Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America

Abraham Lincoln’s ambidextrous political acumen is the focus of journalist and public radio personality Inskeep (Imperfect Union) in this eclectic assortment of encounters Lincoln had with those who quarrelled with him. Spotlighting 16 diverse people and their disagreements with Lincoln, Inskeep reveals how the president “learned, adapted, and sought advantage” through these interactions. Some of the meetings Inskeep covers are famous—including Lincoln’s winning over of crestfallen presidential hopeful William H. Seward and Lincoln’s “exceptional patience” dealing with the tetchy and quasi-insubordinate Union general George G. McClellan—while others are obscure (his Black barber in Illinois and a woman disguising herself as a man to fight in the Union Army). Inskeep suggests that Lincoln did not try to win every argument, but rather “concentrated his power on fights he had to win to keep from losing everything” and always “considered his audience,” seeking to address the other person’s interest or motive (a skill he refined in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, when he asked voters to consider why they were best served by opposing slavery). Inskeep’s selection of encounters is varied and sometimes unexpected, as when he concludes with Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and their famously difficult marriage; Inskeep contends that the skills Lincoln “needed at home resembled some he needed for work.” Though Inskeep’s novel thesis sometimes gets buried by each encounter’s backstory and minutiae, the energetic narrative and intriguing cast of characters keep things moving. Lincoln buffs will relish this unique account. (Oct.)