Team of Rivals

 Today I'm going to give you a book review. My favorite books to read are non-fiction books about baseball seasons, baseball players, presidents, or history. The book I'm currently reading and almost done with is "Team Of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin published in 2005. This book is 754 pages and I have 23 pages left so I think I can give you a good indication about the book.

This book is really a retelling of the political career and presidency of Abraham Lincoln as told through extensive research into diaries and memoirs of those who worked closely with Lincoln. I have really enjoyed this book and the writing of Kearns. She is able to piece together all of her information about Lincoln's presidency and life during that time. She gives us up close narratives of the behind the scenes at the White House and his cabinet especially during the civil war.

More often than not Presidents will give cabinet spots to friends. This book shows that Lincoln surrounded himself with not necessarily friends but instead the best person for the job. He chose people who ran against him for the presidency in 1860 because he knew they would do a good job. Not everyone in his cabinet agreed with him on slavery however Lincoln's attitude toward it changed throughout the civil war. The civil war at first wasn't about slavery it was about preserving the union and preventing the southern states from secession. However, it became evident that the one thing that was dividing it was slavery and it had to be dealt with in order the preserve the union. The emancipation proclamation was not only Lincoln's way to free the slaves but also his way to get them to fight for the Union. 

I'm not going to give too much more since everyone should be learning about this stuff in history in school.  I highly recommend this book as a good winter read. Despite 754 pages it reads quickly and the copy I'm reading (paperback) has two sections of pictures which gives you some visuals into how everyone looked. One picture shows troops in the White House and the caption read "Even during the Civil War, ordinary people had nearly unlimited access to the White House. Volunteer troops bivouacked in the East Room in May 1861." Could you imagine if we could "bivouac" in the White House today.

Great book, great writing and you get learn something. Go read "Team of Rivals".