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Team of Rivals Audiobook
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Plot Summary
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, is a biographical portrait of Abraham Lincoln and some of the men who served on his Cabinet from 1861-1865. This book was adapted by Stephen Spielberg for film, the screenplay for which was written by Tony Kushner, a lauded playwright.
Analyzed in this biography is Lincoln on the path to abolish slavery and to win the Civil War. His attempts to delegate between conflicting political personalities and factions are detailed. A political and managerial virtuoso, when Lincoln emerged the winner of the presidential nomination of the Republican National Convention in Chicago, his rivals for that victory soon became his team, three of them serving as his Cabinet members during the tumultuous years leading to the civil war. At this point, secession seemed imminent because of the conflict over slavery.
Lincoln's character--formed by humbling life experience that had elevated him in the eyes of the public above the privilege and accomplishment of other statesmen--is the same character that had developed a tremendous capacity for empathy. His empathetic genius was his ability to put himself in the place of others, to grasp their motives and desires, and to experience what they were feeling; this would help him defuse much bitterness among his opponents, and would help them all preserve the United States of America.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, born in 1943, is a biographer, historian, and political commentator (frequently on Meet the Press and a regular guest on Charlie Rose). She was awarded the Pulitzer prize for History for her biography on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. She has also written about Lyndon Johnson, and the Kennedys. She consulted Ken Burns on his documentary, Baseball and with Lyndon Johnson on his memoirs (which drew from many of her conversations with him as a young intern in his presidential administration). She became Johnson's assistant, even after he learned about a publication in The New Republic where she had laid out a scenario for his impeachment over his conduct during the Vietnam War.
"The similarities between Lincoln and Obama are startling. Very readable history - am enjoying this book very much - but I wish I had purchased it for Kindle. The book is so heavy, I can barely support it while I read - my only complaint. "
— Poppy (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
One of the most influential books of the past fifty years, Team of Rivals is Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s modern classic about the political genius of Abraham Lincoln, his unlikely presidency, and his cabinet of former political foes.
Winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inspiration for the Oscar Award winning–film Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, directed by Steven Spielberg, and written by Tony Kushner.
On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.
Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.
It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.
We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through.
This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.
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Quotes
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“Endlessly absorbing…A lovingly rendered and masterfully fashioned book.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“An elegant, incisive study…Goodwin has brilliantly described how Lincoln forged a team that preserved a nation and freed America from the curse of slavery.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Goodwin's narrative abilities…are on full display here, and she does an enthralling job of dramatizing…crucial moments in Lincoln's life…A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius.”
— New York Times -
“Splendid, beautifully written…Goodwin has brilliantly woven scores of contemporary accounts…into a fluid narrative…This is the most richly detailed account of the Civil War presidency to appear in many years.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“The task the popular historian Doris Kearns Goodwin has set for herself in writing the history of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet in Team of Rivals is neither easy nor immediately attractive. But this immense, finely boned book is no dull administrative or bureaucratic history; rather, it is a story of personalities—a messianic drama, if you will—in which Lincoln must increase and the others must decrease.”
— Washington Post -
“This is a mammoth effort by one of America’s leading historians and is well worth the forty-two hours you’ll need to invest in it. It focuses on Lincoln the master politician and shows in great detail how he managed a cabinet populated by his bitter adversaries. Narrator Suzanne Toren has a well-bred voice that sounds classically trained, and her diction and pacing are terrific….An Audie Award finalist.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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A 2007 Audie Award Finalist
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New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books, 2005
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Winner of the Lincoln Prize
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A 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist for Biography
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A 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Biography
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A USA Today bestseller
Team of Rivals Listener Reviews
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sojan parappilly, 6/11/2023
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Mary Ostrem, 1/28/2023
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" This was a hard read, yet I learned so much. All I can say is wow! Abraham Lincoln was amazing. "
— Lorna, 5/20/2011 -
" A fantastic book that explores how tenuous the Union was and how fortunate we were to have Lincoln as our president. Can't recommend this book enough! "
— Joel, 5/3/2011 -
" Great book about pure political genius. "
— Brian, 4/26/2011 -
" One of my favorite books. Goodwin does an excellent job bringing history to life. "
— David, 4/23/2011 -
" An interesting take on Lincoln as politician. "
— John, 4/23/2011 -
" A decent book about the political side in Washington and the Lincoln administration during the civil war which isn't told as frequently as the more war centric stories. There wasn't as much insight into Lincoln's leadership strategy as I hoped though. "
— Dan, 4/12/2011
About Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a #1 New York Times bestselling and award–winning author of acclaimed works of nonfiction. Her work for President Johnson launched her career as a presidential historian. Her first book was Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. She followed up with the Pulitzer Prize–winning No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Homefront in World War II. She earned the Lincoln Prize for Team of Rivals, in part the basis for Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln. She won the Carnegie Medal for The Bully Pulpit, about the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Leadership: In Turbulent Times was the inspiration for the History Channel docuseries on Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt, for which she was executive producer.
About Suzanne Toren
Suzanne Toren, award-winning narrator, has over thirty years of experience in narration. She was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She has won the American Foundation for the Blind’s Scourby Award for Narrator of the Year, AudioFile magazine named her the 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture, and she is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards. She performs on and off Broadway and in regional theaters and has appeared on Law & Order and in various soap operas.