barker tags: politics, history 4 min read
An image of the cover of the book "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln"

Much is made of the title and implied angle of this book, but – to be clear – this is a solid, comprehensive biography of Abraham Lincoln.

The purported angle is this: once elected president, Abraham Lincoln appointed his main rivals for the office to important positions in his administration.

Thus, Lincoln formed a team of his former rivals to govern the country.

Now, this may be true, and it’s an interesting footnote, but I feel like it was just a marketing angle for the book. Meaning, even if this angle wasn’t promoted, the book would have still played out the same way. All three of these men had large roles in Lincoln’s administration – regardless of why they were appointed in the first place – and would have played heavily in the story, no matter how it was approached.

That said, this book is a comprehensive look at the Lincoln years. It doesn’t spend a lot of time on his childhood – it mainly picks up when he aspires to office, first in Illinois, then nationally.

Of course, the book is dominated by the Civil War. The South seceded very soon after Lincoln was elected – they knew he was anti-slavery, and they knew what was coming. As it turns out, the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t happen until well into the war.

There were some new angles and pieces of information about the Civil War that I didn’t know:

Lincoln’s personal family situation is covered as well.

It’s a good book, if a little tedious in places – there are lots of names to remember, and lots of quoted passages from speeches and articles in the English vernacular of the time, which can be tough to understand.

Again, the titular “team of rivals” angle doesn’t play into the story as much as I thought it would. These “rivals” were important players in the story, and would have been discussed regardless.

The inevitable ending is quite sad. Throughout the book, you come to understand the statesmanship of Lincoln – his sole concern was that the country would survive and reconcile. He approaches the war as a parent might approach disciplining their own child. They still love the child, but they do what must be done, even as they look forward to better days in the future.

I was affected when Lincoln died in the text. He was beloved by the people around him, and he successfully carried the country through its most turbulent period.

Book Info

Author
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Year
Pages
916
Acquired
  • I have read this book. According to my records, I completed it on .
  • A hardcover copy of this book is currently in my home library.

Here are some notes I took on the acquisition of this book:

Paul Landry gave this to me for my 50th birthday.

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