Baylor University Press
The accidental revolutionary; George Whitefield and the creation of America.
George Whitefield was a revivalist preacher of the colonial period who traveled among the colonies, delivering sermons with political overtones as he spoke out against corruption and supported the right of colonists to worship at the church of their choice. Mahaffey (communication studies, Indiana U. East) argues that Whitefield had as much influence on American history as the Founding Fathers, and that without Whitefield, American independence would have come much later. The book is written to be accessible to general readers and focuses on Whitefield's political activism and his persuasive abilities. It is distributed in the US by Hopkins Fulfillment Services (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Becoming American?; the forging of Arab and Muslim identity in pluralist America.
Haddad (history of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations, Georgetown U.) documents the Americanization of Arab-Muslims and their experiences forging an identity in the US. She traces the history of Arab and Muslim immigration to the US in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, considers what constitutes an Arab or a Muslim, and examines the ideological constructs of diaspora Islam since the beginning of emigration. She discusses the context of their discourse on religious pluralism in Islam, the need to emphasize the diversity of Muslims, and the shaping of a moderate North American Islam, including policies and measures implemented since 9/11 by the Bush administration and their impact on the American Muslim community, as well as the pressures from government and political lobbies attempting to create a moderate Islam. No index is provided. Distributed in the US by Hopkins Fulfillment Services. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The classical American pragmatists and religion; a reader.
Clanton (philosophy, Pepperdine U.) compiles some of the most significant works on the nature, interpretation, and role of religious beliefs and experiences of classical American pragmatists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the golden age of the peculiarly American school of philosophy. The first section samples the philosophical ground upon which pragmatism grew, with reading by Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and others. The classical pragmatists are Peirce, James, Dewey, and Mead. A final section looks at fellow travelers and sympathizers, among them Santayana, Addams, and Du Bois. The anthology is not indexed. Distributed in the US by Hopkins Fulfillment Services. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
More; the vanishing of scale in an over-the-top nation.
Bishop (communication, Drexel U.), a former journalist and newspaper editor, explores modern American culture and values, showing how popular media, especially television, magnifies trivial topics and trivializes important ones. He riffs on recent mass media cultural phenomenon such as Americans' love for excessive Christmas displays, Sarah Palin's run for the White House and the media scrutiny of her clothing and family, the fascination with Nadya Suleman ("Octomom"), and the general American tendency to obsess about things like clothing, weight control, and personal achievement, giving trivial and personal concerns even more attention than truly important world-changing events. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
