Please visit LincolnsMelancholy.com
Examining Lincoln's life through the lens of his melancholy — and melancholy through the lens of Lincoln's life.
AUTHOR APPEARANCES
"Intellectually energetic... A strong book... By treating Lincoln from this angle, Shenk gains a dimension that not all Lincoln books achieve: Looking at his subject's darkness also means approaching his depth." —William Lee Miller, The Washington Post Book World, cover review (Read the full review.)
"Shenk's book is a shapely and insightful exegesis of the Civil War president's inner life, written with authority. It is a kind and admiring book, but it is also measured and honest ... What one really comes away with is a sense of wonder ... In an era of victimhood, this model of someone who through steely resolve put his pain to the service of an exalted cause is exciting, even astonishing." —Andrew Solomon, New York (Read the full review.)
"A significant contribution to the study of Lincoln and his battle with depression that will resonate with contemporary Americans." —Kirkus (starred review)
"Uncommon common sense, a rare understanding of historical context, and a close reading of the primary sources ... Revealing and instructive. Highly recommended for large public and university libraries." —Library Journal (starred review)
October 18, 7 p.m. Olsson's Books-Lansburgh, 418 7th St NW | Washington, D.C.
October 24, 7 p.m. Joseph-Beth Bookseller, Rookwood Pavilion | Cincinnati
October 25, 6 pm Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St. | Cincinnati
November 4, 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center, 1972 Broadway (between 66th and 67th) | New York City
November 8, 7:30 p.m. The Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 South Main St. | Seattle
November 10, 7:30 p.m. Cody's Books, 2 Stockton St. | San Francisco
November 13, 3 p.m. Diesel Books, 3890 Cross Creek Road | Malibu
November 29, 7 p.m. Live at the New York Public Library. A conversation about Lincoln's Melancholy with First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Joshua Wolf Shenk. 42nd Street and 5th Avenue | New York City
The best price is through a special shenk.net bookstore at bn.com. Or support the indies.
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ADVANCE PRAISE
"An extraordinary story, for the depth of its scholarship and the lure of its style." —Mike Wallace, CBS News
"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, author of An Unquiet Mind
"Lincoln not only coped with his depression, he harnessed it. Explaining how is critical to understanding both him and human greatness. Shenk does so masterfully and memorably." --Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, president and C.E.O of the Aspen Institute
"Through careful research and his personal understanding of mental illness, Shenk takes us into the inner-world of a revered leader who profoundly impacted American history while managing his own depression. Lincoln's Melancholy cuts through long held misconceptions about an illness that affects so many." --Rosalynn Carter, former U.S. First Lady and Chairperson, The Carter Center Mental Health Task Force
"Convincingly and with great artistry, Shenk reveals how Lincoln's struggle was transmuted into noble actions that changed the course of our country. This story of surmounting adversity will inspire not only historians but all those who seek ways to prevail over personal suffering." --Jerome Groopman, MD, author of Anatomy of Hope, New Yorker staff writer, Professor, Harvard Medical School
"Shenk's fresh, original study shines a bright light on Lincoln's dark melancholy." --Michael Burlingame, author of The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln
"Lincoln's Melancholy accomplishes a very difficult thing: It puts Abraham Lincoln and his achievements in a new light." —Douglas L. Wilson, Lincoln-prize author of Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln , and director of the Lincoln Studies Center, Knox College
"Brilliantly peels away the onion of myth and sentiment to reveal the compelling, tortured soul beneath. This book is full of lessons not just on Lincoln and mental health but on the strange alchemy of great leadership." —Jonathan Alter, Newsweek Magazine
"Original, important ... Certain to provoke discussion and appreciation alike, and add a crucial new layer to the Lincoln story." -- Harold Holzer, co-chairman, U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
"This book sets the standard for future works of biography with a psychological center of gravity. Far better than traditional psychobiography, this is scholarly history with thoughtful psychological insights." -- Nassir Ghaemi, director, Bipolar Disorder Research Program, Emory University, author of The Concepts of Psychiatry