Reviews (3)

Abe Lincoln, reading books moved him to excel
The first thing I noticed when looking for a children's biography book on Abraham Lincoln was Kay Winter's Abe Lincoln, The Boy who loved books. This book has wonderful pictures with vivid colors and kid-friendly portraits of Abe Lincoln as a boy. The illustrator, Nancy Carpenter, does a magnificent job bringing the book to life. Children of all ages will enjoy reading this book and realizing that a love of books, as Abraham Lincoln did, can change a persons life and move him or her to become a great person...maybe even the President of the United States.

Abe Lincoln
This is a wonderful biography written by Kay Winters about the United States 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The vocabulary is kid-friendly, especially for children in grades kindergarten through second. In addition, the oil paintings on pastel can really enhance the reader's interest. Most importantly, the emphasis of how Abe Lincoln enjoyed reading, and used it to his advantage is a great encouragement for young readers!

A Fresh Perspective on Abe Lincoln
ABE LINCOLN: THE BOY WHO LOVED BOOKS is a delightful biography and a welcome addition to the body of children's books about our 16th President! With colorful, lyrical language, author Kay Winters tells the story of young Abe's boyhood from an important perspective, emphasizing at every turn his love of books, his passion for reading, and his eagerness to learn. Winters' narrative, beautifully supported by Nancy Carpenter's appealing illustrations, describes Abe as a "bookish boy" who practiced writing his letters in the dust, who loved spelling bees and spinning yarns, who carried a book in his back pocket even as he plowed, stopping at the end of each row to read a page. And at the end of the story, we find President Abraham Lincoln sitting by the fire in the White House...reading a book. As the book jacket says:
He loved books.
They changed his life.
He changed the world.
What I value most about this biography is that it gives young readers the opportunity to identify with a hero who is "bookish" and makes the connection between a love of reading and the empowerment of one person to change the world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Step back in time
If you want to know what Lincoln and his family were really like, read this amazing book. Ms. Taft wrote this book in 1931. She played with the Lincoln boys in the White House as a 16 year-old. Her descriptions of the everyday life of the Lincoln's, the White House and the times they lived make you feel as if you ARE there. It's an amazing step back into a time that has been written about by many others, but not from such a perspective. Truly wonderful, simple and illuminating. ... Read more

Book Description

This self-made man from a log cabin-the great orator, the Emancipator, the savior of the Union, the martyr-was arguably our greatest president; but it takes a master storyteller like Thomas Keneally, author of the award-winning novel that inspired the film Schindler's List, to bring alive the history behind the myth. Acclaimed for his recent Civil War biography, American Scoundrel, Keneally delves with relish-and a keen, fresh eye-into Lincoln's complicated persona.

Abraham Lincoln depicts all the amazing man's triumphs, insecurities, and crushing defeats with uncanny insight: his early poverty and the ambition that propelled him out of it; the shaping of the man and his political philosophy by youthful exposure to Christianity, slavery, and business; his tempestuous marriage and his fatherly love. We see him, elected to the presidency by a twist of fate, unswerving in the grim day-to-day conduct of the war as his vision and acumen led the country forward. Abraham Lincoln is an incisive study of a turning point in our history and a revealing portrait of its pivotal figure, his greatness etched even more clearly in this very touching human story. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Introductory Lincoln
Having not been educated in the US where veneration of Lincoln is widespread, Thomas Keneally's biography of the famed president is a breath of fresh air.

There seems little doubt that Lincoln was a man of enormous vision and courage. He took on the vested interests of slavery and ultimately prevented the dissolution of the Union. Furthermore, his untimely death lifted his status to that of a martyr. In this case, however, his martyrdom is well warranted.

Keneally's work is an excellent starting point for any reader seeking an introduction to Lincoln. This book is part of a larger series covering a host of international luminaries. Lincoln's place in this pantheon is well deserved. The book itself is wonderful read for those wishing to understand Lincoln's place in history.

inadequate
This treatment of Lincoln is inadequate at best. I've read other biographies in the "Penguin Lives" series (e.g. Jane Austen, Napoleon) that were fine within the scope of the series' purpose, but this one fell short. For example, the author seems to be projecting his own religious views on Lincoln when his characterizes Lincoln as an agnostic without much proof . This is reminiscent of how Lincoln was characterized as a kind of stain-glassed Evangelical for so many years by writers of that persuasion. Lincoln is more complex than this in his religious perspective. Likewise in the evolution of his views on slavery. My suggestion is not to waste any time or money on this volume, but instead to pick up a much better one-volume biography: "With Malice Toward None" by Stephen Oates. In his source notes at the back, Keneally himself states that this is his own favorite book about Lincoln.

Really Good Overview
I'm only a casual reader of history and biographies. I didn't want to read a thousand-page work about Lincoln's extraordinary life. I only wanted an overview, some sort of work to give me a sense of the man. For my purposes, this little biography by Thomas Keneally was a success. It's brief, but it hits all of the most important points of the presidents life. It captures the contradictions and conflicts that marked Lincoln's life, and it does so with, at times, soem true lyricism. Keneally is a good writer (though his fiction such as Schindler's List is much better) and particularly over the first part of this biography, that is evident. The biography only suffers during the last half when Lincoln seems to disappear behind Keneally's depiction of the war. I don't think Lincoln's great role and conflicts during the war were aptly shown. Also, the biography ended too abruptly with no attempt at summation. I know that the Penguin Lives reach for brevity, but this is one of the shorter books in that series. Keneally could have given Lincoln another twenty pages and still been under 200 pages. Nevertheless, this biography is good, certainly serving its purpose as an overview that will answer essential questions and incite further inquiry into life of one of America's greatest presidents.

Lincoln -- a man of 'compromise' in a time of ideologues
All in all, this is a reasonable but uninspired biography suitable for anyone not otherwise familiar with the heritage and life of America's greatest, or at least second-greatest, president.

History, even biography, is an examination of the past to understand the present and offer a guide for the future. On this basis, the contrast between Lincoln and modern politicians is abundantly relevant; Kenneally makes abundantly clear that Lincoln was a compromiser, a man concerned with temporary expediency of policy, a man of stubborn persistence and long-held values. Unlike today's politicians, who like bold decisive actions, he was not a man of unilateral impulsive decisions and hasty judgments.

As Kenneally makes clear, it was the Confederate leaders who recklessly and unilaterally plunged into the Civil War. Had they accepted Lincoln's compromise efforts, the Old South might still be a cotton-picking slave society; at the very least, slavery would have lasted for decades past the Emancipation Declaration of Jan. 1, 1863.

Sound familiar? Lincoln had his own "radical right" critics; instead of being ruled by their evangelical values, he remained in charge and favored gradualism. This gradualism may have been beneficial, or it may have been disastrous. Kenneally writes, "But even Lincoln began to believe, as McClellan delayed, that some Democratic generals didn't really want anything drastic to happen to the Confederacy, fearing that a great victory would encourage the administration to emancipate slaves."

Perhaps Lincoln's compromise and gradualism meant he selected "cautious" generals rather than plunge an unprepared army into disaster as happened at Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Except for U.S. Grant, Union generals have always been criticized for caution. But, Kenneally makes me wonder if Lincoln's conscious or even unconscious "cautious" nature prompted him to select cautious generals.

It's a basic question that comes to mind from this book: Were Lincoln's generals incompetent? Or did his generals merely reflect the innate nature of Lincoln, preferring caution and thoroughness to impulsive and unilateral action?

Lincoln is the worldwide symbol of American greatness, just as Southern slavery typifies the worst of America. Every nation, every person, has their own good and bad traits; most everyone understands the complexity of this dual nature. It is as true today as it was when Lincoln became the nation's leader. This book admirably illustrates the greatness to which a president can rise. It is a lesson for this fall's election. Perhaps there is something valid for a president to be, like Lincoln, "Ever the gradualist . . . . " Lincoln never wanted to be "a war president" and did as much as he could to avoid war.

On the other hand, Lincoln believed in the "Doctrine of Necessity" -- which means people act rationally because of enlightened self interest. It is why he failed to understand the Confederacy would be so stupid as to secede. Perhaps, had Lincoln been less the Gradualist, less a believer in Necessity, the Civil War might have been averted.

Possible? It's a couple of issues that Kenneally doesn't examine, but he provides enough background to raise these questions. It's what makes his book so interesting. He doesn't try to resolve either issue, he leaves such thinking to every astute reader.

It makes this a most interesting book.

Excellent brief overview
I think Thomas Keneally could make a shopping list an interesting read; he is that good a writer. Certainly there are many biographies out there about Lincoln and many studies of various aspects of his life, but for a brief introduction that could entice further investigation you could not do better than this. Keneally has the ability to make historical figures come alive which is evident in this book. His depiction of Lincoln first arriving at Springfield is wonderful. If he sometimes chooses the colorful detail over the most probable detail, there is at least some historical evidence to support what he chooses to present. I recommend this highly. ... Read more

Amazon.com

William Lee Miller's Lincoln's Virtues is less an "event"chronology than the tracing of the moral and ethical core of Abraham Lincoln'sbeliefs, what Miller calls the man's "unintended preparation for greatness."Miller posits that Lincoln rightly deserves his nonpareil place in Americanhistory. But, he continues, Lincoln's greatness is best appreciated only when werealize he was merely mortal and therefore free to follow any number of coursesof actions. Miller, through scores of eloquent exegeses of Lincoln's writingsand speeches, explores the path--consistent, though evolving--this free agenttook. Lincoln chose politics as his work. As a politician he was subject to thevery real constraints of collective action. However, such was the man's "moralself-confidence," that the mantle of greatness alit on his shoulders alone. Thisis a revealing, delicate, and at times soaring work. It also presupposes itsreaders are much more than casually familiar with Lincoln's life and times. - -H. O'Billovitch ... Read more

Reviews (26)

A surprising gem
An astonishingly compelling read. Nineteenth century US history may be limited in he public imagination to the Civil War, but the century was crucial in shaping the modern US.

Miller's book traces Lincoln's evolution from a backwoods lawyer to the most revered statesman in US history, a martyr to the cause of freedom. It's a compelling read, exposing the battles between moral purity and expediency, jockeying for political position between the Whigs and the Democrats (with some interesting parallels to recent political history) , and the slow spread of abolitionist sentiment through the US. Miller largely omits mention of the war itself: the stories are well known, available elsewhere, done to death. But by the time you finish the book, the war seems - in retrospect - inevitable.

While Miller obviously adores Lincoln, any puffery here is well bracketed by exposition of the man's flaws. What emerges is a complex portrait of a man seldom portrayed in more than a one-dimensional fashion, even in epic treatments of the Civil War such as Ken Burns' documentary.

Another Excellent Miller Book
This is another excellent book by William Lee Miller, the author of The First Liberty (about church/state separation), The Business of May Next (about Madison and the Constitution), and Arguing About Slavery (about John Quincy Adams and the controversy about slavery). In all these books, Miller has explored what he refers to as the moral basis of America, an effort to uncover the basic motivations leading to the establishment of basic American institutions. His strategy has usually been to select some major personality and episode and systematically use that episode to get to the heart of the basic impulse underlying the result.
This book is a little different. Lincoln's Virtues concentrates more closely on the person, in this case Lincoln, than prior books and provides less background history. In this book, Miller uses a roughly chronological/biographical structure to examine the development of Lincoln's ideas and motivations in the years leading up to the Presidency. The result is fascinating reading. Miller has developed style combining very well written narrative, careful use of quotations from primary sources, and scrupulous exegesis of the primary literature. Miller is simply an excellent writer with an engaging, almost conversational style. He presents Lincoln as a man who developed a series of strong moral convictions but also a personally ambitious individual who dedicated himself to professional politics. Through his personal traits, such as his magnaminity and self-discipline, Miller shows Lincoln harnessing his ambition in the service of achieving substantial moral ends. Miller's Lincoln is an extremely admirable person. To Miller, Lincoln is a powerful and largely self-educated intellect, a skilled professional politician with high moral stature, a very ambitious man who consistently put moral considerations ahead of personal achievement, and an excellent speaker who relied on reasoned appeals for justice rather than emotional demagoguery. Miller shows well how this unlikely paragon, and that is not too strong a word, emerged from the unlikely setting of frontier America. A strong point made by Miller is that Lincoln, from his earliest days, confidently rejected much of his milieu. In a society characterized by enthusiastic revivalism, he was a religous skeptic. In a place where Jacksonian democracts dominated political life, he became a Whig. In a state with the strongest anti-negro legislation of any nothern state, he was at least relatively unprejuidiced. Miller also defends Lincoln effectively against recent charges of racism and reluctant abolitionism, which Miller correctly sees as anachronistic.
This book does have some deficiencies. Because of the concentration on Lincoln, it has less background narration than Miller's prior books and it requires a decent background knowledge of 19th century American history to get the most out of this book. I don't think Miller has done quite enough to show why many in the North found the expansion of slavery so threatening. Miller shows well that Lincoln concluded that slavery was fundamentally immoral and un-American and opposed it on these grounds. What Miller doesn't convey, I think, is the fact that many in North felt, correctly, that slavery expansion was a way for the South to maintain its political grip on the nation. Both North and South perceived that restriction of slavery to its existing domain would break the hold of the South on the Federal government permanently and perhaps lead eventually to the extinction of slavery. Miller dealt with this issue at somewhat in his previous book, Arguing About Slavery, but it only comes up tangentially here. I think its this aspect of the slavery controversy that gave the events of the 1850 and the election of 1860 such urgency.

Great and Kind Human
This is a very unique biography of Abraham Lincoln. As described in all the other reviews, this book focuses on Lincoln's ethical character. After reading this book, the reader should feel like we have so much more to give to this world that we live in. We should continue to develop ourselves so we can contribute to make this world a better place. Lincoln believed he could do that by proving to the rest of the world that democracy can survive and prosper. Everyone knows Lincoln was a kind and humble man. But the author not only describes Lincoln's ethical nature but provides many examples that proves to us time and time again what a wondersful exceptional man Abraham Lincoln really was. Everyone living in a free country should thank Abraham Lincoln for his ethical dedication.

Lincoln: From the Inside Out
In pursuit of a literary project concerning Lincoln myself, this was the book I found most useful - after plowing through many recitations of external events.

Mr. Miller has done an exceptional job in showing the landscape of Lincoln's thinking: where it started, how it changed - and stays eminently fair-minded throughout.

Plus this book is something of a revelation in non-fictional literary style: conversational in places. But, in other places, conceptually very dense. And a great sense of humor.

Highly recommended.

Long-winded is an Understatement!
Okay, I admit it: I am a fan of Lincoln's. I was disposed to like this book. It's really not a BAD book, for it's very well researched, and Miller does know his subject well. However, his prose style is musty, circumlocutious, windy in the extreme, and almost deaf to any coherent narrative of Lincoln's life. The perspective on "virtue"--a subject I find fascintating--is also strained to the maximum. In all due respect, this author has been speaking to star-struck undergrads for a bit too long. A good editor might have saved all this research; as it is, it's a longish, flawed book on a great subject. ... Read more

Book Description

The Dear Mr. President series brings history alive through fictitious correspondence between a president and a young person. Although the letters are all imagined, they are based upon meticulous historical research. Elegantly designed in two colors, the books include photographs, maps, primary source material, a presidential biography, U.S. postal history, an index, and timelines. In this latest addition to the series, the United States descends into Civil War, a 12-year-old slave on a South Carolina plantation begins corresponding with the newly inaugurated President Lincoln. Full emancipation, the president writes to her, cannot come easily in so deeply divided a nation. But her continuing appeals prod the conscience of this burdened man, and he drafts the Emancipation Proclamation that sets Lettie on the road to freedom. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The story of a slave girl as seen through her letters.
Twelve-year-old Lettie is a slave girl living on the Tucker Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina, in 1861. It is only because of the friendship of her owner's young daughter, Katherine, that Lettie and her family have not been separated Even though Katherine taught her to read and has ensured that her father is not cruel, Lettie still longs to be free. With more questions than answers caused by the outbreak of war, she takes a daring step and writes to President Abraham Lincoln with the question she must know the answer to - when will she finally be free? This was a moving story about the cruelty of slavery as seen through the story of a spirited young girl longing to be free. Even though the letters were fictional, they seemed so real. ... Read more

Book Description

The story of Lincoln's life from his inauguration in 1861 to his death and funeral in 1865. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in History, 1940.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Abraham Lincoln:The War Years
Excellent Excellent Detialed week by week history of the administration through the biographies of all who knew him, generals, cabinet and plain folks. ... Read more

Book Description

The Another Great Achiever Series features biographies of great men and women of inspiring accomplishment. Eachcompelling book takes a fresh look at history through the eyes of those who lived it. They are throughly researched for historical accuracy, delightfully written, and designed to arouse an achieving spirit. ... Read more

Book Description

From his humble start in a log cabin in Kentucky, this book follows Lincoln through his presidency, and finally, his untimely death. With lively, stylized illustrations by David A. Johnson, this unusual biography with a decidedly folkloric flavor is sure to become a perennial classic. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Perfect
This book is perfect. I discovered it at my local library while working on my children's literature review file. I read it and was floored by how great it was and how I would not rest until I owned a copy of my very own. The book is tall and narrow just like the man himself. I especially liked the pictures of Abraham as a little boy. In so many other books, even children's books, Mr. Lincoln is portrayed as looking gruff his entire life. In this book, he smiles and grins and is adorable just like any other little boy. The book also has small ancedotes about his life which make Abraham more real to young children. The text handles the assassination in a way that is not as scary to young children. One of the most moving pictures is Lincoln's funeral train passing a field where both a black and white man were working, side by side, but had stopped to bow their heads. I read this book to a Kindergraten class and they were enchanted. I highly recommend this book for any classroom or school library. Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

Illinois may claim to be the “Land of Lincoln,” but it was Kentucky—the state of this future president’s birth—that shaped his personality and continued to affect his life at every stage.

Lincoln spent the first seven years of his life in Kentucky. His wife was from the Bluegrass state, as were each of the women with whom he had romantic relationships. All three of his law partners were Kentuckians, as was his lifelong best friend.

During the Civil War, Lincoln is reputed to have said, “I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.” Recognizing Kentucky’s importance as the bellwether of the four loyal slave states, Lincoln accepted the commonwealth’s illegal neutrality until Unionists secured firm control of the state government.

Yet even loyal supporters disagreed with some policies, most notably his attitude towards slavery. Lincoln urged the commonwealth to adopt a scheme of gradual, compensated emancipation, a position so unpopular that Kentucky voted for George B. McClellan in the 1864 presidential election, one of only three states to do so. It was not until the twentieth century that Kentuckians fully recognized and accepted his greatness.

Written for a general audience, LINCOLN OF KENTUCKY reflects the latest scholarship on Lincoln, Kentucky, and the numerous connections between the two before, during, and after the Civil War. ... Read more

Book Description

Mystery and speculation have been associated with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln for more than a century. Here is a thorough documentation, based on 30 years of research, of the activities and struggles of the President during his last day, along with events leading up to the assassination. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent!
A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours is one of the best books I've read about the fateful day in April 1865 when the 16th President was shot and killed at Ford's Theater. It paints a fascinating picture of a very tragic man on the last day of his too-short life. The relief and joy that Lincoln must have felt with the end of the Civil War finally at hand, his concern for how to achieve the nearly impossible task of reconstruction, and the never-ending personal challenges he faced in dealing with his wife are all captured in the words of Mr. Lincoln himself as well as through comments from observers who had contact with him on that day.

The book reads very much like a novel but is obviously very well researched with plenty of reference material documented via footnotes throughout. The author knows the subject well and is careful to note when conclusions not fully supported by documented research are drawn. The result is wonderfully readable and highly informative unlike many other accounts of that day.

Great Image of The End of A Great Leader
This book captures the readers attention and takes him on a step by step discourse of the hours before Lincoln's assassination. A very sad image is presented in the book because it's obvious Lincoln's last day of life may have been his happiest day of life. Lincoln was overcoming the anxieties of war, but was cut down when he had a handle on life. In this book the reader learns of the threats to the president's life and what could have been done to prevent Lincoln's death. Infortunately in 1865 all Booth needed to end the president's life was a passion against Lincoln. Great book!

Fascinating
I, too, purchased this book at Ford's Theatre. At first, I thought it would be one of those whodunnit books, but I was wrong. The author obviously put alot of effort, time & research into the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I finished the entire book during the plane ride back to Los Angeles. I lent it to my family members and they, too, enjoyed it!

A Masterpiece of Time
History books must reach into the past to pull forward a tangible, feeling portrait of those who have lived before us. A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours is a brilliant account of a ever researched, fascinating topic. America may know the general idea of the Lincoln assasination, but this book reaches into the depths of a life that seems to come together in the course of one day. The life of America's greatest president was turbulent from its foundation, and a peace settled into the man who had an ironic foreshadowing of his own death. After reading this account, one can argue that Linocln was so relaxed, joyful and relieved. This may be due to the fact that he knew his life and accomplishments had run their course and he, along with the Unified country he fought so hard to solidfy was on the right track. Lincoln walking alongside the women in the garden admiring his beloved lemon tree, cavorting cheerfully with the energy-draining Mary Todd, and defiance in wanting to attend "Our American Cousin" are just some of the vignettes presented in luxurious vividity. All in all, one of the most entertaining reads I have had the pleasure to experience. A masterful look into a world past.

A must for any Lincoln fan!
This book was one of the most illuminating and exhillerating of any books dedicated to Lincoln I have read. The insights provided, as well as the detail of each moment, are as good as any written word on the subject. This book is a must read for any Lincoln fan curious about his last moments of life, and of the men who conspired to take that life. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A brilliant writer's showcase
The Portable Abraham Lincoln is just that, a small book packed with nothing but Lincoln's words and ideas, from the famous debates with Stephen Douglas to his immortal 2nd Inaguaral Address.

Mixed throughout the speeches are letters, both public and private, which reveal his inner thoughts and animating philosophy. Included is his short and moving letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, featured in the movie Saving Private Ryan, which is the most eloquent expression of patriotic grief I have ever read.

The book is organized in themes, from his emergence of a polictian to his writings as Chief Executive and as Commander-in-Chief, and ending up with Fate.

This book is for people who want to go beyond the soundbytes featured in documentaries; it places those famous phrases in the context of the entire speech and the commentary is kept to a minimum, showing respect for the reader. ... Read more

Book Description

Born in a log cabin on the Kentucky frontier, Abraham Lincoln faced a life of extreme poverty and hardship. Without losing his gentle nature and sense of humor, he surmounted these and many other obstacles to attain the highest office in the land and the enduring love of the American people. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

My First Lincoln Book
I am 38 years old and my father bought me this book when we visited the Lincoln birthplace when I was approximately 6 years old. I still read it from time to time. This book started me on a lifetime desire to learn more about the man called "Abe". The book is well written and takes you from birth to his assassination (which is taken up by less than a page.) I found it fascinating when I was younger and, as I said, I still read it now and then. I have over 50 books on Lincoln and this is still one of my favorites. If you have a young son or daughter that likes to read, let them try this one, I think they might just do as I did the other day. My father is now 72 and visited and I showed him the book and thanked him again as I recalled the day he bought it for me.

I would heartily recommend this book for anyone, but it is geared toward children. (I would actually say from 9-12) depending on how much they like to read.

Its preety cool I like it
It is one of those vivid and accurate biographies, which can not become old-fashioned with the years. The book describes the early boyhood and young manhood of Abraham Lincoln. It describes the long and not easy way, which Lincoln had to overcome to stay in history as the great and humane American President of the Civil War Years. I underlined the facts, which impressed me the most. Young Abe was the best wrestler for many miles along the midwestern coast. Several years ago I wondered: why sports should be important for politicians? They should be bright in something else - intellectwise. But now I understand that you have to be either in boxing or in karate or in wrestling like Lincoln when you are young. This will help you to overcome numerous defeats when you become older and go into political fights without any rules. Another fact from Lincoln's biography shocked me. He would walk miles to borrow a book. There was no Internet; there were no even libraries in the area where he lived. Why would he go for miles and I am sure it was not always easy for him. How many of my friends would go for miles to borrow a book? I do not know. In addition, the second thing about it. His parents were illiterate; they could not write or read. How and from whom he would know that you have to read books? I found out that one person influenced Abe a lot. That person was his teacher named Zachariaah Riney. From Riney Lincoln got a habit to read aloud to him and would do it for the rest of his life. The third fact from his biography is amazing. Lincoln read every newspaper, which he could find. I ask myself: do I always read New York Times, which I find at home? Alternatively, I prefer to watch cartoons with my brother Kevin. When I think about all of this I come to a sad conclusion: I will never become the President of the great country. However, I hope that at least I will become the Chief of Justice of the Supreme Court. The will power, this is what comes to my mind when I think about Lincoln while reading Sterling North's book. The life was not easy for him. However, he never gave up. I know that life is not easy for anyone. However, most people give up. In addition, they do not become the great Presidents. I was trying to find out what else influenced Lincoln and helped him to become what he became in the future. I am sure it was the environment of Cucumber Trail. It was a small place but Abe could see a larger world from his cabin. All sorts of travelers were passing by their cabin telling all kinds of stories about their life. Pioneers seeking for new land soldiers and even slaves in chains. It reminds me about the city where I live - New York. You can meet the entire world here and know much more about life if you are willing to talk to all these people like young Lincoln used to do. In addition, the last thing, which determined the future of Lincoln, was that his family moved a bit. This was giving to him an exciting feeling of constant adventure. I am sure that this feeling is extremely important for any politician otherwise he becomes and old and boring mosquito who fly's around and disturbs people with his monotonous songs. ... Read more

Book Description

1920. Dr. Hill's present work brings Lincoln before us as a man, splendid in his strength of purpose, unshaken by popular clamor, humane, sympathetic, and farseeing; a man who understood and appreciated the problems of life, the passions and the weaknesses of his fellow men, strong because of his trials and triumphs; a great leader - so great as to be without jealousy; humble, because of his knowledge and experience, forgetful of self in his desire to best serve his country and mankind. ... Read more