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The Life Of Abraham Lincoln (2000)

by Henry Ketcham(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 4

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review 1: According to Wikipeda Henry Ketcham fought in the civil war. I wanted to read a history of Lincoln by someone who experienced some of the events and knew Lincoln. Ketcham definitely allowed me to see the Northern Unionist perspective, one would think from reading this that the only reason the South left the union was because of slavery. One might also come away thinking the North was completely blameless before the war and that Lincoln was the Souths greatest friend if only they could have recognized it. I've heard enough from other friends who have researched the matter to make me wonder if this really was the case. To Ketcham, Abraham Lincoln was practically Jesus, almost perfect in deed and character. And if many of the things Ketcham claims about Lincoln are true, may... morebe he truly was a man of great integrity, wit and humor, wisdom and understanding--a true hero. Yet it's still hard for lovers of liberty to be comfortable with the unconstitutional actions he employed while in office. It would have seemed to preserve the union was something to be achieved at any means. Ketcham said it was really hard for Lincoln to do away things like habeas corpus, but the circumstances of the war made it a necessity for him to do so, maybe so... but. Ketcham often mentioned the patients, unselfishness, lack of personal ambition, honesty, compassion, mercy and tenderness of Lincoln, how he wouldn't hurt a fly and was extremely troubled by the suffering of all people and even the beast. But it is hard to reconcile this with Lincolns approval of Sherman's absolutely horrific march to the sea and scorched earth policy. If what Ketcham says is true, maybe in Lincoln we truly have a mix of a noble man of great character, with the practical Machiavellian Prince who sees the end justifying the most unsavory means. Maybe this is why many see him as Jesus and others view him as Satan incarnate, if one takes either extreme as his starting perspective, he interpret everything else to fit with it. After finishing this book, I kind of lean towards the idea that Lincoln as a truly good man who was placed in a nightmarish situation. In the context Lincoln found himself in, nothing was simple or black-n-white, maybe he often felt like he was place between two evils and had to choose what he saw as the lesser.
review 2: Henry Ketcham served under Lincoln as a general in the Union army. His biography of Abraham Lincoln pulls from his personal knowledge and deep love for our president. He gives us interesting details and the book flows nicely. Of course, writing so long ago, his vocabulary and his way of stating things sometimes confused me, and I used the dictionary feature of my kindle frequently, but I like to stretch my brain that way occasionally. I enjoyed learning more about this great man and recommend the book. less

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