Customer Reviews

The Puritan Origins of American Patriotism

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I really wanted to give this impressive book by George McKenna a better rating. He is an expert on religion in American life and history. This is obvious. But way too often the author seems to let personal bias and political bugaboos get in the way of what could have been a great straight history.

First: the good parts. McKenna's retelling of early American politics and the role religion played is top notch. From the Anne Hutchinson trial to the role of religion in the pre-Civil Wart abolition movement and in the life of Abraham Lincoln were superb.

However, as the closer the author gets to the modern day the more he seems hell bound to interject politics into his telling of history. He goes on far too many tangents that don't seem germane to his history. The Hiss/Chambers account and the many political movements that sprung up in the 1960s and 70s top the list of rants that detract from the overall history.

A better editor with an ability to keep the author focused, and an author more interested in recounting history and leaving his personal bugaboos out would have made this much better that it currently is.