"Presidential historians love to claim at the beginning of a biography that they will demonstrate some remarkable evolution by the end, but it's often imperceptible in the pages between. In Inskeep's hands, by contrast, Lincoln advances as a person and a politician. To a large extent, Inskeep shows, the president's growth was a product of his ability to interact patiently with others, even when their conduct or character was troubling . . . Inskeep's Lincoln isn't yet the Great Emancipator we know; the famously self-taught, craggy-faced, frontier-raised man figures out how to get there through these conversations. He understood that people were motivated by self-interest, but delineating that interest was an art. He wasn't precious about who he spoke to, and he was always compassionate . . . Differ We Must offers important parallels with the present . . . The key to preserving democracy in a moment of crisis, Inskeep reminds us, is electing a leader who is committed to something far greater than himself: America." --The Washington Post

"Inskeep details how much Lincoln's political skill was a part of the late president's legacy and character . . . The brisk biography, filled with lively anecdotes and interesting analysis, offers more than enough to stand out among recent additions to the collection of Lincoln bio