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Lincoln's Gift: How Humor Shaped Lincoln's Life and Legacy
"Simply the best book that has been published on this great president's humor and stories...Everyone interested in Abraham Lincoln will want to read this."-William C. Harris, author of Lincoln and the Border States
Abraham Lincoln has long been admired for his leadership, honesty, and eloquence. But despite his somber reputation, the sixteenth president was quite funny. With an uncanny ability to mimic others and an irresistible midwestern twang, Lincoln, in fact, could be downright hilarious.
Brimming with his funniest quips, jokes, and stories, Lincoln's Gift explores the crucial role humor played throughout his tumultuous professional and private life. Perfect for history buffs and Lincoln enthusiasts alike, this clever and captivating biography reveals how America's greatest president used his lighter side to lead the country through one of its darkest times, the Civil War.
"Gordon Leidner ingeniously blends a study of Lincoln's humor with an account of his life, showing how our sixteenth president was not always a 'man of sorrows' but often a man of laughter, capable alike of enjoying as well as telling a good story."-Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham A Life
Abraham Lincoln has long been admired for his leadership, honesty, and eloquence. But despite his somber reputation, the sixteenth president was quite funny. With an uncanny ability to mimic others and an irresistible midwestern twang, Lincoln, in fact, could be downright hilarious.
Brimming with his funniest quips, jokes, and stories, Lincoln's Gift explores the crucial role humor played throughout his tumultuous professional and private life. Perfect for history buffs and Lincoln enthusiasts alike, this clever and captivating biography reveals how America's greatest president used his lighter side to lead the country through one of its darkest times, the Civil War.
"Gordon Leidner ingeniously blends a study of Lincoln's humor with an account of his life, showing how our sixteenth president was not always a 'man of sorrows' but often a man of laughter, capable alike of enjoying as well as telling a good story."-Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham A Life
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2015
25 people are currently reading
905 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Leidner
15 books48 followersFreelance history writer Gordon Leidner has offered free educational articles about American history at his website, www.greatamericanhistory.net, for over twenty years. He has authored twelve books, including Lincoln’s Gift: How Humor Shaped Lincoln’s Life and Legacy, The Leadership Secrets of Hamilton: 7 Steps to Revolutionary Leadership from Alexander Hamilton and the Founding Fathers, and Conversations with Lincoln: Little-Known Stories from Those Who Met America’s 16th President. Upcoming is his latest Abraham Lincoln and the Bible: A Complete Compendiumy.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 21, 2018
Leidner presents a lovely and swift compilation of quips that correlate with key points of Lincoln's life. Since I am not a comprehensive Lincoln nut, I benefited from this book with its light-hearted retelling of his life. While his life is told with brief details, the sprinkled bits of Lincoln's humor keeps up the levity and interest for me. So when he gets to a punchline, I managed a chuckle now and then. I rather enjoyed Leidner's informative approach; it beats other history books or a Wikipedia scan—far from being a drawling read. And its handheld size made it an awesome choice for reading on the go; whenever I waited at a restaurant or had a long line, back to Lincoln.
As far as what Lincoln fans would get out of this experience, I'm wondering if it would perhaps be too basic for them. I'm sure many of them may already be aware of the drama with his father and his wife, how he balanced his professional life, and his ruts within his political careers; since the book breezes through the nitty-gritty details in some ways, they may be lacking. Leidner warns at the start of the book that it isn't meant to be a complete autobiography, but where some sections are given more attention than others, it may leave that itch for them.
While I appreciated the historical explanations, I'm hesitant to recommend this to everyone I know. I feel like certain jokes are fair for their time but may unintentionally strike a nerve with contemporary audiences. Particularly the jokes about Douglas or Mary Todd. I'm also thinking that readers outside of U.S.A. might be a little lost regarding the political debates and conflicts since there is some assumptions that you are vaguely familiar with the geography of this particular part of history. Thankfully, Leidner didn't include many of the racist jokes that Lincoln was known to indulge in, though I know that there will be a nagging part of my imagination which hears a group of people insisting about their omissions and therefore call the book inaccurate.
Leidner paints Lincoln in a flawed and likable light. Understandable, really. No surprise when he has written many other Lincoln books too. At times, however, he may be seen as being a tad too heroic. It's a bias that I accept though—it's hard not to when Lincoln turns out to be a charming guy to me. Still would choose Lincoln's Gift over a broad presidential humor book in a heartbeat. Try this book if you want to a lighter read about Lincoln.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
As far as what Lincoln fans would get out of this experience, I'm wondering if it would perhaps be too basic for them. I'm sure many of them may already be aware of the drama with his father and his wife, how he balanced his professional life, and his ruts within his political careers; since the book breezes through the nitty-gritty details in some ways, they may be lacking. Leidner warns at the start of the book that it isn't meant to be a complete autobiography, but where some sections are given more attention than others, it may leave that itch for them.
While I appreciated the historical explanations, I'm hesitant to recommend this to everyone I know. I feel like certain jokes are fair for their time but may unintentionally strike a nerve with contemporary audiences. Particularly the jokes about Douglas or Mary Todd. I'm also thinking that readers outside of U.S.A. might be a little lost regarding the political debates and conflicts since there is some assumptions that you are vaguely familiar with the geography of this particular part of history. Thankfully, Leidner didn't include many of the racist jokes that Lincoln was known to indulge in, though I know that there will be a nagging part of my imagination which hears a group of people insisting about their omissions and therefore call the book inaccurate.
Leidner paints Lincoln in a flawed and likable light. Understandable, really. No surprise when he has written many other Lincoln books too. At times, however, he may be seen as being a tad too heroic. It's a bias that I accept though—it's hard not to when Lincoln turns out to be a charming guy to me. Still would choose Lincoln's Gift over a broad presidential humor book in a heartbeat. Try this book if you want to a lighter read about Lincoln.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
September 23, 2017
An Enjoyable Biography
Published in 2015 by Cumberland House
273 pages including end notes and a bibliography
Lincoln's Gift: How Humor Shaped Lincoln's Life and Legacy is an excellent short biography of our sixteenth president with a special focus on his legendary storytelling abilities. When one considers who integral Lincoln's humorous stories were to his successes both as an attorney and as a politician, I felt that this biography is one of the few biographies or histories that gave me much of a sense of Lincoln as a man.
Leidner wisely chooses to provide a lot of detail about Lincoln's life before he became a national figure - these stories give the reader a feel for the man long before he became president and give a frame of reference for his reactions and his stories while he was in office.
Very few of his stories are truly laugh out loud funny, but he often told humorous or rustic tales to make his point or distill a complicated idea into something very simple. A classic example of this is...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2017/...
Published in 2015 by Cumberland House
273 pages including end notes and a bibliography
Lincoln's Gift: How Humor Shaped Lincoln's Life and Legacy is an excellent short biography of our sixteenth president with a special focus on his legendary storytelling abilities. When one considers who integral Lincoln's humorous stories were to his successes both as an attorney and as a politician, I felt that this biography is one of the few biographies or histories that gave me much of a sense of Lincoln as a man.
Leidner wisely chooses to provide a lot of detail about Lincoln's life before he became a national figure - these stories give the reader a feel for the man long before he became president and give a frame of reference for his reactions and his stories while he was in office.
Very few of his stories are truly laugh out loud funny, but he often told humorous or rustic tales to make his point or distill a complicated idea into something very simple. A classic example of this is...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2017/...
July 19, 2018
Abraham Lincoln was a funny man in his wit and story-telling. It was a gift he learned from his father, honed from an early age and shared with the world. It facilitated his advancement in his careers of law and politics. The humor is served up against the story of Lincoln’s life revealing how that humor was used effectively to communicate his messages as well as spread the joy of laughter. This becomes most obvious during the Civil War section of Lincoln’s story. It seems as if God gifted Lincoln with humor to aid him through the great struggle and stress of America’s great internal war. The humor also makes the book a fun read (pun intended). Although the Lincoln story may get heavy with the brutal facts of war, the writing never gets bogged down due to the humor and the writer’s skill. I recommend this book because it takes little effort, is fun, and you learn something about Lincoln that is not widely known. Read on, chuckle and enjoy!
April 29, 2020
What did I learn in this book? I learned that Lincoln liked to reply to a comment or question beginning with “That reminds me of a story…”, and that story was often about a fellow in Springfield. From this book, you get the idea that Lincoln was less of a stand-up comedian, and more of a Garrison Keillor type, a fellow who liked longer stories about people that did odd things, often to illustrate a point or to point out a human frailty. Interesting, but quite repetitive. And don’t expect to learn any jokes here to tell your friends. These tend to work for politics, law, and debating. The author tells Lincoln’s life story, dishing out the humorous (and sometimes not so humorous) stories that he told. I most liked hearing (on the audiobook) the pithy things he said while younger.
August 9, 2020
Lincoln's Gift is a skin deep, chronological history of Lincoln's life and presidency with a focus on his wittiness and old-man storytelling ability.
Every section is structured as a setup for an Uncle Abe joke, story, or quip. They range in quality from, "Oh man, he really got 'em" to "I guess you had to be there." Many of the setups are rather long for a letdown of a jab.
The speeches and stories quoted from Lincoln are rather interesting because they hail from a totally different time from our own, when speech, memorization, and interpersonal relations were highly respected. The sharpness and wit of Lincoln detailed in this book is refreshing, as no president in our lifetime has been able to match him, and it is likely that none ever will.
Every section is structured as a setup for an Uncle Abe joke, story, or quip. They range in quality from, "Oh man, he really got 'em" to "I guess you had to be there." Many of the setups are rather long for a letdown of a jab.
The speeches and stories quoted from Lincoln are rather interesting because they hail from a totally different time from our own, when speech, memorization, and interpersonal relations were highly respected. The sharpness and wit of Lincoln detailed in this book is refreshing, as no president in our lifetime has been able to match him, and it is likely that none ever will.
August 20, 2020
The English language is glutted with books on Abraham Lincoln. Thousands upon thousands of volumes have examined the sixteenth President of the United States from nearly every considerable angle. Yet Gordon Leidner brings an unusual perspective in his volume: a biography of Lincoln based, not on his great achievements or travails, but upon his famous sense of humor and penchant for stories. While the volume is nothing revolutionary - Leidner does not represent a groundbreaking shift in the examination of Lincoln - it does present a new twist on a life story that most Americans know the basics of, focused on jokes and stories told by the man himself.
August 12, 2019
I enjoyed this book immensely. Readers have been given detailed facts of Lincoln's life from many sources including books and films. This book is able to expand upon that volume of knowledge in a most enjoyable and entertaining manner. I was able to listen to this book via audiobooks from the comfort of an armchair. The narration of this book very extremely good and the voice variations keeps the "reader" involved. It was a pleasure receiving this book free in exchange for an honest and fair review. Thank you. One of the best books I have had the pleasure to listen to this year.
September 10, 2019
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
I confess that I really enjoy all things related to Abraham Lincoln - be it books, movies, musuems, etc. Here, the book provides a brief autobiography of Lincoln with brief excerpts from Lincoln political speeches or stories attributed to Lincoln. Some of these stories still hit the mark today - eliciting a chuckle or two - and a few lose their context and humor because of a lack of understanding of the context of that time and changes in our culture/society. While the title indicates that there will be a discussion on how Lincoln's humor shaped his legacy - there really isn't. The book does detail how Lincoln by using humor was able to charm juries, win debates, self-depracate, enable his abilities to govern/lead, and in general, endear himself to others. As you read this book, you do get to know Lincoln a bit through his anecdotes and speeches and understand how humor certainly helped him navigate a very perilous time in American history.
The narrator, Frank Gerard, did a fantastic job. He used a distinctive voice for Lincoln which allows the listener to clearly discern Lincoln's speeches and stories.
I confess that I really enjoy all things related to Abraham Lincoln - be it books, movies, musuems, etc. Here, the book provides a brief autobiography of Lincoln with brief excerpts from Lincoln political speeches or stories attributed to Lincoln. Some of these stories still hit the mark today - eliciting a chuckle or two - and a few lose their context and humor because of a lack of understanding of the context of that time and changes in our culture/society. While the title indicates that there will be a discussion on how Lincoln's humor shaped his legacy - there really isn't. The book does detail how Lincoln by using humor was able to charm juries, win debates, self-depracate, enable his abilities to govern/lead, and in general, endear himself to others. As you read this book, you do get to know Lincoln a bit through his anecdotes and speeches and understand how humor certainly helped him navigate a very perilous time in American history.
The narrator, Frank Gerard, did a fantastic job. He used a distinctive voice for Lincoln which allows the listener to clearly discern Lincoln's speeches and stories.
April 28, 2019
A cursory biography leavened with examples of Lincoln's humor. Leidner did a good job of weaving the two elements together, and of showing how integral humor was to Lincoln's persona. One thing a lot of younger readers would likely not appreciate fully, is how the direct quotes capture the speech patterns of the era. I'm 80, and I hear my grandfather speaking in my mind as I read those passages.
February 26, 2021
Meh. Interesting premise but a bit disappointing for me. I enjoyed learning more about Lincoln's life, but for a book about humor, it was very dry (writing-wise), and I think due to lack of context, I didn't find Lincoln's jokes funny. I could definitely tell he had a gift for storytelling, so perhaps if the author had chosen that focus over humor, I would feel differently. All I know is, I went in expecting to laugh and didn't. It did make for a good discussion at book club though!
January 6, 2023
Fascinating and well researched biography on Abraham Lincoln. Also humorous and uplifting. He's the type of guest you'd want at the dinner table who will entertain you with his wit, puns and linguistic intelligence.
February 5, 2020
This book presents anecdotes and Lincoln’s homespun stories while presenting a bare bones biography.
February 18, 2021
Different look at Lincoln's life
Funny book. Loved the different view of his life. Fast read and easy. Good intro read to his life and mind.
Funny book. Loved the different view of his life. Fast read and easy. Good intro read to his life and mind.
March 4, 2021
A nice combination of a basic biography with snippets of Lincoln's gift for storytelling.
January 24, 2022
I came to own this book by way of door prize of sorts. There were some entertaining anecdotes, but overall is was a bit of a labor to complete it.
July 28, 2023
I thought it was very good. I enjoy reading about Lincoln.
November 9, 2015
I liked this book. I didn't love it. The book is basically a biography of Lincoln filled with some of the stories he told, giving the reader a feel for the presidents dry, witty sense of humor.
Some of the stories and jokes went over my head, as I did not understand the cultural context or the etymology of some of the words. I did, however, find the period of Lincoln's rise to presidency most interesting. Lincoln often used stories in court cases to his advantage as a lawyer. I also enjoyed learning more of his interactions with Stephen Douglas. The book talks a lot about Lincoln's stance on slavery and how the issue was handled when he was president. Additionally, many of Lincoln's stories as a president go back to his times in Illinois, specifically Springfield, which I appreciated. I did find myself speeding through some of the chapters related to his time as president.
Overall, if you're interested in learning more about the person and spirit of Lincoln, I would recommend this book.
Some of the stories and jokes went over my head, as I did not understand the cultural context or the etymology of some of the words. I did, however, find the period of Lincoln's rise to presidency most interesting. Lincoln often used stories in court cases to his advantage as a lawyer. I also enjoyed learning more of his interactions with Stephen Douglas. The book talks a lot about Lincoln's stance on slavery and how the issue was handled when he was president. Additionally, many of Lincoln's stories as a president go back to his times in Illinois, specifically Springfield, which I appreciated. I did find myself speeding through some of the chapters related to his time as president.
Overall, if you're interested in learning more about the person and spirit of Lincoln, I would recommend this book.
August 9, 2019
This book is awesome! It was better than I expected. It even says in the book that it's not meant to be a joke book, but a biography of Lincoln with bits of humorous stories woven in. I loved all the details of Lincoln's life and laughed at the humor. It also mentions how part of what made Lincoln so funny was his mannerisms and delivery of his jokes that were often funnier than the joke itself. I felt like the Narrator nailed this also. I highly recommend this book! Can't wait to listen to it again with family on our road trip.
This audiobook was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
This audiobook was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
May 8, 2015
In a few areas this book provides new insight into Lincoln, other parts are more of the same old stuff. Overall, worth a read.
August 15, 2015
I loved it. A quick and easy read that provides great insight into what made Lincoln so great.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews