It is rare that one can recommend a book before he has actually finished reading it. But such is the case with A Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. My fascination with Lincoln started with an interest in a few of his quotes. Some of my favourites are listed here:
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Abraham Lincoln
He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met.
Abraham Lincoln
If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?
Abraham Lincoln
If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.
Abraham Lincoln
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
Abraham Lincoln
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln
No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.
Abraham Lincoln
You may deceive all the people part of the time, and part of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln
When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion.
Abraham Lincoln
This then led me to research his life and career in depth. The man I discovered fascinated me and soon after, I became hungry to learn more about him. What really drew me in was the fact that certain aspects of his life was very much akin to mine in terms of his personal finances, the death of a parent in youth, and the necessity to depend on no one else but himself. He was a self made man. There were no parents who guided him with connections, wealth or influence. Everything he had was the result of hard work. Nothing was ever given to him.
This book tells the story of Lincoln's rise from the eyes of his competitors, or rivals, as they are referred to in this saga. It is written in a the same story-telling manner as the History Channel documentaries. This increases the reading enjoyment even more. It lacks the boring and stuffy academic tone which, in my opinion, is a good thing.
I'm still not done as it's quite the read - not just in terms of the number of pages, but in the breadth of the content and the web of characters involved in telling their tales. I've started to highlight some parts and this has now become a study of love. If only I could take it with me to the gym and read while riding the bike...but I don't want to sully the book with my sweat.
For those of you who want to read an interesting and perhaps inspiring work of non-fiction, this is an option I'd recommend you consider.
No comments:
Post a Comment