And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle
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- Create Date：2022-09-18 17:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jon Meacham
- ISBN：B09VYRM2BV
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Summary
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and #1 New York Times best-selling author Jon Meacham chronicles the life and moral evolution of Abraham Lincoln and explores why and how Lincoln confronted secession， threats to democracy， and the tragedy of slavery in order to expand the possibilities of America
A president who governed a divided country has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization and political crisis。 Abraham Lincoln was president when implacable secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions inextricably bound up with money， power， race， identity， and faith。 He was hated and hailed， excoriated and revered。 In Lincoln we can see the possibilities of the presidency as well as its limitations。
At once familiar and elusive， Lincoln tends to be seen in popular minds as the greatest of American presidents—a remote icon—or as a politician driven more by calculation than by conviction。 This illuminating new portrait gives us a very human Lincoln—an imperfect man whose moral antislavery commitment was essential to the story of justice in America。 Here is the Lincoln who， as a boy， was steeped in the sermons of emancipation by Baptist preachers; who insisted that slavery was a moral evil; and who sought， as he put it， to do right as God gave him light to see the right。
This book tells the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his leadership during the Civil War to his tragic assassination at Ford’s Theater on Good Friday 1865: his rise， his self-education through reading， his loves， his bouts of depression， his political failures， his deepening faith， and his persistent conviction that slavery must end。 In a nation shaped by the courage of the enslaved of the era and by the brave witness of Black Americans of the nineteenth century， Lincoln’s story illuminates the ways and means of politics， the marshaling of power in a belligerent democracy， the durability of white supremacy in America， and the capacity of conscience to shape the maelstrom of events。
Lincoln was not all he might have been—few human beings ever are—but he was more than many men have ever been。 We could have done worse。 And we have。 And， as Lincoln himself would readily acknowledge， we can always do better。 But we will do so only if we see Abraham Lincoln—and ourselves—whole。
A president who governed a divided country has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization and political crisis。 Abraham Lincoln was president when implacable secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions inextricably bound up with money， power， race， identity， and faith。 He was hated and hailed， excoriated and revered。 In Lincoln we can see the possibilities of the presidency as well as its limitations。
At once familiar and elusive， Lincoln tends to be seen in popular minds as the greatest of American presidents—a remote icon—or as a politician driven more by calculation than by conviction。 This illuminating new portrait gives us a very human Lincoln—an imperfect man whose moral antislavery commitment was essential to the story of justice in America。 Here is the Lincoln who， as a boy， was steeped in the sermons of emancipation by Baptist preachers; who insisted that slavery was a moral evil; and who sought， as he put it， to do right as God gave him light to see the right。
This book tells the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his leadership during the Civil War to his tragic assassination at Ford’s Theater on Good Friday 1865: his rise， his self-education through reading， his loves， his bouts of depression， his political failures， his deepening faith， and his persistent conviction that slavery must end。 In a nation shaped by the courage of the enslaved of the era and by the brave witness of Black Americans of the nineteenth century， Lincoln’s story illuminates the ways and means of politics， the marshaling of power in a belligerent democracy， the durability of white supremacy in America， and the capacity of conscience to shape the maelstrom of events。
Lincoln was not all he might have been—few human beings ever are—but he was more than many men have ever been。 We could have done worse。 And we have。 And， as Lincoln himself would readily acknowledge， we can always do better。 But we will do so only if we see Abraham Lincoln—and ourselves—whole。
Reviews
Mariama Thorlu-Bangura
，
I am a history buff。 I got into it starting in the fifth grade， and ironically it was reading about the Civil War era that got the ball rolling。 I particularly enjoyed reading about Abraham Lincoln， and since then I've read numerous books about his life。 For the most part， I've enjoyed what I read。 But there are a few that I couldn't get through。 Jon Meacham's 'And Then There Was Light' is one I couldn't get through。 I have 2 of his other works - one on Jefferson and the other on Jackson - and I I am a history buff。 I got into it starting in the fifth grade， and ironically it was reading about the Civil War era that got the ball rolling。 I particularly enjoyed reading about Abraham Lincoln， and since then I've read numerous books about his life。 For the most part， I've enjoyed what I read。 But there are a few that I couldn't get through。 Jon Meacham's 'And Then There Was Light' is one I couldn't get through。 I have 2 of his other works - one on Jefferson and the other on Jackson - and I couldn't finish them either。 Detailed biographies are not a bad thing。 It's the writing style that carries the book。 Meacham's writing style is just not my cup of tea。 I can finally accept this。 I wish I could say otherwise。 。。。more
Henry Coeal
，
This is a “can’t put it down” book that reveals Abraham Lincoln in ways that this avid reader has rarely experienced。 It almost goes without saying that a life’s influences and story always begin at the beginning。 I say “almost” because all too often， a person’s story is presented only via the great events that occurred （often late} in a person’s adult life。 In that， much is lost， land that is what too often happens。 Happily， with “And There Was Light，” that is definitely not the case， and all i This is a “can’t put it down” book that reveals Abraham Lincoln in ways that this avid reader has rarely experienced。 It almost goes without saying that a life’s influences and story always begin at the beginning。 I say “almost” because all too often， a person’s story is presented only via the great events that occurred （often late} in a person’s adult life。 In that， much is lost， land that is what too often happens。 Happily， with “And There Was Light，” that is definitely not the case， and all is revealed。 Here， we learn deeply of Lincoln， and we learn that a person can be both human and great—despite low beginnings， great challenges， and even anguish and tragedy。We also learn that what seem to be inconsistencies， e。g。， regarding emancipation， really reflects the ongoing struggle between his lifelong penchant for being realistic and his heart-felt desire for progress regarding this most difficult of issues。 In this， we learn deeply of the influences that shaped his feelings， thinking， and his persona。 For example， we are told that the Bible informed him in fundamental ways even though he was not a “church-goer。”We become aware that other people （e。g。， Frederick Douglas） and writings that irrevocably shaped him， e。g。， Lindley Murray’s “English Reader” （published in the early 19th Century）， about which Lincoln said in his later years， “Murray’s English Reader was the best schoolbook in the hand of American youth。” After reading the author Meacham’s excerpts from it， I now have it （and Lindley’s “English Grammar”） and will read them to learn more of what fundamentally shaped Lincoln。 In short， the myth is stripped away， and we learn of Lincoln the man， and we are not disappointed。 Jon Meacham has exquisitely revealed Lincoln to us， and we are better for it。 。。。more
Kate
，
Jon Meacham is a national treasure。 His superbly researched AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT is a thoughtful， gorgeously written， and even-handed addition to a section of the library/bookstore already groaning with Lincoln biographies。 But Meacham's work shines above the rest--history with the color and pacing of fiction。 Highly recommended！My thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read。 Jon Meacham is a national treasure。 His superbly researched AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT is a thoughtful， gorgeously written， and even-handed addition to a section of the library/bookstore already groaning with Lincoln biographies。 But Meacham's work shines above the rest--history with the color and pacing of fiction。 Highly recommended！My thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read。 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
，
This is another excellent presidential biography by the author。 Lincoln has recently come under attack by both the far left and the far right for wither being a racist or an early woke person。 Meacham destroys both sides with his inciteful and interesting biography。 It is well written and researched。 If you are a fan of Abraham Lincoln or presidential biographies this is a must read。I received a free ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would po This is another excellent presidential biography by the author。 Lincoln has recently come under attack by both the far left and the far right for wither being a racist or an early woke person。 Meacham destroys both sides with his inciteful and interesting biography。 It is well written and researched。 If you are a fan of Abraham Lincoln or presidential biographies this is a must read。I received a free ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon， Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog 。。。more
Bruce Katz
，
Thoughts to come
Arthur Morrill III
，
“And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle，” by Jon Meacham （ISBN 9780553393965）， publication date 25 October2022， is a riveting book that easily earns five stars。 This is a “can’t put it down” book that reveals Abraham Lincoln in ways that this avid reader has rarely experienced。 It almost goes without saying that a life’s influences and story always begin at the beginning。 I say “almost” because all too often， a person’s story is presented only via the great events that o “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle，” by Jon Meacham （ISBN 9780553393965）， publication date 25 October2022， is a riveting book that easily earns five stars。 This is a “can’t put it down” book that reveals Abraham Lincoln in ways that this avid reader has rarely experienced。 It almost goes without saying that a life’s influences and story always begin at the beginning。 I say “almost” because all too often， a person’s story is presented only via the great events that occurred （often late} in a person’s adult life。 In that， much is lost， land that is what too often happens。 Happily， with “And There Was Light，” that is definitely not the case， and all is revealed。 Here， we learn deeply of Lincoln， and we learn that a person can be both human and great—despite low beginnings， great challenges， and even anguish and tragedy。We also learn that what seem to be inconsistencies， e。g。， regarding emancipation， really reflects the ongoing struggle between his lifelong penchant for being realistic and his heart-felt desire for progress regarding this most difficult of issues。 In this， we learn deeply of the influences that shaped his feelings， thinking， and his persona。 For example， we are told that the Bible informed him in fundamental ways even though he was not a “church-goer。” We become aware that other people （e。g。， Frederick Douglas） and writings that irrevocably shaped him， e。g。， Lindley Murray’s “English Reader” （published in the early 19th Century）， about which Lincoln said in his later years， “Murray’s English Reader was the best schoolbook in the hand of American youth。” After reading the author Meacham’s excerpts from it， I now have it （and Lindley’s “English Grammar”） and will read them to learn more of what fundamentally shaped Lincoln。 In short， the myth is stripped away， and we learn of Lincoln the man， and we are not disappointed。 Jon Meacham has exquisitely revealed Lincoln to us， and we are better for it。Sincere thanks to the author， and Random House Publishing Group， for granting this reviewer the opportunity to read this Advance Reader Copy （ARC）， and thanks to NetGalley for helping to make that possible。 。。。more
Bill
，
For those predisposed to admire Abraham Lincoln， this book is like a warm， cozy blanket。 It can be appreciated as a reassuring “Great Man of History” Dad book， which makes it destined to appear under many a Christmas tree this year。 But Meacham has a bigger purpose here than simply telling a comforting civic bedtime story。 While the book is a throwback of sorts in its veneration of Lincoln， in many ways， this is the Lincoln book that our current times demand - it's a corrective that aims to rest For those predisposed to admire Abraham Lincoln， this book is like a warm， cozy blanket。 It can be appreciated as a reassuring “Great Man of History” Dad book， which makes it destined to appear under many a Christmas tree this year。 But Meacham has a bigger purpose here than simply telling a comforting civic bedtime story。 While the book is a throwback of sorts in its veneration of Lincoln， in many ways， this is the Lincoln book that our current times demand - it's a corrective that aims to restore Lincoln to his exalted status， quietly rebuking those on the far left who explicitly reject him， and those on the far right who more implicitly do so。Much of the book is an argument against the newly-fashionable assertion that Lincoln was really a racist who cared far more about Union than abolition， and whose name and likeness should therefore be removed from places of public prominence。 Meacham encourages these critics to understand Lincoln rather than cancel him， by emphasizing his morality， pointing out just how much he was able to accomplish， and how much better off we are today because of it。“To chart Lincoln's lifelong moral and political course on slavery and equality is not to sing his praises as if he were the hero of an epic poem，" Meacham acknowledges。 Lincoln was not "otherworldly， or saintly， or savior-like， but。。。 an imperfect man seeking to bring a more perfect Union into being。"After getting these necessary caveats out of the way， though， Meacham doesn’t actually spend much time examining Lincoln’s imperfections。 Instead， he confronts and explains Lincoln's most problematic positions， one by one， such as:● His comments on race that offend our modern sensibilities （these raise “difficult questions，” Meacham allows， before ultimately arguing that Lincoln was a man of his times who sometimes said unfortunate things about racial equality in order to make his antislavery views more palatable to a white， racist public）。● His support for colonizing freed slaves overseas （not because he wanted to be rid of them， but because he feared the races would never be able to peacefully coexist）。● His famous letter to Horace Greeley， in which he seemed to suggest he’d be fine with slavery if it meant the Union would be preserved （the letter “might seem callous but was in fact well calibrated，" Meacham writes， since "without Union there could be no emancipation"）。● And the selection of the racist Andrew Johnson as his re-election running mate （not Lincoln’s choice， Meacham points out， and it was a purely political calculation and not an endorsement of Johnson’s integrity）。Regardless of Lincoln’s personal views on race or the way he expressed himself， Meacham emphasizes that Lincoln stuck to his antislavery convictions， resisted compromise， and his determination never wavered， only his tactics did in the service of winning the war and preserving the Union。So there you have it， Lincoln-statue-puller-downers。But what of those on the other far end of the political spectrum， who lay claim to the party of Lincoln but reject his egalitarianism， embrace the Lost Cause and project a Christian nationalist view of politics and history？ Meacham’s response to them is less explicit but no less potent， as he makes the case that such a worldview is， well， not very Christian at all。 While Lincoln was averse to organized religion and expressed skepticism of Christianity， Meacham points out （albeit repeatedly， and perhaps at more length than necessary） that he was a man of faith nonetheless， whose moralism was rooted in the Christian tradition and who increasingly used Biblical allusions to make his moral arguments。 It was his moral opposition to slavery that fueled his rise to the presidency。 And emancipation， the high point of his presidency， was the epitome of turning those moral beliefs into policy， of “doing the right thing， for practical reasons。”Those who might turn to religion today to reject what Lincoln stood for - just as many Confederates did at the time - are， Meacham suggests， simply mistaken。Throughout the book， whether he’s defending Lincoln from the left or from the right， the common thread is an emphasis on the morality behind Lincoln’s decision making。 The political， legal and pragmatic calculations that he had to consider are not given as much attention。 Generally， Meacham is more interested in Lincoln’s motives than his tactics。 So he’s quick to glide over parts of Lincoln’s life story that don’t directly support his thesis。 Stories of Lincoln's youth come straight from William Herndon's telling and are recounted without caveats or question。 Lincoln’s entire legal career is summarized in a couple of paragraphs。 Meacham touches very lightly on Mary Lincoln’s moods and misdeeds， and only in the context of portraying Lincoln as having the patience of Job and the compassion of Christ himself in dealing with her。 And Lincoln’s rise to the presidency is so swift， it ends up appearing inevitable - in one paragraph， he’s considered a dark horse for the Republican nomination; two paragraphs later， he’s the nominee。 This might be more forgiveable if the book’s narrower focus was more apparent up front。 Instead， it’s rather less sweeping than its heft and description might suggest。 The book does technically fulfill its promise to “chronicle the life of Abraham Lincoln，” in the sense that it hits all the highlights of a standard Lincoln biography， but it does so in a concise and fairly conventional way。 That’s partly because the book’s 700+ pages contain only 400+ pages of narrative。 Yes， that means there are about 300 pages of end notes and bibliographical material。 Which is a lot！ So it's certainly thoroughly-researched and well-documented， but that may be the largest source notes-to-narrative page count ratio I’ve ever seen in a book， even for Meacham。 All of which is to say， the book is much shorter and more specific in the treatment of its subject than it may first appear。 The book’s introduction states that Lincoln "has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization， passionate disagreement， and differing understandings of reality。" I suppose linking historical narratives to modern times is de rigueur for a work of popular history， so as to appeal to a mass readership who might otherwise be turned off by stories about a bunch of old dead guys from dusty old history books。 But Meacham avoids making too many then-and-now comparisons， or offering “don’t worry， we’ve come through tough times before and we can do it again” platitudes。 But he does circle back to modern times in his conclusion， with a caution against “politics divorced from conscience。” We are living in very different times today than Lincoln did。 But if this book helps to refute and drown out some of the noise from the anti-Lincoln extremes， perhaps there is something our modern-day leaders can learn from Lincoln after all。 Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing an advance copy of this book for review， ahead of its October 25th release。 。。。more
Lillian
，
There are so many biographies of Abraham Lincoln and I am happy there is one more。Meacham is a master of presidential historical portraits and this one highlights his skill。 The author manages to plumb the complexities of this president with a deeper perspective。
Michael
，
The number of books written about Abraham Lincoln are about equal to the sands of the sea。 How is it that there’s a new angle？ Jon Meacham’s exquisite prose and respect for the subject emanate from every page。 His treatment of the spiritual elements of the late President’s life are illuminating and thought-provoking。 There are new ways to look at Lincoln and Mecham has done a masterful job of doing just that。 This is a must read。 Thanks to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to previ The number of books written about Abraham Lincoln are about equal to the sands of the sea。 How is it that there’s a new angle？ Jon Meacham’s exquisite prose and respect for the subject emanate from every page。 His treatment of the spiritual elements of the late President’s life are illuminating and thought-provoking。 There are new ways to look at Lincoln and Mecham has done a masterful job of doing just that。 This is a must read。 Thanks to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book #AndThereWasLight 。。。more
Michael
，
The number of books written about Abraham Lincoln are about equal to the sands of the sea。 How is it that there’s a new angle？ Jon Meacham’s exquisite prose and respect for the subject emanate from every page。 His treatment of the spiritual elements of the late President’s life are illuminating and thought-provoking。 There are new ways to look at Lincoln and Mecham has done a masterful job of doing just that。 This is a must read。 Thanks to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to previ The number of books written about Abraham Lincoln are about equal to the sands of the sea。 How is it that there’s a new angle？ Jon Meacham’s exquisite prose and respect for the subject emanate from every page。 His treatment of the spiritual elements of the late President’s life are illuminating and thought-provoking。 There are new ways to look at Lincoln and Mecham has done a masterful job of doing just that。 This is a must read。 Thanks to #RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book。 。。。more
Stephen Chase
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A woman should be pope！！！！！！！！！！！！
Cassie
，