Doris Kearns GoodwinCritiques

(2005) 757 pgs. Very good telling of Abraham Lincoln's life from the time that he runs for Congress up to his death. Adds perspective of his main rivals in the Republican Party - Seward, Chase & Bates.

This book will probably not be remembered as one of Kearns Goodwin's better efforts. Little of the research appears new or enthralling. The lessons for current political parties are pretty well understood. The role of the press as independent arbiter of public policy is nothing new. That said, I must admit to having enjoyed being in the company of William Howard Taft, a character I had little knowledge of before reading this book. Taft helped Roosevelt contain the trusts, the huge conglomerates who controlled the railroads, the production and distribution of oil, food production, and steel. Both men played a significant role in the way the US government behaves today. America had changed dramatically from the Civil War until Woodrow Wilson's election in 1912. Rockefeller, Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt all played large roles in the industrialisation of America during this period. This book is about the correction that took place as a result. About the progressive era that blew new winds into a Washington that had been dominated by Lincoln's Republican party and settled Wilson and the Democrats into power.

As always, DKG tells it like a story AND marshals the historical facts, synthesizing a great and illuminating read that easily holds your interest. FDR, Eleanor, Churchill, Stalin, and all the other players come to life as they participate in the great events of the time. Goodwin captures the flaws and the missteps as well as the heroic and brilliant actions.

A well described history of Franklin D Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. An interesting view of the time of the second world war from the American point of view.

This account of the relationships between Lincoln and the members of his Cabinet and his Generals held my interest throughout.

I really appreciated the details of our run up to WWII.
I was surprised at the level of anti-Semitism in the country.
I hadn't understood the full depth of the situation England was in, and their desperate need for help. I had not understood the magnitude of the loss at Dunkirk.
I was amazed at the productivity of the US manufacturing machine, once Roosevelt was able to to get it cranked up.
I was amazed at the depth of the isolationist feeling in the USA, and how delicately FDR had to handle to movement toward war preparation.
I was surprised at the level of support we provided Russia (who also needed help on the Eastern front). A tidbit: Stalin refused to fly!
The Japanese soldier's commitment to their casue (or theri emperor) was incredible.
I was surprised and disappointed in the inability of so many of our national leaders (both business and govt) to see the implications of the German war machine.
I was surprised at the depth of the engagement of Eleanor in the matters of social justice and civil rights.
An excellent read.

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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a biography of America’s 16th President. Ms. Goodwin is a best-selling, Pulitzer-Prize winning author and historian.

The book’s title refers to Lincoln, and his key cabinet members William Seward, Edward Bates, and Salmon Chase. Each man contributed greatly to the strength of the Lincoln administration, and putting his biography in focus against his political rivals is a fresh perspective into Lincoln’s capabilities.

In Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin leaves out much of Lincoln’s youth, choosing instead to focus on his ability to incorporate, and manage his rivals into his administrations. Lincoln’s ability to let go of personal slights is one of his greatest attributes, infusing his administration with talented, competitive individuals, albeit with large egos.

After introducing each of the personalities involved, the book begins to shine. Lincoln is president, and the author dramatization of his election, inauguration, and other events are some of the best I’ve read.

Mary Lincoln, at times, get center stage in this book – and rightly so. She’s portrayed with sensitivity and intelligence, a grieving mother, wife of a man under enormous stress. Several other women, also get credit for their husbands’ success, and rightly so.

The plot to kill Lincoln, Seward, and Vice President Hannibal Hamlin is described in electrifying detail, without going down the rabbit hole of pursuing the assassins. The book goes into the motivation, and planning of the assassins, attempting to understand them without justifying their actions. The book ends with glimpses into the lives of the people it talks about after Lincoln’s depth.

This is a thoughtful, interesting, and different take on Lincoln’s life. While it takes several chapters to get interesting, when it does, the biography is captivating, and entertaining, providing a glimpse into the man, in context of the company he kept.

A simultaneous biography of Lincoln and his cabinet, highly recommended to me by A2J, Glen V and Mike K. If you've read civil war histories, you will know the story. The viewpoint here is unusual, though; the history is a personal one with a lot of attention to everybody's feelings about each other and long quotations from their 19th century letters and diary entries (they hadn't figured out how to write 20th century letters yet). You feel like you know these people much better than you might after a more typical history - whether the feeling represents some kind of reality, to quote Pee-Wee Herman, I don't know. I did give it 4 big stars. I must say it took me a long time to read this, and the author at times seems to leave no blind alley unexplored. A few comments:

Fascinating description of Delaware Senator Willard Saulsbury (page 503)another great Delawarean that I didn't know about. He said to the sergeant-at-arms of the Senate "Damn you, if you touch me I'll shoot you dead".

One of the books best features, I think, is that instead of saying what a cut-up Lincoln was, it actually uses others' accounts of their conversations to actually report Lincoln's jokes verbatim! Apparently a favorite phrase of his was "the bottom is out of the tub"(page 426). Perhaps this will gain currency again.

Just a few exemplary complaints: On page 678. Is it really necessary to list all of Stanton's "heartfelt" note replying to Henry Ward Beecher's "heartfelt" note saying how great they both were?
On page 617 there is a lengthy aside about Jefferson Davis' son falling off the balcony and killing himself. What is this doing here?

I wanted to like this but it was a bit tough to read in that it seemed to be rather superficial. Maybe I'm being too critical, but I didn't feel that I got to know Doris Kearns Goodwin any better by reading it. Sorry.

This is a monumental biography of Lincoln. Told from the vantage point of Lincoln and his rivals turned colleagues, Goodwin builds a masterful narrative, meticulously documented and thoroughly enjoyable. One of the best biographies I've read. Lincoln is a complex character, and this book paints a vivid portrait of the man and his time.

This has to be one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. This book really gets into the mind of Abraham Lincoln and shows just how special he was. This book shines in showing his political genius.

Doris Goodwin shows his highs and his lows in life and all in between. The great war that divided us and the one man that could Unite us. When I started reading this Abraham Lincoln was my favorite President and when I finished the book it was magnified tenfold. For those that do not know much about President Lincoln I would recommend that this be the first book you read about him and his life and his times.

James Swanson, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Walt Whitman, etc.

I read this book at the recommendation of a friend who thinks I am too harsh on FDR's legacy. That harshness, sadly, began in early 1973 when I read While Six Million Died: A Chronicle of American Apathy, by Arthur D. Morse, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/302834.Arthur_D_Morse. It developed further when I read 1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23492830-1944, by Jay Winik. FDR and the Jews, by Richard Breitman and Allan J. Lichtman, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16691938-fdr-and-the-jews, tempered this view somewhat, but not much.

My friend believes this should temper my views further.The book is definitely worthwhile as a good picture of that period in history and an effort to paint FDR in a good light. To quote someone, when you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. The writing in the book as in most of Goodwin's work, is excellent, and is her analysis. And despite her efforts to build up FDR and find some fault with Eleanor, Eleanor deservedly comes out better. Eleanor cast the model for a modern First Lady. FDR was, at best, a charismatic leader who largely effectuated decisions made by others or forced by circumstances. Truman, by contrast, was a decision-maker.

It's hard not to rate a book based on one's liking for the people who are the subject of the book, so I will give the book a "4". I felt the book focused too much on unknowable sexual and personal issues. The book is solidly worth reading and I highly recommend it.

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Most insightful, entertaining, and moving. I listened to the Audiobook and was so impressed, I have put this on mt birthday list! I want to give it a thorough reading as well.

There is so much more insights here besides that of Lincoln - others in his cabinet, Mary Todd, US Grant, and just the general tenor and feel of the country at the time.

Great, great book. If you have any interest in this time period, you need to read this book.

Leadership in Turbulent Times -Goodwin
Audio performance by -multiple narrators
4 stars

“No single path carried them to the pinnacle of political leadership.”

This was an interesting and highly readable book. Goodwin gives abbreviated, anecdotal biographies of four prominent presidents; Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. She looks at pivotal moments in each man’s life, their early development, their personal challenges, failures, setbacks and their overriding ambitions. The audiobook features a different reader for each president and it was easy to follow. I preferred the kindle text edition which allowed me to pay closer attention to details. Goodwin never fails to capture each unique personality, but she does highlight some similarities in the leadership styles of these men.

“They were united, however, by a fierce ambition, an inordinate drive to succeed.”

I was having difficulty keeping track of all these dead white guys and the book is entirely to heavy so I'm officially abandoning this at page 147.

Anything Doris Goodwin writes is more than worthy of reading. No one is more a scholar of the American presidency than she is. And this is no exception. Recognized as a modern classic since its publication in 2005, Team of Rivals escaped my reading list until now. And, I must admit, I listened to the audio version and in its abridged version. Abridged or not, Lincoln’s greatness was front and center in the book, and the heartbreak of the Civil War was sad and avoidable. Often greatness isn’t recognized until long after the great one’s death. In the case of Lincoln, however, everyone who was touched by him while he lived knew of his greatness then, and when he died from politicians to common folk to poets, Abraham Lincoln was recognized for who he was: our nation’s greatest president.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973)
Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Lyndon Johnson and The American Dream is a monumental work that captures this American president at his best and worst. From a childhood in Texas while at home, and at school Johnson was deeply influenced by his mother Rebekah. The author went at length to portray this aspect of his life by showing how he longed to please a mother who was rather demanding. But Johnson was able to eventually shift his loyalties to Sam, his father, who was a political figure in Texas.
At San Marcos College Johnson made his mark by manipulating the system where he was a student. Soon, he was working closely with the college’s president that orchestrated changes in student government. On graduation he endeavored to follow in his father’s footsteps, and went to Washington DC as an office manager to congressman Richard Kleberg. There, he mastered the intricacies of congressional life by learning the ropes.
Having been able to attract the attention of Franklin Roosevelt, he was appointed to the post of NYA programs, and returned to Texas where he worked. There he was able to cultivate a political base. Eventually, Johnson ran for congress in the 10th district. With that success he returned to Washington DC as a congressman, and was able to further master the workings of the congressional system. Having been in congress for a number of years he brought results to his constituents with the implementation of electricity and water systems.
But congress was only a stepping stone. Johnson was successful in a run for the senate in his second attempt in Texas. In Washington DC as a senator, he once again made his way through committees to become minority leader. Later, he was the majority leader of the Democratic party. Johnson was a master in this post with the amount of legislation that was passed. His success didn’t end in the senate. But eventually he became Vice-President to John F. Kennedy and was less effective. In this role he often thought he was being sidelined in the Kennedy administration.
With the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, Johnson was sworn in as President of the United States. He did a remarkable job of calming the fears of a distraught nation during these troubling times. Quickly, he moved to pass legislation that was pending in the Kennedy administration. One of his remarkable achievements was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This was soon followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that enfranchised Black Americans. Months after Johnson won a landslide election against Barry Goldwater, he ushered in legislation for his programs on the Great Society. These addressed poverty, education, social security, welfare, transportation etc.

Yet, these successes were not to last. Johnson became bogged down with the Vietnam war. He was unable to function effectively with the country’s foreign policy initiatives. Often, he was given conflicting advice from his advisors on the war. He couldn’t face the fact that America was doing badly in propping up South Vietnam against North Vietnam. Johnson ordered more bombings which were not the solution. He was lying to the public concerning how the war was going. War budgets were hidden from them. With the Tet offensive, the coming of new elections, inflation, losses to the Great Society programs, Johnson broadcast to the nation that he won’t seek election as President of the United States. He retired to his ranch in Texas where he died on January 23, 1973 of a heart attack.

HIGHLY advise this book for any leader

Really liked it. I can see why it won the Pulitzer. You feel like you really understand the Roosevelts' personalities & philosophies and how they led the country through WWII.½

I never realized how much Taft accomplished! Evidently, Simon & Schuster still doesn’t (or Amazon!), or they would not have left Taft’s name out if the title!

Goodwin hits another home run (heh heh) with this presidential biography.

Once in a lifetime you come across books of such magnificence and vitality that you feel compelled to alter your life in emulation of their protagonists.

Goodwin's 'Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius Of Abraham Lincoln' is such a book.

Do not be fooled by the title. This is not a book about Lincoln's cabinet, but rather Lincoln himself who captained a disparate and fractious cabinet through the storms of economic reforms, social reforms and a war which threatened to extinguish the adolescent American Republic.

Goodwin captures the poignant struggles of wood splitter turned President while providing insights into his mind and refinement of the leadership craft.

More emphatically, we do not lose sight of Lincoln as a human when he confronts all-round tragedy.

One of the classics of 21st century historigraphy.

Goodwin's approach to the age old question-how leaders are made?- is quite creative given that out of a plethora of American Presidencies she elects four of the most dynamic incumbencies. Her focus is on Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. The last three are interconnected by family (the Roosevelts) and proximity (D. Roosevelt and Johnson) with Lincoln the odd one out. I believe that her selection criteria was based on the times rather than these leaders' response to those times. Lincoln confronted disunion and war; Roosevelt Jr. commercial monopoly; D. Roosevelt Economic Depression and WWII while Johnson tackled the tendentious issue of Civil Rights.

Goodwin narrates the various crisis's these Presidents confronted and their ultimate response to them. This response decided their depth of character and profundity of intelligence. Their claim to leadership was evinced in how they tackled the conflict staring them in the face. Lincoln adopted the iron fist in velvet glove stratagem; Theodore pushed through with his strategy of being the center of affairs; Franklin assiduously disassociated his administration from the past and embarked on breaking new ground while Johnson silently operated from the shadows and triumphed with his Quid pro Quo and Show not Tell policy. The hallmark of all four Presidencies was that their holders succeeded in what they set out to do. Lincoln preserved the Union; Roosevelt Jr. upended corruption; Franklin Roosevelt restored fiscal stability and outproduced the Axis while Johnson pushed through the Civil Rights Bill.

This book, in contrast to 'A Team of Rivals', is free of jargon and retains an unique flow which prevents it from becoming a tedious bore. The prose is handsome, to say the least, with the downside being the almost anti-climatic conclusion of the book. The most pertinent question though is that does Doris effectively answer what makes a leader? And here is a glaring failure, not clearly enough. Otherwise, this is an excellent book regards historic reference.

I am so glad I read this book.

An excellent narration and accounting of the facts and events. I have become skeptical of possible misinformation or an author's addition or opinions and was thrilled to find an author whose goal is to present the story as it was.

I would give the first few chapters five stars plus. The story of LBJ's childhood, school years, years as a teacher and his work in the National Youth Administration, his courtship and marriage to Lady Bird and his time as a congressional aide were absolutely fascinating. LBJ was a born political force and so incredibly smart and intuitive in reading people. The chapters on his time in the senate, as vice president and his early years as president were equally fascinating. His thought process on the Great Society reforms was mind-blowing at times. He was a very complicated man. But the chapters on Vietnam and the end of his presidency were just downright depressing. He lost his way with that war and his justifications became more and more divorced from reality. He went from being a heroic (yet very flawed) figure to being pitiful, paranoid and unable to accept any criticism. It was very sad. I do appreciate that Kearns Goodwin did not equivocate when it came to LBJ's flaws. You can tell that she very much admired him, but she never apologized for his shortcomings and often did a beautiful job of speculating as to his motives and motivations. Very interesting for anyone wanting to know more about LBJ.