When Wall Street Became the Capital of the World

Book Note: The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order by Adam Tooze by Jim Bratt. I was going to read Marilynne Robinson’s Lila over the semester break but I got waylaid by history instead. Of all the books on World War I published in its centennial year, it looked …

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Marilynne Robinson on Jonathan Edwards

by Jim Bratt. Lots of people are eagerly awaiting their copy of Marilynne Robinson’s new novel Lila. Me too, though realistically my schedule probably won’t let me get to it till Christmas. Meanwhile, I was intrigued to read Robinson’s essay, “Jonathan Edwards in a New Light,” in the November/December 2014 issue of Humanities: The Magazine of …

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Cover of the book Half Has Never Been Told by Edward Baptist

The Half Has Never Been Told

by Jim Bratt. From time to time I like to use this blog to air out some conversation, or combat, going on inside the guild of American historians. The arguments never stop, with the happy consequence that we members of the profession are kept in work. But sometimes things get tiresome. That’s the case with …

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African american men wearing colonial tricorn hats and playing west African drums.

On Pinkster and Pentecost

by Jim Bratt. On Pentecost Sunday we are always reminded of the ethnic and geographical diversity of that day when the Holy Spirit was poured out to begin the church. But this year I was struck as well by the historical references on the occasion. In that first sermon by the Apostle Peter, he alludes …

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World War I Novels and Memoirs (Part II)

by Jim Bratt. Part I of this feature considered three classic novels and memoirs about the front lines of World War I. This entry considers two more and examines women's experience of the war. World War I being a total war, it’s important to gauge home-front experiences as well. Two English novels for your consideration, …

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cover of All Quiet on the Western Front

World War I Novels and Memoirs (Part I)

by Jim Bratt. Following up on Bob Schoone-Jongen’s reflections about the outbreak of World War I, I thought I’d pass along mine on some classic memoirs and novels that came out of the war.The following doesn’t pretend to be a definitive list of greatest hits; more of what I’ve been sampling by way of book …

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