{"product_id":"spellbound-how-charisma-shaped-american-history-from-the-puritans-to-donald-trump-9780593729007","title":"Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat happens when Americans lose faith in their religious institutions--and politicians fill the void? From the Puritans to Donald Trump, this sweeping history will change your understanding of the forces that create leaders and hold their followers captive. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Elegant and insightful, \u003ci\u003eSpellbound\u003c\/i\u003e is an important contribution to the urgent project of understanding America in our time.\"--Jon Meacham \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEveryone feels it. Cultural and political life in America has become unrecognizable and strange. Firebrands and would-be sages have taken the place of reasonable and responsible leaders. Nuanced debates have given way to the smug confidence of yard signs. How did we get here? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eSpellbound, \u003c\/i\u003e historian Molly Worthen argues that we will understand our present moment if we learn the story of charisma in America. From the Puritans and Andrew Jackson to Black nationalists and Donald Trump, the saga of American charisma, Worthen argues, stars figures who possess a dangerous and alluring power to move crowds. They invite followers into a cosmic drama where hopes are fulfilled and grievances are put right--and these charismatic leaders insist that they alone plot the way. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe story of charisma in America reveals that when traditional religious institutions fail to deliver on their promise of a meaningful life, people will get their spiritual needs met in a warped cultural and political landscape dominated by those who appear to have the power to bring order and meaning out of chaos. Charismatic leaders address spiritual needs, offering an alternate reality where people have knowledge, power, and heroic status, whether as divinely chosen instruments of God or those who will restore national glory. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrough Worthen's centuries-spanning historical research, \u003ci\u003eSpellbound\u003c\/i\u003e places a crucial religious lens on the cultural, economic, and political upheavals facing Americans today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Molly Worthen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Forum Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/27\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.71lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.46h x 6.45w x 1.23d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593729007","brand":"Ripon Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44151140810797,"sku":"9780593729007","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0681\/0501\/1245\/files\/img_20f477fa-c69a-4602-8d96-dbdf00c3f582.jpg?v=1757343356","url":"https:\/\/riponbookstore.com\/products\/spellbound-how-charisma-shaped-american-history-from-the-puritans-to-donald-trump-9780593729007","provider":"Ripon Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}