Abraham Lincoln, a Man of Faith and Courage: Stories of Our Most Admired President

I have always admired Abraham Lincoln, as a man and as a president, and I have been a student of his presidency and the Civil War in the past. But I learned so much within the pages of this excellent book that I hadn't known before. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I bought it for my Kindle and "highlighted" lots of passages throughout. I'll definitely read this book again.

"I believe the declaration that `all men are created equal' is the great fundamental principle upon which our free institutions rest." ~Abraham Lincoln Accurate,beautifully written work. Every American should read this eloquent book. The stories,inspiring and well described. Heartily recommend this book!

In the introduction to his latest book, Joe Wheeler relates this advice from his ad man son Greg: "No matter what the product, just tie [Abraham] Lincoln to it and it's guaranteed to sell." This perhaps explains why I've seen ads for everything from car insurance to sleeping pills featuring the celebrated 16th president of the United States. There's even a diner in my old neighborhood that features Lincoln's face prominently on its sign. Nothing says bacon and eggs like a stovepipe hat! Books are no exception to Greg's rule. Wheeler contends that more books have been written about Lincoln than all the other presidents combined, and he enters the fray with ABRAHAM LINCOLN, A MAN OF FAITH AND COURAGE. "While I admire and revere Washington, it stops there. He is a model for many fine qualities, but with me at least, he remains only a model to be venerated. Not so with the sixteenth president. There is something about Abraham Lincoln that makes me love him. I cannot explain it: I know only that it's there," he writes. Wheeler's love for Lincoln is both a strength and weakness of his book, which often straddles the line between biography and hagiography. There is no doubt that Lincoln was an extraordinarily individual, and the stories here provide an entertaining survey of the moments --- large and small --- that made the man. The following story illustrates the combination of solid research and faith-filled speculation that characterizes Wheeler's book. "One day, when he was around nine, he took a bag of corn, mounted the flea-bitten gray mare, and rode leisurely to Gordon's Mill. His turn didn't come until late afternoon. Since each man was expected to provide his own power, Abe hitched the mare to the arm. As the animal moved around, the machinery responded with proportional speed --- or lack of it. Abe, mounted on the arm, found it necessary to frequently use his whip, otherwise, the horse would stop. Each time the whip action took place, Abe would say, `Get up you old hussy.' Finally, resenting Abe's whip, just as the words, `Get up,' were said, the horse elevated a shoeless foot and kicked him in the forehead, sending him sprawling. "Mr. Gordon, the miller, hurried into the ring, picked up the senseless boy (whom he took for dead), and sent for his father. His father came, loaded the body in the wagon, and took him home. Abe lay unconscious all night, but toward day there were signs of life. The blood began to flow normally, his tongue struggled to loosen itself, his body jerked for an instant and he awoke, blurting out the other three words interrupted at the mill, `you old hussy.' "Lincoln would talk about this strange phenomenon for the rest of his life, this memorable experience that so easily could have been his last. God must certainly have had a reason for sparing his life." This story comes from a biography of Lincoln written in 1925, and indeed Wheeler cites his "exhaustive scholarship" of reading 60 books about Lincoln in prepari

I have collected books about Abraham Lincoln for well over forty years. I found Dr. Wheeler's book to be one of the most enjoyable to read of any that I have on my shelves. The stories that the author shares made this very unique President more "human" to me. I happened to be in Washington, D.C., when I finished the book. Although I have visited the Lincoln Memorial many times, it was a very emotional experience this time around because of what I had just read. I have enjoyed reading several of Dr. Wheeler's anthologies in the past, but I think this is his best collection ever.

I love history, yet I seldom carve out the time to indulge. When I was gifted "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A Man of Faith and Courage" I began to skim it ready to put it aside. But I just couldn't put it down! Sure there are countless books on our most admired President, but NONE like this one! In this book we get verified and authenticated quotes from the man himself revealing the depth of his faith and specifically how that faith grew, and shaped his life and his presidency. Not only is every page an inspiration to remind every American in this century of our amazing, unsurpased blessings we so take for granted; it is also an amazing revelation of how God took a man of many failures and turn him into a world changer. If God can use this man who became the most admired President in our history, he can use YOU to change the world as well, no matter how small you feel!