Charles B. Strozier

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!!

An enjoyable look at a man on the “edge of politics” who had a strong influence on Lincoln’s development. Joshua Speed is overlooked in the history of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War.

The author uses correspondence between Lincoln and Speed, the historical context and the recollections of other contemporaries of the time, to build a narrative of an under rated friendship in American history.

Both men have a similar outlook on life and their similar tendencies bring them closely together allowing them to find support in their friendship which would endure over thirty years. I found the insights of the author fascinating.

One criticism I have of the book is that it tends to over labour the point that Lincoln and Speed did not have a gay relationship. If the author believes this to be the case, I believe he should put forth that theory and then concentrate on providing documented aspects of their friendship and not rely on inconclusive evidence.

Overall it was great to learn of a man who has played such an important part, (but who has stood in the shadow), of such an important historical figure as Abraham Lincoln.… (mehr)

Stozier, a psychoanalyst and a history professor at John Jay College, City University of New York, writes about those Christians who believe that God will remake the world in a firestorm of destruction and send Jesus back to rule for a millennium. The author spent five years attending services and interviewing Pentecostals, Baptists and Evangelicals in New York City. His 27 respondents--among them an ex-prostitute, a multimillionaire entrepreneur turned missionary, a fiery preacher and a Wall Street broker--regarded their past as sinful or worthless. Their born-again experiences, in Strozier's formulation, represent attempts to heal traumatized, fractured selves. The final chapters of this cogent, worthy study attempt to place Christian fundamentalism on a continuum of apocalyptic belief by contrasting it with Hopi Indians' myths of impending eco-catastrophe and with New Ager premonitions of a dawning Aquarian Age.

Strozier (history, CUNY) uses psychohistory to examine the apocalyptic outlook of fundamentalists in New York City. He admits to possible bias as a lapsed nominal Christian and to studying a narrow geographical milieu. He spent several years becoming close to and interviewing a widely varied mix of individuals, from a former prostitute to a preacher. He avoids condescension but remains unable to accept his subjects' beliefs. The common theme of the "broken thread," in which the evil past is rejected in favor of a God-transformed future, permeates these beliefs, as do biblical literalism and a fascination with endless violence, with the agency of violence shifted to God.… (mehr)