Name: Team Of Rivals (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)
Rating: 4.574074074074074 (54 reviews)
ISBN: 9781410457905

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Team Of Rivals (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)

Dan Magee

No praise must have been more welcome to Lincoln than that of his old critic, the fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. "And to whom is the country more immediately indebted for this vital and saving amendment of the Constitution than, perhaps, to any other man?" Garrison asked a cheering crowd at the Boston Music Hall. "I believe I may confidently answer-to the humble railsplitter of Illinois-to the Presidential chain- breaker for millions of the oppressed-to Abraham Lincoln!"

"Having hope," writes Daniel Goleman in his study of emotional intelligence, "means that one will not give in to overwhelm- ing anxiety, a defeatist attitude, or depression in the face of difficult chal- lenges or setbacks." Hope is "more than the sunny view that everything will turn out all right"; it is "believing you have the will and the accomplish your goals."

Lincoln was "the most truly progressive man of the age, because he always moves in conjunction with propitious circumstances, not waiting to be dragged by the force of events or wasting strength in premature struggles with them."

He tried to impart some of the measured outlook that had served him so well: "No man resolved to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper, and the loss of self-control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better give your path to a dog, than be bitten by him in contesting for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure the bite."

Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Abraham Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president. On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires. It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war. We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through. 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.

The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Team of Rivals

charisa

can you believe i used to read nonfiction

Matthew Royal

Fascinating historical portrait of Lincoln I hadn't heard before. Starting this book, I expected to learn more about how keeping his former rivals in his presidential cabinet helped him make a stronger presidency, but really, it was simply stated that conversation among the cabinet was contentious, occasionally someone had to be replaced, and at the end of his life Lincoln and Seward had developed a strong mutual love for each other. No larger lessons or principals, but a good historical exception that rather than being a Pollyanna philosophy of life, was actually a shrewd political calculation that modern politicians such as Hillary Clinton in her defeat of Sanders could have duplicated.

The bestselling and prize-winning study of one of the most legendary American Presidents in history, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin is the book that inspired Barack Obama in his presidency.When Barack Obama was asked which book he could not live without in the White House, his answer was instant: Team of Rivals. This monumental and brilliant work has given Obama the model for his presidency, showing how Abraham Lincoln saved America by appointing his fiercest rival to key cabinet positions. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it's an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.'A wonderful book . . . a remarkable study in leadership' Barack Obama'A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius' The New York Times'I have not enjoyed a history book as much for years' Robert HarrisDoris Kearns Goodwin is the doyenne of US presidential historians, and one of the most acclaimed non-fiction authors in the world. Her works include Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga, and No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995.

krisha mathur

When the 1860 Republican National Convention chose Abraham Lincoln over three seasoned politicians, his rivals were shocked and humilated. Lincoln immediately went about mending fences by inviting them to join his cabinet. Historian Doris Kearns Godwin reveals how Lincoln brilliantly converted former political foes and used them to strengthen his presidency.

Melody Izard

I never knew how many times Lincoln came up in everyday conversations until I read this book! 

I thought I knew what I needed to know about Lincoln, but apparently not. Surrounding himself by his rivals and in some cases people who thought he was a bumbling fool? Yep that's what he did. He said if these guys were the cream of the crop the people deserved to have them help in the governing of this great country of ours. So he just used his quiet little gentle smarts to tame their resentment and to make them help in this difficult time. 

And it was a difficult time. Lincoln didn't even know how he wanted to handle it. He just knew he couldn't let the South spin off and form their own country. 

It's a long book of history. But worth every minute.

Mark Stenberg 

Very good! Made me want to read Shakespeare again. How cool to have a good president. I wonder how much better the country might be today if Lincoln led Reconstruction? Crazy ending too — didn’t know it was a multi-target assassination attempt! Lots of fun. Good writing too!

Jeni Enjaian

I absolutely loved this book. I had high hopes for it after watching the magnificent "Lincoln" last year. (Side note: I find interesting the statement that "Lincoln" was based on this book. At most, I'd say that "Lincoln was based on an eighth of the entire work.)

I loved learning more about the individual cabinet members such as Chase, Seward and Bates. Ms. Goodwin wove a complicated and intense story spanning multiple decades and multiple characters to create an epic that is part biography (of multiple people) and part civil war historiography. I also love how she kept the other characters "in the loop" after Lincoln's election to the presidency. This could have easily become just another Lincoln biography but instead she made this book a step above the rest.

She also avoided bias and sweeping generalities, something that has bothered in other works like this. 

I can't say enough good things about this work. I highly recommend it and can't wait to purchase it to make it a permanent part of my library.

Ilia Markov

Great book that follows Lincoln's political legacy not just through his own work, but through the people he picked in his cabinet.

Ray Mims

Gigi V

Tony McCollum

Marcy Pursell 

Feyi Fawehinmi 

Andrew John Kinney

Coleman McCormick

Cindy McKee

Jacqueline Wilson

Arjo Gupto

the political genius of Abraham Lincoln

Team of rivals

Keven Wang

This brilliant, multi-million-selling biography is now the inspiration for a major Steven Spielberg film starring Daniel Day-Lewis. 

Team of Rivals shows how Abraham Lincoln saved Civil War-torn America by appointing his fiercest rivals to key cabinet positions. 

As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it's an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.
--back cover

Team Of Rivals (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)

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