How Lincoln Learned to Read
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—Wolff allows that several factors are involved in achieving greatness, but his focus here is on the role of childhood education (roughly toddler to teen) in the success of 12 notable Americans, discussed chronologically from Benjamin Franklin to Elvis Presley. He examines the education, both in school and out, of Abigail Adams, Andrew Jackson, Sojourner Truth, Sarah Winnemucca, Henry Ford, W. E. B. Du Bois, Helen Keller, Rachel Carson, and John F. Kennedy. Employing a lively narrative style and impressive research, Wolff presents the interlocking stories that together form a brief history of what it means to be successful in this country. These individuals range from having no formal education to attending the best schools in the land, from having a reverence for book learning to having a reverence for tinkering, from facing enormous challenges to having specialized interests. But what they all hold in common is that they managed to learn what they needed to know, often against tremendous odds. All were consistently true to themselves and to their deepest interests. And from that starting point they pursued the particular education that best suited their needs. This provocative book is not only an important addition to the history of education in America, but also a valuable contribution to the history and understanding of the country's ideas and culture. It should appeal especially to those teens who wonder where their particular education might lead.—Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Eclectic author and journalist Wolff looks at the training, formal or otherwise, of 12 unique Americans in an effort to identify aspects of a “good education.” From Abe Lincoln’s obsession with books and newspapers to Elvis’ fascination with movies and their soundtracks, Wolff ties these varied biographies together with common historical threads, discerning how each was able to surmount difficulties and make his or her mark. We learn that Ben Franklin “finds his refuge in books” as a child and that Abigail Adams “entered the adult world through the library.” W. E. B. DuBois was fortunate to be born in Massachusetts, where education was mandatory for 6- to 12-year-olds, black or white. Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, a Paiute Indian, opened her own Indian school, striving to keep the traditional ways alive in the face of white-run schools trying to exterminate Indian traditions. Enriched by historical details of the Civil War and world wars, the Great Depression, and the rise of unions, and backed by extensive primary sources, Wolff’s essays provide enlightening glimpses into the often-serendipitous process of education. --Deborah Donovan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read and a remarkable achievement,
By Dan Denerstein (New City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them (Hardcover)
In his 1995 book, You Send Me: The Life And Times Of Sam Cooke, stunning as it was for a first work, author Daniel Wolff displayed a rare gift for examining the environment, the black Pentecostal church and Chicago's South Side gospel music atmosphere, that spawned the explosive talent and cultural icon that he became in his all-too-brief life and career. Wolff's penchant and interest in the factors that allow someone to become a transcendant historical figure presaged his latest work, How Lincoln Learned To Read.
In thought provoking, show-don't-tell style, Wolff recounts the formative years of twelve prominent Americans. Presented chronologically, he begins with eight-year-old Ben Franklin and his passage from distracted, rebellious youngster to apprentice printer. We see how he positions himself to spend his life as writer/publisher/inventor/political thinker, America's greatest intellectual jack-of-all-trades. Wolff ends with the youthful journey of Elvis Presley from dirt poor toddler in a family of tenant farmers and unskilled laborers to a teenager taking advantage of the mélange of musical streams found only in post-war Memphis. The reader meets ten others introduced by their childhood names. (Wait till you see who Nabby, Belle, Thocmetony and Willie turn out to be.) Brief biographical chapters describe the mix of environment, personal circumstance, available formal education, instinct and inner drive that combine to solidify purpose and character. Transformative incidents and situations (Andy Jackson's Revolutionary War battle experience, Helen Keller's w-a-t-e-r moment, and young Rachel Carson's solitary nature sojourns in Western Pennsylvania) are vivid and wonderfully drawn. Along the way, the reader is introduced to the learning tools that would periodically dominate the educational landscape: the New England Primer, Noah Webster's grammar book, the McGuffey Eclectic Reader, and St. Nicholas literary magazine. Readable, entertaining, with original research that could fill ten books, Daniel Wolff offers a portrait of how these Americans educated themselves, how they overcame and bypassed economic, social and cultural obstacles and how from an early age they followed a path that only they could see. It is an important book that historians, politicians, educators and parents everywhere should read.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good history of education,
By dudley (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them (Hardcover)
This is an important book, not because of insights about what is educationally helpful and what is not, as it proposes to do. The two educational points I thought it made were that the U.S. educational system has gotten better and better at offering opportunty to all, and the importance of intrinsic motivation.
The educational system doesn't seem to get a lot of credit for the fact that it leads the world in providing an opportunity for education to almost all of its citizens. When you think of its exclusiveness in its early days, and which remains today in many countries, that is a worthy accomplishment. Second, and more importantly, the 12 famous individuals profiled in the book were very diverse, yet all had in common strong motivation. That may be the biggest weakness in schools today. Even though self-reliance is a widely popular mantra, most criticism of education seems more focused on the schools than on the students. Poor effort is surely a major cause of poor performance. Students shouldn't be so passive. The 12 individuals in the book did not achieve success by waiting for someone to motivate them. Most of them had many struggles to overcome. The book could stand alone as good history, regardless of its relevance to education. It even shed new light on commonly known facts by the way it told them. I knew the story of JFK and the wealth of his family, but the book really made clear how different is the life of the rich from most of the rest of us. It has implications for choosing leaders. Are they too isolated from the problems most of us cope with? Also, the story of Elvis made clear the "vicious cycle" of the economic life in the South for many working class people. This book is interesting to read and makes history come alive. A good companion to this book is one called Amusing Ourselves to Death.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tells a great story, and you learn something too!,
This review is from: How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them (Hardcover)
This is a completely awesome book, which I could not put down. Wolff delves into the early lives of twelve famous Americans, starting with Ben Franklin and moving chronologically forward to Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, and all the way to Elvis Presley. We consider what they learned, what was going on around them, and how it shaped them into the adults they would become. This book weaves the lives of these twelve into one beautiful, unconventional quilt of American history - specifically, the history of how young Americans get educated. It is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read, and I have read a LOT of books.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Twelve great books in one.
Learning to read is not a new thing. Daniel Wolff takes one on a tour de force of great Americans and describes their early childhood educations.
Published 3 months ago by Jack Falvey
5.0 out of 5 stars
How do we learn what we need to know?
I would strongly recommend that this book be added to the Required Reading lists of all educational programs; and that parents everywhere take the trouble to gain an awareness of...
Published 7 months ago by Sacramento Book Review
4.0 out of 5 stars
Things that I always wondered about . . .
An enjoyable and informative look at the educations of significant figures in American history. Not only does it provide insight on the careers of these individuals, but it is an...
Published 8 months ago by Southern Yankee
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
How Lincoln Learned to Read is a book about the education of twelve famous Americans. However, Wolff's idea of education is broader then teachers and schoolrooms.
Published 9 months ago by Robert Huttmeyer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good stories but lacking something
I enjoyed this book, but it was not what I would call gripping. The reasons for this are several. The book includes a prologue that asks some rhetorical questions and the briefest...
Published 17 months ago by H, D, and A's Momma
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new perspective on American history
For anyone who likes Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, you'll find that Daniel Wolff's book is an ideal companion.
Published 20 months ago by M. Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazingly thoughtful and exciting read
I highly recommend "How Lincoln Learned" for anyone who is interested in learning,history, culture, thought or the human process.
Published 21 months ago by Wendy Brandchaft
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Most Important Books of the Year
How Lincoln Learned to Read is among the most important books to have been published in the last few years.
Published 21 months ago by David Daniel
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