Rating: 
Summary: Two Great Men, One Great Book
Review: Two behemoth men at a time of great crisis in our country, manage to find themselves in the same city at the same time, and the great mystery becomes, do they meet? This question is addressed in the highly enjoyable and highly readable book, Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington". In this tome, the reader discovers a deeper understanding of both Lincoln and Whitman, amazingly, through the eyes of each other.It seems natural to have both of these men appear in a book with each other, as the two are linked somewhat through the times in which they lived and the recognition of their stunning intellect. And the book reads very naturally, moving from one story to another without any interruption. The Lincoln and Whitman presented in the book are demystified, and very much human. Perhaps the closeness of their supposed contact allows us a literary entrance into their lives. As Whitman sympathizes with Lincoln, so do we. As Lincoln wonders about the wild man and shows him respect, so do we, building on connections with each other that are timeless. One thing that struck me was Whitman's volunteer efforts in hospitals in the DC area. Knowing that he did that, I never knew just how deeply it effected him and the lives of the soldiers that he visited. Well documented, even with quotes from Whitman's own letters, he expresses his care and concern for the men, many of whom suffered very painful deaths, but were someone appeased by the poet who talked with them and held their hand. It might be tempting to draw conclusions based on Whitman's sexuality, but Epstein respects the poet, and his readers, enough not to do that. Refreshingly, the author doesn't shy away at all from Whitman's romantic life, detailing the men that inhabited his life. We are with Whitman the night he meets Peter Doyle on that street car, starting a seven year relationship despite a huge age gap. I was even more surprised to learn that Doyle himself was in Ford's Theater, sitting directly across from Lincoln, the night he was assassinated. Doyle's story lends credence to Whitman's undertaking as a Lincoln expert later in his life. Almost a third character in the story is Washington DC itself. Painfully recreating the town, Epstein brings the 1860's capital alive unlike other writers have in the past. The muddy streets, the horrible smells, the buildings all come alive with fresh, succinct descriptions that are wonderfully detailed. Being a visitor to the city many times, I began to "see" it in a different, exciting way. As we wander through both of these extraordinary Americans lives, we come to love both men for their individuality and their connections. And as the book concludes in an amazing, heartbreaking way, we find ourselves sorry that the tale ends, craving more knowledge of them both, separate and together, bringing history alive in a way that hasn't for some time. I'm eagerly awaiting Daniel Mark Epstein's next book, while reading and re-reading this one for times to come.
Rating:
Summary: The Spirit of the Times
Review: With such wonderful reviews from other readers and reviewers, what more to say? Mr. Epstein has explored the life of the most literary of our Presidents. He found a man of deep political sensitivity who longed to express his and the nation's personal grief during a long, frustrating war. And he has explored the life of the most personal of American poets. Here he found a man who longed to express the national longing in poems drawn from the blood and sweat of of the seemingly interminable casualties of that war. What strikes one most is how keenly they both knew their limitations and how very carefully they each chose their moments to speak. By describing these two lives in parallel, a compelling portrait emerges of the spirit of those terrible times. This book is a page turner at many levels. Buy it and read it and tell others.
Rating:
Summary: The Spirit of the Times
Review: With such wonderful reviews from other readers and reviewers, what more to say? Mr. Epstein has explored the life of the most literary of our Presidents. He found a man of deep political sensitivity who longed to express his and the nation's personal grief during a long, frustrating war. And he has explored the life of the most personal of American poets. Here he found a man who longed to express the national longing in poems drawn from the blood and sweat of of the seemingly interminable casualties of that war. What strikes one most is how keenly they both knew their limitations and how very carefully they each chose their moments to speak. By describing these two lives in parallel, a compelling portrait emerges of the spirit of those terrible times. This book is a page turner at many levels. Buy it and read it and tell others.
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