"Lincoln and the Fight for Peace" by John Avlon offers a fresh perspective on the life and leadership of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his commitment to securing peace and unity during one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. Avlon delves into Lincoln's decisions, shedding new light on his vision for a nation healed from the ravages of civil war. Avlon's engaging writing and thorough research make this book a valuable contribution to the literature on Lincoln, providing readers with a deeper understanding of his enduring legacy in the pursuit of peace and national unity.

It's true. There are a million books about Lincoln out there. And. . .I'm a fan, so carry a bias. That said, I still wholeheartedly recommend Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.

I've lived through a number of this nation's wars. News on family TVs, radio personalities' announcements and revelations, school text books and self-selected commercially provided products - all these are how we learned of wars in our world. And by how our own family (tribe/clan) members reacted. Small Pitchers DO have small and listening ears. So many of our political "feelings" begin at home and the voters in our lives. When I was a kid in the 50's, 60's, it was the men who puffed the air with loud and interesting talk, while the women were in the kitchen.

These wars started from decision consequences far removed from me and my world (at least that's what I perceive) and at some point they stop, settle, fizzle, we just quit or someone runs out of bullets. Then that war is relegated to being an item on a list. Starting date, stopping date, who participated. Who died. Check Wikipedia or Google it. I never remember or know why.

The Civil War is different - and this author writes from a point of view that is new to me, but resonates with me - Abraham Lincoln had specific reasons for engaging, even given the great risk of permanent division, yet his greater point, longer view, endgame was all about AFTER. . .about the Peace. His was a fight that continued after the victory. . . in fact, the author shows, the victory could for Lincoln be only achieved with peace between the combatants and their supporters (known and unknown). In other words, although Lee had surrendered, effectively ending the War, victory hadn't yet been reached when Lincoln was assassinated. In fact, the author shows, it is something for which we are still striving. Mostly. He selects examples of post-Lincoln national life and shows how Lincoln's fight for peace still affects present-day America and decision-makers, through the power of truth, myth, or political associations.

Thought-provoking, worth re-reading and approaching from different directions, this book has informative endpapers with the author's research sources, notes and even a few of Lincoln's speeches.

I have to end with this - from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech:

America is North and South, White and Black, Republican and Democrat. We are laughter and loss, Saturday night and Sunday morning, Old Testament and New. Liberty and equality are not opposites in inevitable conflict, but act in concert under the practical balance of the Union. In the end, even war and peace are intimately entwined. . . .

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
- A. Lincoln, March 4, 1865

John Avlon. Lincoln and the Fight for Peace (Kindle Locations 4486-4488). Kindle Edition.


A Sincere Thank You to John Avlon, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this fine work.

I have read this author before. I wish I could write like this man does. His prose is a pleasure to read. I really loved this book. This should have a wide audience. We continue to go to Lincoln for wisdom and guidance. The author makes an excellent addition to the Lincoln canon. Read and enjoy.

Overall I learned a lot from this read. It gave me a new perspective on Abraham Lincoln's philosophy, bit more importantly his character. I love the focus on Lincoln with the undertones about the civil war, its origins and manifestations. It truly shows Lincoln in action. Clearly the author did a great job reviewing and portraying civil war dates, names and locations accurately, through the war, the days following, and up to Lincoln's assassination.

Perhaps the part I enjoyed and learned the most was regarding World War II. The discussion on how many of the military officers were descendants of those involved in the Civil War was intriguing to me. Especially when the author demonstrates how Lincoln's philosophy carried with them and influenced the outcome of the war and its aftermath. I really appreciate this perspective!

At the end though, I feel like the book should have stopped a bit sooner than it did. I understand the author's intent by walking through more recent events since the Civil War and how Lincoln's legacy influenced them. I think discussing Barack Obama and Donald Trump in present-day is a bit too far, and in my opinion, detracts from the overall read. Regardless of your political background, I felt like 95% of this read was awesome, but the last 5%, diving into the intricacies of today's modern world and political division, left a bad taste in my mouth. To me this last bit nearly poisoned the whole book. This of course is my opinion, and obviously the author put it there for a reason.

The overall writing style is pretty easy to follow. There are many tangents that in the moment seem confusing or like they come from left field, but ultimately they come back and make sense.

My original plan was to give four stars because though this read is a bit wordy and tangential at times, it ultimately led to a productive discussion and I learned a lot. Because of my comments above about the ending, though, I've decided to downgrade to three stars. I can't help but ask the author to reconsider that last bit in future editions.

The worth above are mine without influence.

Are you a Lincoln fan, or looking for a new perspective on Lincoln's time during the Civil War? This is a great book with lots of new information and perspectives. I am a huge Lincoln fan and have read many books on him over the years, but this was a fresh perspective and I greatly enjoyed it.

When literally thousands of books have already been written about Abraham Lincoln, one might fairly ask if there is more to be said and value in another book on the subject. The answer is assuredly yes as proved here. John Avlon has written a highly readable and worthwhile book.

That being said, in many ways this is really almost two books. The first (roughly) 2/3 of Lincoln and the Fight for Peace is about Lincoln himself. Avlon tells the story of his presidency with a strong emphasis on its last few months. In doing so, he does an excellent job examining Lincoln the man. There are some new and interesting details, to be sure - but I found the real value of the book was not those details so much as Avlon's analysis of Lincoln's personality, philosophy, and governing style. His in depth descriptions of Lincoln himself were perceptive and rang true to this student's reasonably extensive previous study of our 16th President. And if there is any doubt about whether Lincoln still has relevance to today's world (a truth borne out by the multitude of volumes that continue to be published), his concluding chapter makes a strong case. In short, the first part of the book is a job well done!

I confess to being less taken by the last part of the book, where Avlon attempts to show how Lincoln's philosophy was carried forward and applied (or not) over the next roughly 100 years. There was far less detail and substance to this part of the book and the connection to Lincoln somewhat tenuous at times. That I learned some things I did not know and thought about them in new ways - there is no doubt. But I did not feel these sections were nearly as complete or effective as the first part of the book.

The bottom line is that I definitely recommend the book to both the casual and more serious scholar. There are certainly new insights to be gained - for history's sake and for today - and Avalon has provided them.

John Avlon wrote what could have easily been a five-star book but Mr. Avlon blew it by adding countless "scribe lines" (which are his personal opinions on race and the like) to the actual facts and history. It is very sad that Avlon had to tarnish his otherwise excellent book in this way. I am torn between three stars and four stars and I went with four because in our "woke" society the author likely felt that the addition of his personal views was necessary.