In the autumn of 1834, New York City was awash with rumors of a strange religious cult operating nearby, centered around a mysterious, self-styled prophet named Matthias. It was said that Matthias the Prophet was stealing money from one of his followers; then came reports of lascivious sexual relations, based on odd teachings of matched spirits, apostolic priesthoods, and the inferiority of women. At its climax, the rumors transformed into legal charges, as the Prophet was arrested for the mu...

My caregiver's job that I have described in this book, unlike my career, does not have written rules on what to do, doesn't follow normal protocols on negotiating with someone, or affords you a satisfactory written agreement. There are no "regular" work hours, no vacation or holiday time off and no promotions. It's a primer on love, devotion, selflessness and strength which most of us must find within ourselves somehow, to carry on until the inevitable end. Sharing our struggle can only ma...

Paul Johnson and Sean Wilentz brilliantly recapture the forgotten story of Matthias the Prophet, imbuing their richly researched account with the dramatic force of a novel. In the hands of Johnson and Wilentz, the strange tale of Matthias opens a fascinating window into the turbulent movements of the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening--movements that swept up great numbers of evangelical Americans and gave rise to new sects like the Mormons. Into this teeming environment...

This landmark social history exploring politics, economy, and religion in nineteenth-century upstate New York is "one of the best" of its kind ( Wilson Quarterly).Decades after its first publication, A Shopkeeper's Millennium remains a landmark work—brilliant both as a new interpretation of the intimate connections among politics, economy, and religion during the Second Great Awakening, and as a surprising portrait of a rapidly growing frontier cit...

Paul Johnson and Sean Wilentz brilliantly recapture the forgotten story of Matthias the Prophet, imbuing their richly researched account with the dramatic force of a novel.In the hands of Johnson and Wilentz, the strange tale of Matthias opens a fascinating window into the turbulent movements of the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening--movements that swept up great numbers of evangelical Americans and gave rise to new sects like the Mormons. Into this teeming environment ...

Talking with God examines the neuroscience of belief and belief change related to prayer. It puts forward a model based on neuroscience and theology to understand how God speaks to us individually and inspires us through the human capacities for language and imagination. Offering a fresh, integrated perspective for those who struggle with the dissonance between their experience in the physical world and a healing spiritual life, this work navigates a path to reconcile religious sp...

"In this compact masterpiece of historical detective work, Paul E. Johnson manages . . . to bring this unlikely early American hero back to vivid life." —Geoffrey C. Ward, bestselling author of The Vietnam WarIn the 1820s, a fellow named Sam Patch grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, working there (when he wasn't drinking) as a mill hand for one of America's new textile companies. Sam made a name for himself one day by jumping seventy feet...

This introductory treatment provides insightful expositions of specific applications as well as elements of mathematical history and culture. The in-depth coverage of key mathematical topics is presented in clear terms and at an informal level that relates classic concepts to readers' everyday lives. Some knowledge of high school algebra would be useful for a full appreciation of the book, which is suitable for advanced high school students and college undergraduates in all fields as well ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham presents “a nimble examination of how American leaders . . . have wrestled with God personally and publicly” (USA Today)—now featuring a new Afterword by the author“A revealing and useful primer on an important, timely, and often volatile topic.”—Chicago TribuneAt a time when our country seems divided by extremism, American Gospel draws...

The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. In this Pulitzer prize-winning, critically acclaimed addition to the series, historian Daniel Walker Howe illuminates the period from the battle of New Orleans to the end of the Mexican-American War, an era when the United States expanded to the Pacific and won control over the richest part of the North American continent. A panoramic narrative, What Hath God Wrought p...

A "groundbreaking" (Booklist) investigation of the mind and consciousness that asks whether the self even existsIn The Ego Tunnel, philosopher and cognitive scientist Thomas Metzinger argues that neuroscience’s picture of the “self” as an emergent phenomenon of our biology—and the attendant fact that the self can be manipulated and even experimentally controlled—raises novel and serious ethical questions. If, as M...

Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Biography“A rich narrative of the Crafts, an enslaved couple who escaped from Georgia in 1848, with light-skinned Ellen disguised as a disabled white gentleman and William as her manservant, exploiting assumptions about race, class, and disability to hide in public on their journey to the North, where they became famous abolitionists while evading bounty hunters.” —The Pulitzer PrizesNamed one of...