I learned a lot about one of America's most profound presidents. I liked how the book brought Lincoln from the point of view of a common man. Before reading this book I had thought of President Lincoln almost as a character in a folk tale, a hero in the history of America's past. I had imagined him almost as a god among men, while this book quickly changed that perception, showing some of his human flaws such as being so uncomfortable around women that he often avoided their company altogether. Another thing I really liked about this book was how it took the reader through the struggles that Lincoln faced in his early life, a part of his life that I had never heard of. It was very interesting and a little sad to read about Lincoln's estrangement from his family and father. The book did a great job of describing his self-taught studies and his motivation to better himself through education. The text described Lincoln's path to politics as a young man through his presidency until his assassination. I found the difference in the way politics was done compared to how it is today very interesting. One specific example that really opened my eyes to the stark differences was when he threw a man over a fence after that man started bothering the man who was speaking. After reading this, I was shocked because if this had happened today, Lincoln's political career would probably be over and there would probably be charges against him. I enjoyed reading this book, it taught me a lot about the Civil War, but even more I enjoyed the fact that it described Lincoln's early life in such a way.