Lincoln's Melancholy

"This is one of the most original, important Lincoln works of the young century -- certain to provoke discussion and appreciation alike and add a crucial new layer to the Lincoln story."-- Harold Holzer, co-chairman, U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission "Shenk brilliantly peels away the onion of myth and sentiment to reveal the compelling, tortured soul beneath."-- Jonathan Alter, Newsweek Drawing on seven years of his own research and the work of other esteemed Lincoln scholars, Joshua Wolf Shenk reveals how the sixteenth president harnessed his depression to fuel his astonishing success. Lincoln found the solace and tactics he needed to deal with the nation's worst crisis in the coping strategies he had developed over a lifetime of persevering through depressive episodes and personal tragedies. Shenk relates Lincoln's symptoms, including at least two major breakdowns, and offers compelling evidence of the evolution of his disease, from "major depression" in his twenties and thirties to "chronic depression" later on. Shenk reveals the treatments Lincoln endured and his efforts to come to terms with his melancholy. By consciously shifting his goal away from personal contentment (which he realized he could not attain) and toward universal justice, Lincoln gained the strength and insight that he, and America, required to transcend profound darkness. Joshua Wolf Shenk is an essayist and independent scholar whose work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, and other publications. A faculty member at New School University, Shenk serves on the advisory council of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Reader Richard M. Davidson is a classically trained actor who has performed in theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada.