"[A] bold, perceptive offering . Thought-provoking." --Elizabeth R. Varon, The Washington Post "Feldman''s book has the potential to change the terms of the ongoing debate over slavery and the Constitution . To make rupture and rebirth the central fact of constitutional history is not only to restore to it what Lionel Trilling called a ''lively sense of contingency and possibility''; it is to uphold its continued possibility in our own troubled time." --Geoffrey R. Kirsch, The New Rambler "[A] magnificent book . Feldman skillfully reconciles his expertise as a law professor and his skill as a popular writer, rendering a careful dissection of old legal doctrine accessible and exciting.

The reader thinks alongside the great legal minds of the 19th century and feels Lincoln enduring the opposing and sharp pulls of law and politics . It is a testament to Feldman''s skills as a scholar and public intellectual that he can make accessible the breaking and remaking of legal norms through vibrant writing and their organization in a rich and novel theoretical framework . Feldman''s book will be of interest to scholars, students and the general public." --Joshua Braver, Lawfare "Feldman offers an elucidating look into Lincoln''s incremental thinking, neatly demonstrating how he articulated the "before" and "after" Constitution in the Gettysburg Address as a compromise versus a moral document, using an Old Testament/New Testament analogy that embodied equality for all promised in the Declaration of Independence. Feldman never bogs down in legalese, rendering a scholarly topic accessible for general readers. A marvelously intricate work on Lincoln''s writings and thoughts, which continue to offer fodder for historians." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Vignettes about slavery, the negotiators of the compromises, abolitionists, the Civil War, and beyond offer context for Feldman''s innovative legal analysis. In describing interactions among political groups, voting rights, diverse views of abolitionists, suspending habeas corpus, and censorship, Feldman offers insights strikingly relevant to today''s politics.

" --John Rowen, Booklist "[A] probing study . An astute and eye-opening look at an underexamined aspect of the quest to end slavery." -- Publishers Weekly "With insight and a talent for illumination, Noah Feldman explores our greatest president''s complicated relationship with a document he revered--and changed forever." --Jon Meacham, author of Thomas Jefferson , American Lion , and His Truth Is Marching On "Is there really a need for yet another book on Abraham Lincoln? The answer is yes, at least with regard to Noah Feldman''s stunning examination of Lincoln and ''the broken Constitution.'' It truly needs to be read by anyone interested not only in our tangled and tragic constitutional history but also in the continuing problems that face us today. He conveys in lucid prose the best existing overview of the constitutional issues that Lincoln (and the country) faced with regard to slavery in general and the conduct of the ''war to preserve the union'' in particular. Whether one is a general reader or a professional academic, this is a book demanding to be read and discussed." --Sanford Levinson, Centennial Chair at the University of Texas Law School and coauthor of Fault Lines in the Constitution "With his characteristic verve, erudition, and insight, Noah Feldman explores the constitutional breakup reflected and propelled by the Civil War.

That he sheds fresh light on a subject that has been discussed so extensively is deeply impressive." --Randall Kennedy, professor at Harvard Law School and author of Say It Loud! "It''s Noah Feldman''s oft-demonstrated great gift to write about complex things clearly, with an eye to what''s important. There are many books about the trials of the Constitution and even more about Lincoln, but very few get both as right as this one." --David Waldstreicher, author of Slavery''s Constitution: From Revolution to Ratification.