And There Was Light

Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

By: Jon Meacham

Narrated by: Jon Meacham

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Jon Meacham chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how—and why—he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America.

“Meacham has given us the Lincoln for our time.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize • Longlisted for the Biographers International Plutarch Award • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Christian Science Monitor, Kirkus Reviews

A president who governed a divided country has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization and political crisis. Hated and hailed, excoriated and revered, Abraham Lincoln was at the pinnacle of American power when implacable secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions bound up with money, race, identity, and faith. In him we can see the possibilities of the presidency as well as its limitations.

At once familiar and elusive, Lincoln tends to be seen 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, essential to the story of justice in America, began as he grew up in an antislavery Baptist community; who insisted that slavery was a moral evil; and who sought, as he put it, to do right as God gave him 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 in 1865: his rise, his self-education, 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, Lincoln’s story illustrates the ways and means of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape events.

Wisdom, Intelligence and Frailty Exists in us All

Lincoln grew up in a poor and broken home. Yet that struggle to rise from humble beginnings shaped the man that stood the course becoming a lawyer, Senator and President of the United States. Through civil war and the immancipation of the slaves.

Yes, Lincoln had his faults, as we all do. He also recognized that his life, and the direction of our nation, was nothing unless guided by a higher cause, a higher power.

This book lays out his life with both virtues and faults, good and bad. There is a great deal to be learned and Meacham does a masterful job of putting Lincoln's triumphs and short comings in context of the history and times that he lived in.

Timely and meaningful

I’m so glad that John Meacham narrated his book himself. I love the sound of his voice - calm, soothing, deep - and have enjoyed seeing him on various MSNBC programs. He’s the perfect person to write a book about Lincoln, and his knowledge and insight were evident.

The horrifying mentality of wealthy southern whites is nothing new, and the twisted minds that could view a society based on slavery is both appalling and incomprehensible. And yet it continues to this day. I can’t help but think that Lincoln made a mistake and should’ve left Dixie’s secession alone. It would have sunk in the mire of its own making at some point, and avoided the deaths of half a million soldiers.

Lincoln was absolutely correct in viewing slavery as the abomination it was, but he was mistaken in believing that he could force those whose lavish lifestyles depended on it into giving that up and actually having to do their own work to earn their living.

In any case, this book was, as is always the case with Mr. Meacham, beautifully written, and this audio book is beautifully narrated as well. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Truthfully executed

As painful as our American history is there are those who dare to tell it. Thank you Jon. Speak truth to those who would silence it.

Brilliant view of Lincoln from the 21st Century

I feel like I know Abraham Lincoln personally after this remarkable biography. Meacham casts more light on Lincoln's religious and racial beliefs and puts them in a better context than previous biographies. The author's awareness of important current historical events is reflected in the narrative. I'm obviously not a scholar or historian, but this, for me, is one of the most important books I've ever experienced. The brilliant use of contemporary letters, anecdotes, and media reports was amazing and reflects the depth of Meacham's research. The author's narration was steady and surprisingly listenable without resorting to emotionalism.

The light of Lincoln

The focus of the book is with slavery and religion during Lincoln's life. It is well written and well read but not for anyone looking for the battlefield experiences of the war.