Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer whose books include: Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush and The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels. This book instantly takes its place at the forefront of the Lincoln literature.” His revealing new portrait depicts a very human Lincoln-an imperfect man whose moral antislavery commitment became essential to the evolving story of justice in America.Īs Harold Holzer said in a blurb for the book: “So much more than another account of Abraham Lincoln’s life, Jon Meacham’s profound new biography dives into Lincoln’s very soul, and the result is one of the most compelling and absorbing portraits ever crafted.

Meacham’s comprehensive and detailed telling of Lincoln’s life illustrates the innerworkings of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape history. Above all is his persistent conviction that slavery must end. Included are explorations of Lincoln’s rise, his self-education, his loves, his bouts of depression, his political failures, and particularly his deepening faith. Groundbreaking in its analysis and approach, And There Was Light delivers the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809, to his leadership during the Civil War, to his tragic assassination in 1865. Fanton Director of Roosevelt House and renowned Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. The author will be in conversation with Jonathan F. In this illuminating, beautifully written chronicle of the 16 th president’s life, Meacham charts how Lincoln confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery-in order to expand the possibilities of America. Roosevelt House is pleased to present a discussion of the new bestselling book And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and television-news commentator Jon Meacham.

“In his captivating new book, Jon Meacham has given us the Lincoln for our time.”

Jon Meacham on his new book And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle in conversation with Harold Holzer. Raab, Hunter College President, Cordially invites you to attend a special President’s Week event, in person and on Zoom.

Jon meacham and there was light