Brooke Allen (1) (1956–)

I enjoyed this book a great deal. I was unaware of the advance of fundamentalism on our rights and the very frame of our Constitution.

This book discusses the religious nature of six of the founding fathers of the United States of America: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. All of it is done through quoting their private letters and papers, the laws they helped to enact, and ideas they tried to spread. Some of the Founding Fathers were quite devout, but a lot of them were Deists or Atheists. Washington didn't even profess a religion and a lot of his history was distorted by Mason Locke Weems, a charlatan of the highest order that made up the Cherry tree story and a great many other things.

The book is divided into eight chapters with an appendix and an index. Each chapter covers one Founding Father with chapter seven being about the follow-up of their deaths and chapter eight covering the history of the world that they lived in and that world's environment. For instance, a great issue was made on a lot of the pilgrims fleeing religious persecution, but most of the settlers were in it for the land and the money. The ones that did escape religious persecution foisted their own ideals on others and demonized dissenters and those of other sects. Rather silly if you ask me, considering the fact that they were all supposedly Christians.

In any case, I really enjoyed this book. I found it fascinating, and it introduced me to a couple of new Google searches. I was not aware that Maryland required belief in a God for public office up until 1961 of all times. I would read it again, but I have so many other books on my plate that it seems unlikely.… (more)

I may seem like an odd person to be enjoying, or even reading this book, since I have only read a few of the authors, and I don't particularly like serious contemporary fiction, as a rule.

Allen's combination of short biography, reviews of biographies, and literary criticism none the less make for a fascinating slice of social history. It isn't necessary to have read the authors, although I am sure it is all the more interesting. It makes a good reference if one wants help in selecting a biography or selecting the best works of the authors' to begin reading.

I'm sure that some people will be upset if she doesn't like a favorite author, but that's how it goes with opinions.… (more)