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Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty Audiobook
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(4.02) - 217 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author John M. Barry has penned numerous works on a variety of historical subjects. Here Barry explores the development of the fundamental ideas of church and state through the story of Roger Williams. The first to link religious freedom to individual liberty, Williams helped shape the balance of religion and politics seen in America today.
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"I wish I could give this book a higher review. It is a story that all American and other lovers of religious liberty should know. The struggles that Williams went through personally to define and defend religious liberty were profoundly affecting and greatly increased my opinion of Williams. Reading this book was a struggle though. Unlike his other books I have read, Barry has difficulty telling this story. The writing was dense and the use of extended quotations with original sixteenth-century spelling made for a difficult read."
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“John Barry’s Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul establishes Williams as a brave thinker and also a deft political actor…Mr. Barry puts Williams squarely among our great political thinkers, crediting him with bringing liberal democracy to the American colonies.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Barry now turns his meticulous hand to the origins of two fundamental and perpetual American fixations: the conflict between church and state and that between the power of the state and the conscience of the citizen…As Barry shows well and often prophetically, the national soul formed out of that drama remains a troubled, and occasionally tortured, one.”
— Washington Post -
“Absorbing.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“A gifted author.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A top-notch intellectual biography.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for History
Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul Listener Reviews
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" Required reading for even the most casual student of US history and culture "
— Crystal, 1/17/2014 -
" Gives a strong sense of what a profound effect the revolutionary thoughts of some of our forefathers had in creating the United States of America. "
— Banholzerc, 1/9/2014 -
" I think it should be required reading in all high school history classes!! "
— Gloria-jean, 1/6/2014 -
" I loved what I learned from this book. Roger Williams was I guy I'd always heard of but knew little about. The book spent a bit too much time on the details of his trials (real trials). It didn't read like a novel but I'm sure glad I read it. "
— Lorin, 12/24/2013 -
" I liked the start... then it was just too deep. Does make me want to re-read about American History. "
— Frances, 11/28/2013 -
" The author is a college classmate of mine from Brown University in Providence, RI., and I grew up in the Boston area. Thus, both author and subject were of interest to me. Very well written story of one of the more overlooked Founding Fathers. "
— Joseph, 10/28/2013 -
" Really excellent. Not much of a non-fiction person, let alone historical non-fiction but I really enjoyed this. Will totally open your eyes to how this all started...this being America "
— Amanda, 9/29/2013 -
" This book is not an easy read, but it is fascinating and sheds light on the earliest English colonists and what kind of society they wanted to make. The parallels with the debate over separation of church and state going on in the 21st Century with those of the 17th Century are fascinating. "
— Marcia, 8/3/2013 -
" The book greatly enhanced my understanding of the founding of the New England colonies and Williams' great contribution to America's concept of freedom of religious conscience. "
— Ted, 4/2/2013 -
" A good biography of Roger Williams who was much more than just the founder of Rhode Island. "
— Bob, 4/12/2012 -
" Fantastic. Barry clearly demonstrates that the souls of all countries are inextricably linked. Every Rhode Islander should read this book. "
— Jay, 3/8/2012 -
" An excellent history of a key figure in American history, one who deserves more attention. I especially recommend this to anyone who believes Christianity should hold some exalted position in U.S. government, or that David Barton makes sense in any way. "
— Steve, 1/26/2012
About John M. Barry
John M. Barry is a prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author whose books have won several dozen awards. In 2005 the National Academies of Science named The Great Influenza as the year’s outstanding book on science or medicine. His other books have won the Francis Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians and have been named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He has had considerable influence on both pandemic policy and flood protection. Both the Bush and Obama administrations sought his advice on influenza preparedness and response, and he was a member of the original team which developed plans for non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate a pandemic. The National Academies of Science asked him to give the keynote speech at its first international scientific meeting on pandemic influenza, and he was the only non-scientist on a federal government Infectious Disease Board of Experts.
About Richard Poe
Richard Poe, a professional actor for more than thirty years, has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including 1776 and M. Butterfly. On television he has had recurring roles on Star Trek and Frasier. His films include Born on the Fourth of July and Presumed Innocent. Poe is a well-known and prolific audiobook performer and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.