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Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America

Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America

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  • Create Date：2023-10-23 13:21:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Steve Inskeep
  • ISBN：0593297865
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Summary

From journalist and historian Steve Inskeep， a compelling and nuanced exploration of the political acumen of Abraham Lincoln via sixteen encounters before and during his presidency， bringing to light not only the strategy of a great politician who inherited a country divided， but lessons for our own disorderly present

In 1855， as the United States found itself at odds over the issue of slavery， then lawyer Abraham Lincoln composed a note on the matter to his close friend， the heir to a slaveholding family in the South。 Lincoln – who was morally against the institution of slavery – rebuked his friend for his opposing views， he lectured him， he challenged him。 But in the end， he wrote: “If for this you and I must differ， differ we must。” Throughout his life and political career， Lincoln often agreed to disagree。 Democracy demanded it –even an adversary had a vote。 The man who went on to become the sixteenth president of the United States has assumed many roles in our historical consciousness， but most notable is that he was， with no apology， a politician。 And as Steve Inskeep argues， it was because he was willing to engage in politics – to work with his critics， to compromise with those whom he deeply opposed， and to move only as fast as voters would allow – that he was able to lead a social revolution。

In Differ We Must， Inskeep illuminates this master politician’s life through sixteen encounters。 Some of these meetings are well known， and others more obscure， but all take on new significance when examined in detail。 Each interaction was with a person who differed from Lincoln， and in each someone wanted something from the other。 While it isn’t clear if Lincoln was able to alter his critics’ beliefs – many went to war against him – nor if they were able to change his， what is notable is that he learned how to make his beliefs actionable， via precise and practical techniques。 Lincoln was a skilled storyteller， and a great orator。 He told jokes， he relied on sarcasm， and often made fun of himself。 But behind the banter was a master storyteller， who carefully chose what to say and what to withhold。 He knew his limitations and， as history came to prove， he knew how to prioritize。

As the host of NPR’s Morning Edition for almost two decades， Inskeep has mastered the art of bridging divides and building constructive debate in interviews; in Differ We Must， he brings his skills to bear on a prior master and in doing so forms a fresh and compelling narrative of Lincoln’s life。 With rich detail and enlightening commentary， Inskeep expands our understanding of a politician who held strong to his moral compass while navigating between corrosive political factions， one who began his career in the minority party and not only won the majority， but succeeded in uniting a nation。

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Reviews

Frank Kohl ，

This book is a compilation of Lincoln's interactions with seventeen diverse individuals and how those interactions challenged him throughout his life。Accordingly， the author's premise as stated in his introduction: "Lincoln learned， adapted， and sought advantage while interacting with people who disagreed with him。" I believe the author largely fulfilled his intent， although some chapters were less than optimum。I recommend this book to the reader of history and the life of Abraham Lincoln。 This book is a compilation of Lincoln's interactions with seventeen diverse individuals and how those interactions challenged him throughout his life。Accordingly， the author's premise as stated in his introduction: "Lincoln learned， adapted， and sought advantage while interacting with people who disagreed with him。" I believe the author largely fulfilled his intent， although some chapters were less than optimum。I recommend this book to the reader of history and the life of Abraham Lincoln。 。。。more

Kathy ，

Fun Lincoln stories that I had never heard before。 The book made me realize that we aren't so politically divided today， relatively speaking。 Fun Lincoln stories that I had never heard before。 The book made me realize that we aren't so politically divided today， relatively speaking。 。。。more

Steve ，

Almost thirty years ago when I was in graduate school， one of my professors would frequently say， "The last thing we need is another biography of Lincoln。" In the generation since he said that， there have been scores （word intended） of biographies added to the vast number about our sixteenth president。 As a result， I was skeptical about Steve Inskeep's "Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America。" I like Inskeep on NPR's "Morning Edition，" so decided to give his book a try。 I am Almost thirty years ago when I was in graduate school， one of my professors would frequently say， "The last thing we need is another biography of Lincoln。" In the generation since he said that， there have been scores （word intended） of biographies added to the vast number about our sixteenth president。 As a result， I was skeptical about Steve Inskeep's "Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America。" I like Inskeep on NPR's "Morning Edition，" so decided to give his book a try。 I am glad that I did。 While we might not need another biography of Lincoln， Inskeep is innovative in the historiography in his approach "Differ We Must" describes Lincoln's encounters with sixteen different people with whom he did not （always） agree。 The best Lincoln biographers bring out his self deprecation and excellent sense of humor。 Inskeep holds his own in that category。 In selecting the sixteen encounters， he chooses some names that are familiar and others that are obscure。 Some are from his time in Illinois， some are national politicians， his generals of course make an appearance， but so do some mostly unknown people such as Jessie Benton Fremont， Lean Bear， and Mary Ellen Wise。 All sixteen help enlighten the reader about Lincoln， his personality， and how he was single-mindedly focused on one thing above all others: preservation of the union。 Like many historians and biographers， Inskeep is not only trying to teach us about Lincoln， he wants us to learn lessons from Lincoln to apply to today。 Lincoln was willing to listen to and engage with people he disagreed with， he changes his mind， he compromised， he admitted mistakes， and he kept his focus on preservation of the union。 Through Lincoln's example， Inskeep demonstrates how almost all of our current elected officials have failed dramatically and he shows a way forward for our fragile republic。One of the most important reasons why "Differ We Must" is successful is that is is not endless like so many Lincoln biographies。 It doesn't take months to read; it takes a few days。 This is an excellent and well-written book。 。。。more

Liz ，

Reading this history of Lincoln's political life showed me that we are still struggling as a country with some of the same divisive societal issues。 It was enjoyable to learn more about Mary's personality。。。one of my favorite lines references how Abe's ability to navigate their tumultuous relationship may have honed his ability to handle the rocky situations he was destined to govern。 Reading this history of Lincoln's political life showed me that we are still struggling as a country with some of the same divisive societal issues。 It was enjoyable to learn more about Mary's personality。。。one of my favorite lines references how Abe's ability to navigate their tumultuous relationship may have honed his ability to handle the rocky situations he was destined to govern。 。。。more

norma baker ，

The Lincoln period in the United States has a great deal to teach us now。 It was a period of controversy and division。 Lincoln knew he needed to persuade people， over time， patiently， to build agreement， consensus， unity。 This book shows how。

Steve ，

Great book with a few new prospectives， telling the story of Lincoln as a politician。 I think we have a habit of seeing Lincoln through the eyes of only seeing his greatness。。。which he was great。 But he was also a grand politician and knew how do get his ideas on the table and how to influence people to make them take action。 This is the first book I've read by Steve Inskeep and he is a great researcher and writer。 Great book with a few new prospectives， telling the story of Lincoln as a politician。 I think we have a habit of seeing Lincoln through the eyes of only seeing his greatness。。。which he was great。 But he was also a grand politician and knew how do get his ideas on the table and how to influence people to make them take action。 This is the first book I've read by Steve Inskeep and he is a great researcher and writer。 。。。more

David Dickman ，

Gives you insight into the people who influenced Lincoln and how their influence allowed Lincoln to succeed in a Divided America。

Tiffany ，

https://podcasts。apple。com/us/podcast。。。 https://podcasts。apple。com/us/podcast。。。 。。。more

Susan ，

I don’t ever read non-fiction（ American history）。 The history I know is not from books but documentaries， you tube presentations from university scholars， and school years ago。 Fiction is my pleasure， historical fiction in Europe。 I haven’t read one biography on any of the presidents。 After reading， Differ We Must。 I’ll better start hopping， lol。 This was a different type of read for me。 I don’t know how much is accurate。 But many discussions and conversations， and events written by the author I I don’t ever read non-fiction（ American history）。 The history I know is not from books but documentaries， you tube presentations from university scholars， and school years ago。 Fiction is my pleasure， historical fiction in Europe。 I haven’t read one biography on any of the presidents。 After reading， Differ We Must。 I’ll better start hopping， lol。 This was a different type of read for me。 I don’t know how much is accurate。 But many discussions and conversations， and events written by the author I have read before。The book is the conversation between Lincoln and prominent figures， friends， advisors in his cabinet， and adversaries， and families he has disagreed with and found common ground to get along。 You had to to become elected into office and lead the country as president。 This couldn’t happen in todays politics and the divided country we have unfortunately。 During Lincoln’s lifetime he was able to find common ground with everyone he met。 If it didn’t go well he didn’t let his feelings get in the way。 He had no choice he had to find common ground to lead a country， and the Civil War going on。 To get things done。Pres。 Lincoln let General McClennan get away with a lot during the war。 Why you ask。 Because he had no choice。 Until something better came along。 He had to be accommodating。 Jesse Benton Fremont was another。 She spoke up and said what was on her mind， Fire brand。 Her husband was a general in the west of the country。 She spoke for her husband。 She didn’t care what anyone thought。 Somehow in many disagreements he had。 He was able to smooth it over。 He had women he had conversations with。 Who had disguised herself as a man to be in the infantry。 In one instance she was trying to get her pay she was entitled to。 He had the Plains Delegation at the White House to smooth over treaties of White Bear。 In every situation he found a way to solve it diplomatically。 I liked learning a thing or two about Lincoln。 Differ We Must was a bit dull in the beginning。 Most likely because I didn’t know the history。 But once it was getting deeper and deeper in his life。 The action started and started to pick up。 The meetings， discussions from the beginning of his life to the end with friends， enemies， adversaries， and family to the end with Mary Todd Lincoln was worth the read。 。。。more

Joe ，

By now， you wouldn't have thought that there could be another book about Lincoln that takes a fresh approach to his life ant times。 Yet， Inskeep has done just that。 Through sixteen vignettes of Lincoln's encounters with a diverse group of people， some well-known （like Frederick Douglass and George McClellan）， others less so （like William Florville， Lincoln's hometown barber）， Inskeep gives us an instructive picture of Lincoln's politics and personality， his innate sagacity， resolute patience and By now， you wouldn't have thought that there could be another book about Lincoln that takes a fresh approach to his life ant times。 Yet， Inskeep has done just that。 Through sixteen vignettes of Lincoln's encounters with a diverse group of people， some well-known （like Frederick Douglass and George McClellan）， others less so （like William Florville， Lincoln's hometown barber）， Inskeep gives us an instructive picture of Lincoln's politics and personality， his innate sagacity， resolute patience and keen insight into human motivations。 。。。more

Bill ，

This is a decent and earnest-enough political biography of Abraham Lincoln that I found to be weighed down a bit by its exacting but unevenly-effective structure。 I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a matter of style over substance， but the format of the book seems to dictate its content， rather than the other way around。 It wants to be a series of character studies， but also wants to be a biography， and ends up awkwardly trying to be both。 In his introduction， Inskeep says his aim is to examine This is a decent and earnest-enough political biography of Abraham Lincoln that I found to be weighed down a bit by its exacting but unevenly-effective structure。 I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a matter of style over substance， but the format of the book seems to dictate its content， rather than the other way around。 It wants to be a series of character studies， but also wants to be a biography， and ends up awkwardly trying to be both。 In his introduction， Inskeep says his aim is to examine how Lincoln "learned， adapted， and sought advantage by interacting with people who disagreed with him。" It’s a promising premise， which would appear to set this book apart from others that focus on Lincoln’s allies or mentors。 As I read， though， I couldn’t help feeling that this might have worked better as a series of discrete vignettes - “16 chapters on 16 people Lincoln interacted and disagreed with” - rather than trying to stitch them all into a cohesive narrative。 Inskeep’s true aim became more clear in the author’s note at the very end， when he admits that his “first ambition for this book was to tell Lincoln’s life story through his meetings with a diverse set of people。” So， essentially， this is a biography （a politically-focused biography， not necessarily the full life story） of Lincoln， as signposted by the selected “interactions。” The interactions are meant to illuminate aspects of Lincoln’s political rise and， eventually， his presidency。 When it works， the interactions mesh with the biography， propelling the story forward and telling you a little something about how Lincoln thought， or learned， or strategized。 More often， though， I thought the interactions and biography existed somewhat awkwardly side-by-side， hanging separately， never quite coming together。 The book often consists of long sections of standard biography that have nothing to do with the individual named in the chapter heading。 While admittedly， these straight biographical sections are well-written and easily-accessible， they often seem merely to serve as the connective tissue meant to get us from one interaction to the next。 The interactions don’t support the biography so much as the biography is a device to stitch together the interactions。As for the interactions themselves， many are with well-known， prominent people Lincoln had to work with， or with whom he agreed to disagree - Stephen Douglas， William Seward， George McClellan， Frederick Douglass。 Others are with lesser-known， bordering on unknown， people with whom Lincoln briefly interacted in passing。 Sometimes these stories are interesting and illuminating in their own right， while other times the lesser-known individuals seem selected merely to serve as avatars for whatever the theme of the chapter is。 The interaction isn’t as important as the fact that it happens at a stage of Lincoln’s life where the format of the book demands that an interaction occur in order to help move the biography along。And the need to explain who these lesser-known individuals are， means that some of the chapters are more focused on the biography of the person with whom Lincoln interacted than they are about Lincoln’s actual interactions with them。 Sometimes the mini-biographies of these individuals are engrossing in their own right， and almost make you forget this is ultimately meant to be a book about Lincoln and not them。 The chapter on “Billy the Barber” is a standout in this regard， as his personal story is compelling and his interactions with Lincoln help to make a broader point about how Lincoln had a good relationship with a racial “inferior” on a personal level。 But this chapter， like so many others， works better as a standalone， freed from the need to adhere to a rigid chronological timeline of Lincoln’s political life。 And yet the rigid chronological timeline continues， to help get us to the next interaction。Later chapters on less prominent people focus on less prominent issues like western expansion， Native American affairs， or women’s rights。 In the latter chapter， Inskeep makes far too much of Lincoln’s early-career statement that he was for "admitting all whites to the right of suffrage， who pay taxes or bear arms （by no means excluding females。）" Other Lincoln biographers have interpreted this as a flippant joke - of course Lincoln knew that most females did not pay taxes or bear arms， so they would therefore have no right of suffrage。 But Inskeep interprets Lincoln’s statement to mean that he "not only endorsed voting rights for some women， but also seemed to contemplate a world in which women might bear arms，" which is quite a stretch。Overall， it wasn’t entirely clear to me what the interactions were really meant to say about Lincoln。 Sometimes they show us that Lincoln was a crafty politician who built alliances with those with whom he disagreed。 Other times， they show how he stood firm in his opposition to those with whom he disagreed， in order to achieve his own goals。 Still other times， he seems to give in altogether to those with whom he disagreed， as in the case where Inskeep interprets Lincoln's selection of his Cabinet members as a capitulation to his political rivals， in distinct contrast to Doris Kearns Goodwin's interpretation。 Are we to take away from all of this that Lincoln was strong in his convictions， malleable in his beliefs， or cynically opportunistic， or sometimes all of the above？ Inskeep never really says。By the time we get to the last "interaction，" with none other than Mary Lincoln herself， it's clear at this point that the "interaction" is merely a device meant not to illuminate anything about Lincoln， but simply to wrap up his biography。I don't mean to be all negative。 Inskeep is a good writer， and one can rarely go wrong writing an inspirational story about Lincoln。 So I can see how some people really enjoyed this。 If you're a fan of Inskeep， or Lincoln， by all means give it a read if you're so inclined。 Personally， I thought this could have been better had it been a collection of interactions without the biography， or a biography without the interactions。 The whole was ultimately lesser than the sum of its parts。Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Press for the advance copy， which I finally got around to finishing a week after the book was released （oops。） 。。。more

Laura Morgan ，

Unsurprisingly， Steve Inskeep has written a compelling and well-researched book。 His approach is unique and relevant to the current state of American politics。

Elizabeth A ，

Quite a history lesson， I really enjoyed this。

David Kent ，

An enjoyable， light and easy read using a unique structure in which each chapter pits Lincoln against an individual with whom Lincoln purportedly differed。 That doesn't always hold true - in some cases it seems merely a plot device - but it provides the framework for discussing Lincoln's almost uncanny ability to learn from， and persuade， those with opposing views。 An interesting read by an accomplished NPR host。 David J。 KentAuthor， Lincoln: The Fire of GeniusPresident， Lincoln Group of DC An enjoyable， light and easy read using a unique structure in which each chapter pits Lincoln against an individual with whom Lincoln purportedly differed。 That doesn't always hold true - in some cases it seems merely a plot device - but it provides the framework for discussing Lincoln's almost uncanny ability to learn from， and persuade， those with opposing views。 An interesting read by an accomplished NPR host。 David J。 KentAuthor， Lincoln: The Fire of GeniusPresident， Lincoln Group of DC 。。。more

Michael ，

Steve Inskeep’s “Differ We Must” managed to shed a new intimate light on the subject of Abraham Lincoln。 Recalling a series a pivotal meetings Lincoln had throughout his life， Inskeep brings new insight into how Lincoln thought and led。 He manages to do so without deifying his very human subject。 This is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about Lincoln。

Marsha Rafalski ，

（3。75 rounded to 4。0）I enjoy nonfiction reading and biographies are always a favorite， provided that it is someone interesting。 Steve Inskeep is a successful news host （NPR， and author who is a natural story teller。 In this latest book， he has given us a new lens to look at one of our most revered icons。 I learned more about the man and how he made decisions under the most difficult of situations。In this book， Inskeep has highlighted 16 encounters that illuminate some of the unique characterist （3。75 rounded to 4。0）I enjoy nonfiction reading and biographies are always a favorite， provided that it is someone interesting。 Steve Inskeep is a successful news host （NPR， and author who is a natural story teller。 In this latest book， he has given us a new lens to look at one of our most revered icons。 I learned more about the man and how he made decisions under the most difficult of situations。In this book， Inskeep has highlighted 16 encounters that illuminate some of the unique characteristics that made him a peacemaker。 In each encounter， Lincoln meets with someone who differed passionately from him and most of the people he meets are people who want something from him。 The people in these encounters range from common soldiers to heartbroken mothers to powerful politicians and industrialists。 These encounters illustrate some of Lincoln’s abilities to make his beliefs actionable， tell a story， make them tell him a story， use humor to defuse situations， and to continue to protect his moral commitments。 This book talks about bridging divides， building constructive debates， navigating corrosive political factions and focusing on bigger issues than may be apparent。 I found this book to be intelligent， informative， fascinating and expands our understanding of a man who held firm to a moral compass while dealing with caustic politicians and bucks the majority opinion。 I believe that all of us can improve how we deal with our differences。 Our divided world requires people to deal with the nuance of differences。 I listened to the audiobook version of this book， but I am considering getting the hardback as I think I will refer to it often。 Recommended for readers of history， politics， biography， Civil War， and dealing with differences。 。。。more

John Petersen ，

Steve Inskeep is host of NPR’s Morning Edition news show。 He has long been fascinated by President Lincoln。 This book， rather than being a biography， is a summary of Lincoln’s ability to discuss and work with others， especially those he disagreed with， and how that ability played out socially and politically — sometimes shifting， sometimes static， sometimes viewed as conservative， sometimes viewed as radical。

Matt ，

Steve Inskeep， an NPR correspondent and journalist， anchors the NPR Morning Edition。 Penguin reached out to me to review Inskeep's book， Differ We Must， which follows Abraham Lincoln's life through his interactions with those who disagree with him。 The book features a cast of characters， both famous and obscure， who played a role in Lincoln's life。 From his encounters with Frederick Douglas and Stephen Douglas to his interactions with "Billy the Barber，" the local black-owned barbershop in Sprin Steve Inskeep， an NPR correspondent and journalist， anchors the NPR Morning Edition。 Penguin reached out to me to review Inskeep's book， Differ We Must， which follows Abraham Lincoln's life through his interactions with those who disagree with him。 The book features a cast of characters， both famous and obscure， who played a role in Lincoln's life。 From his encounters with Frederick Douglas and Stephen Douglas to his interactions with "Billy the Barber，" the local black-owned barbershop in Springfield， the book offers insights into how Lincoln reacted to the events and people surrounding him。 While some chapters lacked progress， overall， I found Differ We Must to be an interesting and refreshing approach to Lincoln's story， and a great introduction to the Civil War period。 。。。more

Santosh Rashi ，

I'm recommending this book to everyone I know; it's a must-read！" I'm recommending this book to everyone I know; it's a must-read！" 。。。more

Melissa ，

American geneology

Hannah ，

Read only because it's Steve Inskeep and he narrates my drive to work most mornings， therefore I love him。 And I will read any/every book written by NPR correspondents because I have a problem。However， I did find it interesting to read about Lincoln even though I've never taken much of an interest in his life。 I never knew all of the things that had to go perfectly "right" in order for John Wilkes Booth to get to the president's box in Ford Theatre， or that Mary was as apprehensive about being F Read only because it's Steve Inskeep and he narrates my drive to work most mornings， therefore I love him。 And I will read any/every book written by NPR correspondents because I have a problem。However， I did find it interesting to read about Lincoln even though I've never taken much of an interest in his life。 I never knew all of the things that had to go perfectly "right" in order for John Wilkes Booth to get to the president's box in Ford Theatre， or that Mary was as apprehensive about being First Lady as she was。 It reminded me of reading about Michelle Obama's time as First Lady and how she didn't always love the role。Thanks， NetGalley！ 。。。more

Jodi ，

ARC。 This book was fascinating！ I loved reading about the different people Lincoln had to interact with and how it was influenced by / how it influenced events happening。 It gave me a well rounded view of Lincoln's life and insight into why he made decisions that he did。 It is important to view historical figures as people with changing thoughts and feelings， and I believe Steve Inskeep did a good job of that in this book。 ARC。 This book was fascinating！ I loved reading about the different people Lincoln had to interact with and how it was influenced by / how it influenced events happening。 It gave me a well rounded view of Lincoln's life and insight into why he made decisions that he did。 It is important to view historical figures as people with changing thoughts and feelings， and I believe Steve Inskeep did a good job of that in this book。 。。。more

Danielle ，

Steve Inskeep is one of my favorite NPR correspondents， so when I saw that he had written a book about one of our nation's most-beloved presidents， I knew I had to read it。 Inskeep tells the story of Lincoln through sixteen encounters （some well-known， others not so much）。 I enjoyed the reading experience of learning more about such a phenomenal leader。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 Steve Inskeep is one of my favorite NPR correspondents， so when I saw that he had written a book about one of our nation's most-beloved presidents， I knew I had to read it。 Inskeep tells the story of Lincoln through sixteen encounters （some well-known， others not so much）。 I enjoyed the reading experience of learning more about such a phenomenal leader。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

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