Drawing on seven years of his own research and the work of other esteemed Lincoln scholars, Shenk reveals how the 16th president harnessed his depression to fuel his astonishing success.

Reviews

Davidson delivers a fine performance in this exploration of Abraham Lincoln's depressive nature and its influence on his political life. From boyhood through assassination to legacy, Shenk probes all chambers of the 16th president's troubled heart. Davidson's voice is perfectly complementary for such historical and intimate matter, offering up an inviting rocking-chair-by-the-fire feel. So fitting is his voice that it feels anachronistic when Shenk veers into the present, bringing Davidson's earthy, log-cabin tones along with it. But the narration is, for the most part, flawless (save for a few surprising mispronunciations). Davidson's engagement with the material never flags despite the sometimes abrupt time-hopping and dense side paths Shenk periodically travels. Davidson recites several poems beautifully and renders an excellent Irish brogue. Listeners may find the musical cues confusing, though. For example, moody piano lines occasionally close out sections in the middle or latter part of a disc, falsely prompting the finger toward the eject button. The production also features several extras including a somewhat superfluous NPR-style interview with Shenk plus an excerpt from an upcoming Benjamin Franklin biography. Overall, despite a few quirks, a full and worthy listen. (Reviews, July 11) (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Adult/High School-In 1835, Lincoln, a likable, gifted law student, was so depressed that his community, who accepted his mental state as a component of his brilliance, put him on a suicide watch. The reaction to his depressions by those who knew him, and by Lincoln himself, is a revelation of 19th-century thinking. In his day, melancholia was seen as a personality type that, along with disadvantages, had attributes such as deep self-reflection. Blessed with insight into his condition, Lincoln used it as a resource, providing self-therapy in an era when professional therapies were scant. The man also was blessed with a sense of humor and, above all, good friendships that alleviated major life traumas, including the loss of two children. This is not a full biography. Emphasis is placed on aspects of Lincoln's life that contributed to his mental burdens, such as his estrangement from his father. The value of this book is the author's ability to assess his subject's mental state based on eyewitness accounts and Lincoln's own words. Shenk assumes his readers have a grasp of the period's history, making the book challenging, but teens interested in Lincoln or psychology will find the content compelling.-Jo Ann Soriano, Lorton Library, Fairfax County, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Lincoln's bouts with melancholy were well known in his day and became legendary after his death, but biographers, psychiatrists, and students of Lincoln have struggled to make sense of them. Was he mad, depressed, physically debilitated, or what? Over the years, historians have amplified or ignored Lincoln's mental state, but recent works of psychobiography and new medical findings on depression have opened the way for a fresh assessment. With uncommon common sense, a rare understanding of historical context, and a close reading of the primary sources, journalist Shenk persuasively argues that Lincoln indeed suffered from chronic depression. More important, he suggests that Lincoln's coping strategies not only helped him to live with his melancholy but prepared him for greatness. Lincoln's failures and his ability to live with countervailing tensions gave him the empathy, humility, and genius to win a terrible war and inspire others. While some readers might balk at Shenk's devotion to oral histories as the principal contemporary evidence on Lincoln's state of mind, they will find his discussions of Lincoln's private self and personal relationships revealing and instructive. Highly recommended for large public and university libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/05.]-Randall M. Miller, Saint Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

"A profoundly human and psychologically important examination of the melancholy that so pervaded Lincoln's life....Remarkable." --Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and author of An Unquiet Mind