aud’acious

With great joy I can finally announce that I finished, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.  I read these 754 pages of dense history consumed by the story.  A few minutes ago as Lincoln lay dieing with his cabinet weeping around him at his bedside, I was suprised at how moved I felt in the reading of it.  Doris Kearns Goodwin writes about his life in parallel with his cabinet members’ lives.  Seeing this juxtaposition made me feel like another member of the cabinet sharing intimate moments about his family and the war, his humor and amiability.  I really want to be like him; forgiving, trusting, patient, enduring.

A couple of notes: This book had special meaning to me even before I started it.  First, Doris Kearns Goodwin’s style of writing originally inspired me to write “Japanese Carp” for which I did well in a writing competition.  I like her telling of history by talking about people.  Second, I read the book because I knew Obama had read it before he became president.  I wanted to know what the hupla was about.  You’ll have to read it yourself to find out.