Lincoln Unmasked by Thomas DiLorenzo
After my Springfield trip I picked up a bunch of Lincoln books from the library. Some were worthwhile (Land of Lincoln and Following in Lincoln's Footsteps were ones I really enjoyed). Others were not worthwhile. I knew DiLorenzo's book was likely to be a waste but I was curious and decided to take a look. I shouldn't have wasted my time.
Basically DiLorenzo will pick one Lincoln statement or action and draw a much larger conclusion that anyone else does. For instance he'll point out that Lincoln did say in the Lincoln-Douglas debates that he was not for black suffrage. He'll use that to say Lincoln was not the Great Emancipator that he's been labeled. While its fair to point out the varied aspect of Lincoln's life it is quite different to say he doesn't deserve to be called the Great Emancipator because he also said some racist things.
He also goes into a ton of detail exploding various quotes that are attributed to Lincoln. I didn't mind this too much except that there seems to be too much time wasted on it. The quotes in question were of the folk wisdom type, things like "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." I don't think it really matters one way or the other if Lincoln said that. But this section was only a minor complaint compared to the rest of the book.
After reading this I'm sorry I wasted my time and I'm sorry that the library wasted that money. It could have used that to buy a book that would actually educate its patrons. Don't waste your own time or money on this book.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteI agree that DiLorenzo's book really picks and chooses the evidence that agrees with him. His books have an extreme agenda. Another controversial Lincoln book is 'Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream by Lerone Bennett Jr.'. That book has received quite a bit of criticism too. And to think that Bennett and DiLorenzo end up on the same side of the argument on Lincoln is very strange indeed.
Another Lincoln book you might want to read and is much more interesting than the above two is 'Abraham Lincoln: Twentieth-Century Popular Portrayals by Frank Thompson'. It examines Lincoln through the movies that he has been depicted in. It is a very interesting read on a fascinating topic.
Thanks,
Chris
A better Lincoln book I'd recommend to read would be
ReplyDelete'Abraham Lincoln: Twentieth-Century Popular Portrayals' by Frank Thompson. It is much more fascinating and better written than DiLorenzo's polemic.
Thanks,
Chris