... a more complete picture of Lincoln.

... [an] important book.

An original and revealing book on a subject heretofore surprisingly missing from the large Lincoln literature..

White describes, movingly, Lincoln’s meetings with many African Americans of all backgrounds, providing brief biographies of each participant and describing the conversation and its aftermath. Readers will perceive the sacred and the profane in White’s accounts of the historical context for these encounters. During this era, politicians, journalists, and the public often used biblical references in framing their opinions, yet their commentary was also laced with racial epithets..

... a granular study of Abraham Lincoln’s practice of welcoming African Americans to the White House ...The detailed recaps of each meeting can grow tedious, and White sometimes overreaches in his readings of primary sources. Still, this is a rich and comprehensive account of a groundbreaking aspect of Lincoln’s presidency..