Michael Kazin

I learned a lot from this book about the American pacifism movement during World War I. I did not realize how significant this movement was, or how close it got to achieving a key goal: a national referendum before any declaration of war. American involvement in World War I was a difficult issue and I could sympathize with plenty of the arguments leaders made about keeping the United States out of war. However, it did make me curious about how some of these people would have thought about World War II, as the American entrance to that conflict is remarkably different. Unfortunately, this book cannot answer this question, as the author notes that nearly all of the movement's leaders died in the 1920s, long before WWII began. Overall, an interesting read about a lesser known aspect of American history.… (plus d'informations)

A well-written biography that neither lionizes nor destroys its subject. Each issue of controversy was dealt with in an even-handed manner, which helped me immensely, as Bryan has always been somewhat of an historical/religious enigma to me. My only concern was that Kazin was not entirely consistent with his portrayal of some events (i.e. positive spin on event in one chapter, negative recollection in next chapter). However, that concern is completely outweighed by the treatment of the subject. Highly recommended for those interested in politics, the intersection of religion and politics, liberalism, and those rare creatures known as public evangelical Christian liberals.… (plus d'informations)