Overview

Personal reinvention is a core part of the human condition. Yet in the mid-twentieth century, certain private religious choices became lightning rods for public outrage and debate. Public Confessions reveals the controversial religious conversions that shaped modern America. Rebecca L. Davis explains why the new faiths of notable figures including Clare Boothe Luce, Whittaker Chambers, Sammy Davis Jr., Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, Chuck Colson, and others riveted the American public. Unconventional religious choices charted new ways of declaring an authentic identity amid escalating Cold War fears of brainwashing and coercion. Facing pressure to celebrate a specific vision of Americanism, these converts variously attracted and repelled members of the American public. Whether the act of changing religions was viewed as selfish, reckless, or even unpatriotic, it provoked controversies that ultimately transformed American politics. Public Confessions takes intimate history to its widest relevance, and in so doing, makes you see yourself in both the private and public stories it tells.

Full Product Details

9781713568964

Table of Contents

Reviews

Davis succeeds at weaving biography and analysis and big-picture significance together in seamless fashion, making for an enjoyable as well as instructive read. --Darren Dochuk, author of Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America.

Author Information

Rebecca L. Davis is Miller Family Early Career Professor of History at the University of Delaware. She is author of More Perfect Unions: The American Search for Marital Bliss.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available