Rating: 
Summary: Happier tales from a life marked by tragedy
Review: So much of Abraham Lincoln's life was tragic that it's refreshing to read this relatively upbeat book about the close friendships he developed throughout his life. "We Are Lincoln Men" reads like an appendix to author David Herbert Donald's monumental biography, "Lincoln," apparently consisting of tales and anecdotes left over from his research. Fortunately, this book provides enough interesting glimpses of Lincoln to justify its addition to the voluminous literature on the 16th President of the United States."We Are Lincoln Men" chronicles Lincoln's relationships with roommate Joshua Speed, law partner William H. Herndon, Illinois Senator Orville Browning, Secretary of State William Seward, and private secretaries John Nicolay and John Hay. The friendships with Speed and Herndon were the most intimate, although both individuals drifted away from Lincoln after he became President. The inclusion of Browning seems the most controversial: as President, Lincoln passed Browning over three times for the Supreme Court, while Browning later associated with a Senate caucus hostile to Lincoln. Lincoln's friendship with Seward was forged in the crucible of his wartime Cabinet. Although they differed on many issues, Seward consistently suppressed his maverick tendencies to support his President. Perhaps the most entertaining section is the chapter on Nicolay and Hay, whose youthful exuberance provides a vivid contrast to Lincoln's other friends. Though their age difference precluded a high degree of intimacy, the secretaries' loyalty to Lincoln was unmatched (a quote by Hay provides this book's title). Nicolay and Hay also provided Lincoln with an outlet for his legendary sense of humour. Donald's unobtrusive yet distinctive prose is highly readable; this is a page-turner. The book's segmented format works well: it's a collection of tantalizing snapshots of Lincoln, rather than a detailed portrait. My main literary complaint is that the book ends rather abruptly, as if Donald simply ran out of things to say. Though not quite a breakthrough historical document, "We Are Lincoln Men" should please the Lincoln buff, or anyone interested in learning more about the man whom many consider America's greatest President.
Rating:
Summary: Happier tales from a life marked by tragedy
Review: So much of Abraham Lincoln's life was tragic that it's refreshing to read this relatively upbeat book about the close friendships he developed throughout his life. "We Are Lincoln Men" reads like an appendix to author David Herbert Donald's monumental biography, "Lincoln," apparently consisting of tales and anecdotes left over from his research. Fortunately, this book provides enough interesting glimpses of Lincoln to justify its addition to the voluminous literature on the 16th President of the United States. "We Are Lincoln Men" chronicles Lincoln's relationships with roommate Joshua Speed, law partner William H. Herndon, Illinois Senator Orville Browning, Secretary of State William Seward, and private secretaries John Nicolay and John Hay. The friendships with Speed and Herndon were the most intimate, although both individuals drifted away from Lincoln after he became President. The inclusion of Browning seems the most controversial: as President, Lincoln passed Browning over three times for the Supreme Court, while Browning later associated with a Senate caucus hostile to Lincoln. Lincoln's friendship with Seward was forged in the crucible of his wartime Cabinet. Although they differed on many issues, Seward consistently suppressed his maverick tendencies to support his President. Perhaps the most entertaining section is the chapter on Nicolay and Hay, whose youthful exuberance provides a vivid contrast to Lincoln's other friends. Though their age difference precluded a high degree of intimacy, the secretaries' loyalty to Lincoln was unmatched (a quote by Hay provides this book's title). Nicolay and Hay also provided Lincoln with an outlet for his legendary sense of humour. Donald's unobtrusive yet distinctive prose is highly readable; this is a page-turner. The book's segmented format works well: it's a collection of tantalizing snapshots of Lincoln, rather than a detailed portrait. My main literary complaint is that the book ends rather abruptly, as if Donald simply ran out of things to say. Though not quite a breakthrough historical document, "We Are Lincoln Men" should please the Lincoln buff, or anyone interested in learning more about the man whom many consider America's greatest President.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting read but disappointment overall
Review: The book was easy to read and not very lengthy, but I got the sense the writer wanted to focus more on Lincoln's bedroom habits (Is he gay or not?) rather than anything else. We learn very little about his relationship with his wife. Maybe the reason for this is Abe Lincoln's friends rarely got along with Mary Todd Lincoln, and book is told through the eyes and experiences of Abe's friends or former law partners. Lastly, I felt the writer didn't tell us enough about Lincoln's children. Why was Abe's relationship with his eldest son so horrible? Was Abe never around when the kids were being raised or did he not show any interest in the boys? Some clear explanation would be helpful. In short, the book is interesting but a disappointment when all is said and done.
Rating:
Summary: The Friends Of Abraham Lincoln
Review: This is a relatively good book. The great thing about it is that the book is very easy to read and understand, unlike some books on Lincoln that sometimes read more like text books. This novel examines the most important relationships that Lincoln had with his male friends.
One of the problems I had with this book is that the author couldn't seem to make up his mind on Lincoln's sexual prefrences. I do believe that it's quite clear that Lincoln was hetrosexual and never had a romantic or sexual relationship with his friend Joshua Speed.
People often seem to foget that the way words where phrased back then is very different from how we use them today. Lincoln loved his wife Mary, even though their marriage was rocky.
The point of the book isn't really about his family life but more on how his later relationships affected him. How everyone seems to think that he had many friends when in truth he only had a few favorites. What I got out of this book was a different picture of a Lincoln that I rarely think about. Even though I've been interested in his home life for years. The fact is that Lincoln often had serious emotional and sometimes even mental problems that most Lincoln biographers would rather forget. He is such an enigma in the American psyche.
I personally felt that this book painted the life of a real man, one whom everyone wants to know but few people really understood or knew. The book also gave me a new respect for William H. Herndon (Billy), who I've never been very fond of, because of his rather cold views on Mary Todd Lincoln. This is one of the few new books that gave me something new to learn Lincoln in years. It probably won't answer many other questions about Lincoln. This would be better for someone new to reading about him. However, I rather like it, even though I do wish that the author had gone into more detail on certain things.
Rating:
Summary: A very nice read
Review: This is a relatively short book and a very enjoyable read. It's a straightforward look at Lincoln's personal relationships with a few of his closest friends. I came away feeling as if I had learned something about what Lincoln must have been like as a man among his contemporaries, something you don't always get from more complete biographies which must focus on great events and political manuevering. The book also addresses head-on the current talk among some about the possibility of a homosexual relationship. I think it is addressed fairly and honestly, and though it is something we can never be 100% sure of, I think the author comes to a convincing conclusion that it is highly unlikely. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to learn some more about Lincoln as a person, rather than as a "great figure of history" sort of thing.
Rating: 
Summary: A Revealing Exploration of a Little Examined Side of Lincoln
Review: Yet another book about Lincoln? David Donald's "We Are Lincoln Men" more than justifies itself by presenting new insights into the 16th President's relationships with his six closest friends. In doing so, it demonstrates just how revealing a political leader's friendships can be. This book is a worthy successor to Donald's stellar biography, "Lincoln"; like that book, this one is captivating and a joy to read, even when presenting-as it rarely does-pieces of Lincoln lore which are fairly well known. No matter what the reader already knows about Lincoln or his times, he or she is bound to gain new perspectives by reading this volume. The book begins with a brief discussion of friendship, and presents Aristotle's basic typology of friendships ("enjoyable," "useful," and "perfect" or "complete"). The introductory chapter looks at Lincoln's boyhood and youth-concluding that "Lincoln never had a chum" and noting that "by temperament...Lincoln grew up as a man of great reserve." The book then proceeds with chapter-length examinations of his six key friendships. Each was unique, in part because of the personalities involved and because of when the friendships first developed. While Joshua Speed and Lincoln were remarkably close as young men in Illinois-to the point where some have speculated that they might have had a homoerotic relationship (a point Duncan dismisses)-they grew apart primarily because of political differences as they aged. "Billy" Herndon, Lincoln's principal law partner and eventual biographer, remained in Lincoln's shadow for a variety of reasons, including his radicalism, his inability to get along with Mary Lincoln, and his alcoholism. Orville Browning, an Illinois Whig who was appointed to fill Stephen Douglas's unexpired US Senate term on Douglas's death, was an ally and confidant during the early years of Lincoln's Presidency; the two drifted apart partly because of Browning's importuning Lincoln for political appointments and partly because of growing political differences. Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Seward, came into the Cabinet with a relatively low opinion of the President-Seward firmly believed that he should have been elected instead of Lincoln-but gradually grew into his closest ally and most loyal supporter in the Cabinet. Lincoln's two closest aides, John Nicolay and John Hay, were also loyal supporters. But partly because of the age difference-they were young enough to be his sons-they never grew out of the role of understudies to Lincoln and never became true confidants. Despite its focus on these six men, the book also explores Lincoln's relationships with a variety of other figures, including Judge David Davis, who was instrumental in getting the Presidential nomination, and Ward Hill Lamon, a long-standing ally who often doubled as Lincoln's body guard. It is remarkably compact, just over 200 pages long, and can almost be read in a single sitting.
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