Under God's Spell: Frontier Evangelists 1772-1915

Library Journal

Luchetti's collection of diary entries provides fascinating insights into 19th-century American frontier and small-town religious life. Catholic in her choice of texts, Luchetti includes the writing of a Roman Catholic nun, an Episcopal bishop, and an ex-slave who suffered the horrors of involuntary family separation before becoming an African Methodist clergyman. Also included are a number of important accounts that illustrate the difficulties missionaries faced because they lacked understanding of Native American culture. Vivified by photography deserving special commendation, this book would be a good supplementary text for a course in American religious history or an optional purchase for academic and large public libraries.-- Susan A. Stussy, St. Norbert Coll., De Pere, Wis.