Lincoln at Gettysburg

Why people recommend it

Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical analysis that explores the rhetorical brilliance and profound political significance of Abraham Lincoln's famous address. During an appearance on The Ezra Klein Show for an episode titled It's the Corruption, Stupid, guest Rahm Emanuel engaged in a wide-ranging discussion with host Ezra Klein regarding politics and public life. As the interview drew toward a close, Klein asked Emanuel to name three books he would recommend to the audience. Responding to the prompt, Emanuel listed Garry Wills's seminal study of the Gettysburg Address as one of his top reading suggestions, citing it specifically as Wills's work on Gettysburg. Emanuel's recommendation drew attention to a text renowned for its deep exploration of how Lincoln redefined the American experiment and the language of the nation during the Civil War. The brief mention introduced listeners to an essential piece of historical scholarship that examines the intersection of rhetoric, philosophy, and political history during one of the most critical turning points in the history of the United States.