skylar2's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent history of free thought in the US, from its involvement in the formation of the country (i.e. why God doesn't appear in the Constitution) to various civil rights movements into the present day.
kitty_reads_'s review against another edition
3.5
I read this for a Secularisms and Atheisms course. Definitely not one I would pick up myself, but it was fascinating to read the role secularism has played in U.S. history. It was dense and difficult to read at times, but learned a lot!
moris_deri's review against another edition
4.0
In a very plain, easy to understand diction, Jacoby succeeds in reducing the opaque and complex history of American secularism down to a comprehensive kaleidoscope of enigmatic experience. Her introduction on Robert Ingersoll is elaborate yet succinct, from how his worship of constitutional framers in doing away with totemic Christian reference to his revival of Thomas Paine’s freethinking spectre as a heroic icon of secularism of yore. Yet the evocation of more contemporary antagonists such as Ronald Reagan and George Bush in downplaying the role of secularistic forces in paving their way towards political zenith lends us a refreshing impression that there is an incomplete battle between the religious and the otherwise “unchurched”.
Calling it an “unresolved paradox”, Jacoby’s chronological diatribe also illustrates the infiltration of religious fanaticism into the various constructs of the American society, including the justice system (Scalia), government bureaucracy and other public institutions. Jacoby borrows heavily from the experience of abolitionist, feminist and other civil rights movements in the late 19th century to make her case, citing disremembered figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and William Lloyd Garrison in order to draw a parallel in how the majority could selectively forget an important contrarian historical discourse for the purpose of maintaining and perpetuating that false Christian flavor in the foundational canvas of American history. The rejection of evolution as a creature of science in public schools for example, was so vehement that the Christians went out of their way to establish parochial schools as a shield against perceived sacrilege. I am still recovering from the mild shock of having to reconcile this historical counter-narrative with my previous erudition (although misguided) of USA’s sociopolitical genesis as portrayed by more traditional sources.
Also of interest is Jacoby’s definition of “freethinkers” which is somewhat liberal, running the gamut from the outright atheist to the not-so-certains, capturing even the watchmaker enthusiasts known as the deists, as well as Liberal Protestants and Unitarians (who are not atheists). She distinctly distills freethinkers as a broad umbrella term encompassing a spacious continuum of freethought that rejects religious hierarchy and orthodoxies, which in my judgement is an attitude that is technically practical considering how secularism and secularization are relative instead of relational nouns.
I can find few faults to discredit Jacoby’s chef-d'oeuvre, notably its attempt to introduce too many chief characters to inject polemical clout into her body of argument without sufficient contexts in spite of their unassailable relevance to her messy thesis. Even if she did provide them, it would still be one hell of a book to absorb in one sitting, which defeats the very objective of defraying the labyrinthine landscape of America’s religious schism down to the most minute details. Nevertheless, the language used is clear and comprehensible enough to sustain interest, although I must admit that I find that some of the chapters suffer from a nebulous trajectory from Jacoby’s haphazard attempt to synthesize too many events from the present and the past in order to erect her story. Overall, this is an excellent book that I would like to reread and be able to give voice to.
Calling it an “unresolved paradox”, Jacoby’s chronological diatribe also illustrates the infiltration of religious fanaticism into the various constructs of the American society, including the justice system (Scalia), government bureaucracy and other public institutions. Jacoby borrows heavily from the experience of abolitionist, feminist and other civil rights movements in the late 19th century to make her case, citing disremembered figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and William Lloyd Garrison in order to draw a parallel in how the majority could selectively forget an important contrarian historical discourse for the purpose of maintaining and perpetuating that false Christian flavor in the foundational canvas of American history. The rejection of evolution as a creature of science in public schools for example, was so vehement that the Christians went out of their way to establish parochial schools as a shield against perceived sacrilege. I am still recovering from the mild shock of having to reconcile this historical counter-narrative with my previous erudition (although misguided) of USA’s sociopolitical genesis as portrayed by more traditional sources.
Also of interest is Jacoby’s definition of “freethinkers” which is somewhat liberal, running the gamut from the outright atheist to the not-so-certains, capturing even the watchmaker enthusiasts known as the deists, as well as Liberal Protestants and Unitarians (who are not atheists). She distinctly distills freethinkers as a broad umbrella term encompassing a spacious continuum of freethought that rejects religious hierarchy and orthodoxies, which in my judgement is an attitude that is technically practical considering how secularism and secularization are relative instead of relational nouns.
I can find few faults to discredit Jacoby’s chef-d'oeuvre, notably its attempt to introduce too many chief characters to inject polemical clout into her body of argument without sufficient contexts in spite of their unassailable relevance to her messy thesis. Even if she did provide them, it would still be one hell of a book to absorb in one sitting, which defeats the very objective of defraying the labyrinthine landscape of America’s religious schism down to the most minute details. Nevertheless, the language used is clear and comprehensible enough to sustain interest, although I must admit that I find that some of the chapters suffer from a nebulous trajectory from Jacoby’s haphazard attempt to synthesize too many events from the present and the past in order to erect her story. Overall, this is an excellent book that I would like to reread and be able to give voice to.
imclaugh's review against another edition
5.0
Supes presh and refresh. I mean, if you like that sort of thing.
howardgo's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful history of secularism in the USA! I had never really heard of Ingersoll. Now he is one of my heroes as is Thomad Paine. I am looking forward to reading both of them. All fre thinker should read this book!
theartolater's review against another edition
3.0
The book is a history of the secularists/humanists/atheists/agnostics/what-have-you in American history. As a necessary book, it's great - it's filled with a lot of useful information about important secularist types in American history, some of which were very involved in major political and social situations, some less so. The book is a success on that note.
It is more than a little dry, which hurts it considerably. The editorializing was problematic for me, at least - the author definitely, and unfortunately, wears her biases completely on her sleeve. Plus, it does venture into Zinn-style territory at some times, which was completely unnecessary and took away from the book considerably in my mind.
I'm glad I read this, but I'm not 100% sure I could recommend it to anyone in particular. This may be the best book of its kind we can get, which wouldn't be a bad thing, but wouldn't exactly be good, either.
It is more than a little dry, which hurts it considerably. The editorializing was problematic for me, at least - the author definitely, and unfortunately, wears her biases completely on her sleeve. Plus, it does venture into Zinn-style territory at some times, which was completely unnecessary and took away from the book considerably in my mind.
I'm glad I read this, but I'm not 100% sure I could recommend it to anyone in particular. This may be the best book of its kind we can get, which wouldn't be a bad thing, but wouldn't exactly be good, either.
valkyriejmu's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this book, but this is another one of those books that leads to other books and then, before you know it, you're in way over your head with supplemental reading material.
But it's a good history of freethinking(ism?)and I recall it was a fascinating read.
But it's a good history of freethinking(ism?)and I recall it was a fascinating read.
paulfidalgo's review against another edition
4.0
Truly eye-opening. You can not only see how secularists and nonbelievers have been written out of our history, but how it is happening before our eyes today. Even more alarming, is the process by which religious interests of today claim the successes and sacrifices of yesterday's secularists for themselves. Read this and see history differently.
lukas_sotola's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant, insightful work of history that covers an immense amount of ground in a surprisingly small space. Anyone who thinks that the United States is a "Christian country" or that religious leaders were the primary movers in fights for social justice--from the feminist movement to the abolitionist movement to the Civil Rights movement of the '60s and '70s--should read this book. The truth is that the United States has a rich tradition of freethinkers who were completely secular, often critical of religion (although much more respectful than today's New Atheists), devoted to the principles of the Enlightenment, and were often on the front lines of protecting our civil liberties. What I think is also so important about this book is that Susan Jacoby manages to be highly critical of religion, especially its role in upholding traditional and unequal social hierarchies and in attacking freedom of speech, without degenerating into New Atheist-style condescension or demonizing of all people of faith. An extremely important book.