Fire of Genius to be Analyzed by LGDC Study Forum

A funny thing happened on the last Lincoln Group of DC (LGDC) Study Forum meeting. The group selected Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America, to be the next book for study. The Study Forum group generally takes several months to review and discuss (and dissect) whichever book is under scrutiny. Over the last eleven years the group has tackled 20 books about Lincoln. This month was the final session for Kevin Peraino’s Lincoln in the World about foreign policy issues during the Civil War, which meant voting for the next book.

So, starting with the next study session, the LGDC Study Forum will read and discuss Lincoln: The Fire of Genius. I’m honored that the group felt my book was worthy of being studied.

Okay, so here is where things get weird. I have been a member of this particular Study Forum group for the last ten years. I am a vocal participant of the group, opining on this and that issue as we scour the books for insights and controversies. As a group we don’t hesitate to question whether the author has made their case. But now the book we’ll be digging into is the book I wrote. [FYI: I opted out of the vote, which nonetheless resulted in a significant majority in favor.]

On several occasions, and quite frequently in recent years, we’ve invited the author of the book to join us for the final session on his or her book. This gives us the opportunity to get further insights on their writing and research process, as well as answer some of the nagging questions we had developed over previous months. It’s a great opportunity to get more information and the authors enjoy the interaction. But, and this is a big “but,” we’ve never had the author sit in for all of the sessions, some of which can get rather contentious as different group members may not agree on interpretation or veracity of any given point. To make this “but” even more interesting, that author (aka, me) is one of the more engaged members of the group. Which puts me in the strange position of having to deal with potential criticism and/or finding that my presence inhibits some members from offering their honest feedback on the book. I’ve made it clear that I want people not to feel they can’t give the book the attention they would give any other book, but I just finished being president of the organization (and a leader of the group for a decade) and have sometimes moderated this Study Forum. Whether that has any effect on the deliberations remains to be seen.

Bottom line is that I’m a bit anxious about the decision to discuss Lincoln: The Fire of Genius. Not so much because I can’t take criticism. I know how much research I put into the book and feel confident I’ve sufficiently made and documented my case. But still, it’s a weird feeling being part of a group that will analyze a book I’ve written for several months…while I’m present. It could be an interesting experience.

The Study Forum group meets monthly, which means the next meeting is in August. That meeting will be a break from the norm as the goal is to meet in person in downtown Washington, DC for the first time since the beginning of the Covid pandemic (normally we meet virtually via Zoom). Logistics of having a remote hookup are still in the works, which is especially important given our moderator and several other regular members (we usually have about 15 people on the call) live well away from Washington, DC. Members will start to read the book and the first official meeting to begin discussion will be in September.

We’ll see how it goes.