And There Was Light

Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

De: Jon Meacham

Narrado por: 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.

©2022 Jon Meacham (P)2022 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“In his captivating new book, Jon Meacham has given us the Lincoln for our time. And There Was Light brilliantly interweaves the best of gripping narrative history with a deeper search for the complex interplay among morality, politics, and power in a life, in a democracy, and in an America ripped apart over slavery. Here Meacham takes us to the heart of the president who shaped events at ‘the existential hour.’ In doing so, he fortifies us to meet our own.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

“Biography at its best, the great historian Barbara Tuchman wrote, paints an intimate portrait of an individual which simultaneously provides a sweeping view of history. With this deep, compelling work, Jon Meacham has achieved this gold standard. Written with wisdom and grace, his story of Lincoln’s complex moral journey to Emancipation mirrors America’s long quest to live up to its founding ideals.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin

“With his singular gift for compelling narrative and groundbreaking analysis, Jon Meacham illuminates not only Lincoln and his times but, just as much, the troubled society that we live in today.”—Michael Beschloss

Meacham Is Great

Having read a biography of every American President up through Obama and a half dozen or so biographies of Lincoln - I would sayAnd There Was Light ranks among the best. Perhaps it is because Lincoln’s story is so amazing or his times were so demanding, but this was a “can’t stop listening” audio book. Meacham himself reading it was certainly a plus.

It could also be that the parallels in that age and our own are worth paying attention to.

It is a fabulous book every thoughtful American should read - on both sides of the great political divide.

Thank you Mr Lincoln!

This book clearly demonstrates the power of critical thinking and how this gifted man communicated it to the people of his time. He started us on a path that continues today is an attempt to strive up to the standards written in 1776 in the Declaration of Independence.

Thank you Mr Meecham for your service in writing this.

Superb

Engrossing storytelling, careful selection of events and capable narration make this a very good choice for a fresh biography of Lincoln.

History revealed and learned won’t be repeated- hopefully

This book was a remarkable history of what was swirling around the country time is it Lincoln rose to prominence. What was going on then is a sobering reminder of what is happening now in our today body politic. Well then it was slavery of men that was the topic of the day, today’s topic of the day is the survival of democracy itself. Thank you John Meacham for this very important work.

The depth & details are amazing

After all this John Meacham! I felt I was in the room where the events were taking place.

Lincoln and Slavery

The author, it seems, is making an effort to “get into the brain” of A Lincoln to understand his thinking on slavery and other moral issues. The details of those times are many. The polarized society was similar to our current one, but much more severe in that a bloody Civil War ensued. Worth the effort to listen, or read.

Excellent

Well composed biography about a very important man in world history. It is well read by the autor.

This We Will Defend

An informative, disturbing, joyous and tearful bringing to life of the time, the people and the man. Jon Meacham is a soulful historian whose work contributes to the elevation of the moral arc. The writing is art. His reading and voice are comfortable and deliver you into the moments almost immediately.

Wonderful

This is a marvelous book. I highly recommend reading it! It sheds light on the greatness of a man leading courageous during difficult circumstances in our country m.

Wonderful historical story

John Meacham has done it again. He has produced a wonderful historical record of Abraham Lincoln. I enjoyed every minute of his work and performance.