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Mightier Than The Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin And The Battle For America

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“Fascinating . . . a lively and perceptive cultural history.” ―Annette Gordon-Reed, The New Yorker In this wide-ranging, brilliantly researched work, David S. Reynolds traces the factors that made Uncle Tom’s Cabin the most influential novel ever written by an American. Upon its 1852 publication, the novel’s vivid depiction of slavery polarized its American readership, ultimately widening the rift that led to the Civil War. Reynolds also charts the novel’s afterlife―including its adaptation into plays, films, and consumer goods―revealing its lasting impact on American entertainment, advertising, and race relations. 15 illustrations

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: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #203,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #94 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Women Authors #114 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > Women Writers #541 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > United States

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.

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