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“The masterful account of a utopian nineteenth-century
experiment in education—one that goes painfully awry. A splendidly nuanced,
wholly absorbing tale; patiently, brilliantly, John Demos coaxes unexpected
lessons from a singular collision of enlightenment and assimilation.”
— Stacy Schiff, New Yok Times bestselling author
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“Demos, a
consummate storyteller, has written a parable about the nature of the American
experiment itself: the hills and valleys of our dreams.”
— Jill Lepore, New York Times bestselling author
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“Absorbing…considerable
narrative skills are again on display…The men and women in his stories come alive
across the centuries…The book is peopled with a long cast of interesting
characters—preachers, professors, philanthropists, missionaries, tribal chiefs.”
— Wall Street Journal
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“Strange and
fascinating narrative history…Demos gracefully interweaves the two couples’
stories with the historical and intellectual context in which they took place,
raising key questions (especially, and devastatingly, ‘might not the heathen
prefer to remain as they were?’).”
— Boston Globe
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“Engrossing…Demos intersperses his historical narrative with
short personal essays of on-the-road reportage…The Heathen School is
a provocative addition to recent narrative histories that explore how racial
categories and attitudes have changed over time in America.”
— NPR
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“I consider John Demos a superbly
gifted scholar and writer…the appearance of this finely crafted, fascinating
book can be a reason for celebration…This book demonstrates the power of
historical narrative to illuminate ideas and issues that shaped the American
past…[The] larger historical lessons that John Demos provides make for
absorbing reading.”
— History Book Club
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“This brilliant work is highly
recommended for all who study American history.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
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“Demos manages a sly, significant feat in this
historical study/personal exploration…In ‘interludes’ alternating with his
historical narrative, Demos chronicles his visits to the places involved—e.g.,
Hawaii, Cornwall—in order to impart a personal commitment to this collective
American tragedy. A slow-building saga that delivers a powerful final wallop.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“Demos, a Yale historian and master of
micro-history, turns his attention here to a well-intentioned 1820s effort to
create a Connecticut school to Christianize ‘heathens’ (mostly Indians and
Hawaiians) and send them forth to missionize…Demos tells this tale with
scarcely hidden feeling. His research is characteristically prodigious, his
writing disarming, and his story captivating and of national resonance.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“Demos has done it again, finding macroscopic
meanings within a microscopic locale…The best of intentions have the worst of
consequences in this story, and the tragedies that almost inevitably ensue are
like tombstones telling the saddest story of all. In my judgment, no one knows
how to manage this material as well as Demos, disdaining moralistic judgments
and condescending appraisals in favor of an elegiac tone that makes us all
complicitous in ‘the tragedy.’”
— Joseph J. Ellis, author of Revolutionary Summer
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“Moving, engrossing…Embedding personal stories
in the long history of Anglo-Americans encounter with ‘others,’ Demos weaves a
compelling tale that invites us to reflect on the meaning of the nation’s
struggles towards equality.”
— Richard D. Brown, author of The Strength of a People
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“The global meets the local as rarely before…John Demos uses his powerful literary gifts and insight to animate the
experiences of people brought together by love, learning, and loss, across
dramatic cultural divides. Imaginative, compassionate, and exquisitely written,
this book will change your understanding of America’s founding project to make
a difference for the world—and to make our different peoples into a national
whole.”
— Maya Jasanoff, author of Liberty’s Exiles
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“Tom
Weiner brings professional polish, expressiveness, and intelligence to his
narration of this history…His voice is strong and likable, and he matches his tone to the sense of the
text well…It’s an admirably clear reading overall and
will ably serve anyone interested in this odd, and often sad, corner of
history.”
— AudioFile