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Mightier Than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America Paperback – June 11, 2012

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David S. Reynolds (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 17 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (June 11, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393342352
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393342352
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsRewriting Racial Narratives from the Civil War & a Great Choice for Book Groups
By David Crumm on July 5, 2011
Format: Hardcover
I am not alone in praising Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America, by American Studies scholar David Reynolds. The New York Times published an extended review about the book's significance--and particularly underscored the fresh challenges of returning this best-selling melodrama with all its problematic content to American classrooms. Reappraising Harriet Beecher Stowe's accomplishment makes for quite an educational challenge.

Nevertheless, as the Times pointed out: "If ever there was a publishing event to prove the principle that timing is everything, Uncle Tom's Cabin was it. On both sides of the sectional divide the timber was dry--and Stowe struck the igniting spark. In the North, Frederick Douglass rejoiced that she had `baptized with holy fire myriads who before cared nothing for the bleeding slave.'"

That's why I'm giving American Studies scholar David S. Reynolds' new book 5 stars. This is more than an individual book of history. It's part of the dramatic rewriting of what Americans thought we knew about the Civil War era and its long legacy. There are countless examples involving all aspects of that turbulent era--but, simply within the realm of racial politics, a great deal is changing in our assumptions about the Civil War's legacy. One example is the work of historian David Blight in a book like Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, where he completely overturns our previous nostalgic memories of Memorial Day. A second example, further along in that legacy, is Daniel L.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Impact Of A Great American Novel
By C. Hutton on June 25, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Mr. Reynolds had researched and written a readable account of the impact that "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) had upon American history and society. Arguably, no other novel had such influence upon America as this anti-slavery tale of the South. The author is not claiming that it is the best-written novel of that century (readers can argue that "Moby Dick" or "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" or other books merit that claim), merely that its depiction of slavery as a moral evil created a commercial and cultural phenomenon that continues to this day. Image, if you will, that "Silent Spring" had the PR and financial success of the music album "Thriller" or the movie Titanic", and then the reader will have a concept of "Uncle's Tom Cabin." This book framed the popular debate that led to the Civil War. "Mightier Than The Sword" has over 250+ pages of narrative and can be read easily in two evenings.
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3.0 out of 5 starsglass half full
By Jane F. Gerhard on July 17, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Reynold's first four chapters on Uncle Tom's Cabin's creation in the hot house of American popular culture is fabulous. He situates Stowe in a fascinating web of narratives and genres. I found his argument that the novel helped change public opinion about the inhumanity of slavery and specifically the Fugitive Slave Act to be very convincing. I found, however, that Reynold's analysis of the cultural work done by UTC after the civil war was less so. The second life of Stowe's masterwork on stage and in novels in the 1860s, 70s, and 80ss is well documented but its hard to hold to the author's conviction that UTC is still doing good work as the country slips into Jim Crow and the reinstitutionalization of white power. The connection between UTC, Birth of a Nation, and Gone with the Wind has been theorized more eloquently by LInda Williams in Playing the Race Card. What Reynold's does do well in the final two chapters is give us lots of historical detail about how UTC was expanded and contracted by popular tastes. the very agent of its initial rise to importance. I'd have liked to hear the author address how it is that UTC rose the wave of popular culture before the war and helped change hearts and minds ("mightier than the sword") but when the tides turned and racism was on the move, its portraits of African American humanity could not change public opinion. Having Eva and Tom float to heaven together did not do much cultural work in 1890, from where I sit, interesting staging noted.

The writing is engaging and clear; there is alot of material for students looking for good research avenues as well as general readers looking for a detailed portrait of American popular culture in the 19th century. Stowe's UTC is unique in American letters and Reynold's to his credit, never lets that out of his sight.
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5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Overview of "Uncle Tom's" Impact and Legacy
By J. Jamakaya on January 1, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I thought "Mightier Than the Sword" was an excellent overview of the impact and legacy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It offers interesting biographical background about Harriet Beecher Stowe and her motivations for writing the novel. It sets "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in the context of other anti-slavery literature and describes the immediate impact it had on the escalating debate over slavery. It shows what an incredible publishing phenomenon it was and how it became universally familiar to all Americans through hundreds of stage and music hall productions and, later, films. I found most interesting the author's discussion of how the story became trivialized and caricatured over the decades, including how the essentially noble Uncle Tom has morphed into a symbol of weakness and accommodation. There is a lot of interesting information about Stowe, her book, racial attitudes, the entertainment industry and much more in this book, all presented in a clear, well-organized way. It's a thoughtful read, packed with information. It's also inspired me to reread "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and to reassess it in the light of what I've learned from this study.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Good read.

Published 6 months ago by Shannon A. Haubrich
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent, and accessible analysis of the importance of Uncle Tom.

I think this is a good book. It really is in the genre of literary analysis, but unlike almost all books of that kind, this is accessible. Read more

Published 13 months ago by lyndonbrecht
5.0 out of 5 starsA Mighty Pen Writing about Stowe's Mightier "Sword"

This is a terrific effort by Professor Reynolds. He goes into great detail about the philosophical, religious and literary underpinnings of Harriet Beecher Stowe's most... Read more

Published 16 months ago by Tony Covatta
3.0 out of 5 starslittle woman who started the big war

The story behind Uncle Tom's Cabin is fascinating. Harriet Beecher Stowe's life is interesting. The effect the novel had on the world is inspiring.

Published on February 3, 2013 by Mr. S. Roberts
4.0 out of 5 starsMightier Than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin

.
This is an impressive study of the role "Uncle Tom's Cabin" played, and continues to play, in American literature and race relations. Read more

Published on November 24, 2012 by Kim Burdick
5.0 out of 5 starsBreathtaking

The breadth and scope of this book on Uncle Tom's Cabin by David S. Reynolds is breathtaking. Reynolds does a great job of placing Harriet Beecher Stowe's book in historical and... Read more

Published on September 29, 2012 by Myron Chartier
5.0 out of 5 starsMightier than the Sword

Fascinating book. I had to go back and read Uncle Tom's cabin again after reading this. How quickly we forget how the course of history is changed, sparked by a specific event. Read more

Published on July 6, 2012 by Robin Lowery
4.0 out of 5 starsThe Might of the Pen

I read 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' when I was young, and it left a deep impression on me. Mr. Reynolds's book illustrates in vivid terms just how much impact 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' made on... Read more

Published on January 14, 2012 by JYK
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book!

This is truly one of the greatest books I've ever read. I found out that the Beechers were very influential in the theory of a "loving God".

Published on January 2, 2012 by lmudpa
5.0 out of 5 starsWas the Fugitive Slave Law Repealed by Uncle Tom's Cabin?

New and Noteworthy----Was The Fugitive Slave Law Repealed By Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Mightier Than The Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle For America, David S. Read more

Published on August 8, 2011 by Civil War Librarian

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