bvargo's review
5.0
This is a substitute for a private book I read since fucking goodreads refuses to add a private shelf/flag; I just picked a book of similar length so that it would count toward my 2022 reading challenge.
richard_lawrence's review
4.0
Colonel Ingersoll is one of the great thinkers the United States has produced yet most have never heard of him because of his scepticism towards religion. This is a great book written by a great writer that will give one a good understanding of the life and influence of Ingersoll. The extensive bibliography is a great resource for exploring Ingersoll's writings.
vi__'s review against another edition
3.0
Informative and captivating, but I had a lot of problems with the way it was actually printed. Also the writing is extremely bias and almost felt as though the author was trying to convince me that this was a good man.
lmrewis's review
5.0
I learned so much from this book. Robert Ingersoll makes me feel seen. I can't believe that I never learned about him even with 8 years of higher education. He seems like a truly good man, and I was surprised when I didn't find he had really any abhorrent view points. Anti-religious, anti-slavery, pro-women's rights... you name it, this man thought about it and tried to make the best decision.
This book has inspired me to read another of Jacoby's works about freethinkers, and it definitely makes me want to revisit Thomas Paine.
This book has inspired me to read another of Jacoby's works about freethinkers, and it definitely makes me want to revisit Thomas Paine.
bookowl81's review against another edition
4.0
A friend of mine introduced me to Ingersoll about a year ago. I started reading bits and pieces of his work and was fascinating by his depth of intellect and his remarkable speaking ability.
This book helped me to see quite a bit more of who he was. His courage was something to behold. His thoughts on religion, secularism, free thought, and the law were well ahead of their time and he faced quite a bit of scrutiny and invective from his colleagues. However, his incredible eloquence and intelligence helped him to fill halls to capacity and, often times, had audiences spilling into the street just to get a chance to hear him or meet him.
This is a brief biography but it's a good starter for those interested in one of the great thinkers of 19th century America.
This book helped me to see quite a bit more of who he was. His courage was something to behold. His thoughts on religion, secularism, free thought, and the law were well ahead of their time and he faced quite a bit of scrutiny and invective from his colleagues. However, his incredible eloquence and intelligence helped him to fill halls to capacity and, often times, had audiences spilling into the street just to get a chance to hear him or meet him.
This is a brief biography but it's a good starter for those interested in one of the great thinkers of 19th century America.
kaylana's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very short introduction to Robert Ingersoll and his effect on American freethought. But I enjoyed what he had to say and I enjoyed seeing how those of other political parties and religious beliefs continued to get along despite very different world views. People were grown ups. It's sad to see how far we've fallen in that area.
The only complaint I have with Jacoby is she constantly praised the man as if he never did anything wrong or misguided. She's a fangirl, obviously, and rightly so but she could have toned it down a bit.
I am looking forward to reading more about him and his writings. He was a fascinating person and ahead of his time in so many ways.
The only complaint I have with Jacoby is she constantly praised the man as if he never did anything wrong or misguided. She's a fangirl, obviously, and rightly so but she could have toned it down a bit.
I am looking forward to reading more about him and his writings. He was a fascinating person and ahead of his time in so many ways.
falinter's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very interesting book on a historical figure in atheism I did not know about before this. The authors writing style with weirdly structured sentences was a bit weird, but I otherwise enjoyed the topic and learning about Robert Ingersoll.
bibliocharylodis's review
3.0
It's a good introduction into American Freethought with interesting bits about Ingersoll and his social and historical surroundings.
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