DWD's Reviews

I Expected So Much... Published by Alfred A. Knopf in July of 2012 I love Stephen L. Carter the essayist. He writes brilliant essays. He makes me think and I learn a lot. I have now determined that I just don't care much for Stephen L. Carter the novelist and I will stick to the essays. When I saw the topic of this book I was thrilled. Carter is a law professor so he knows all of the legal angles. I am an enthusiastic student of the Civil War so I was already very familiar with all of the politics, legal issues and personalities that would have been involved with an impeachment of Lincoln. The premise of the story is that Lincoln was not killed by John Wilkes Booth, although he was gravely injured. Vice President Andrew Johnson was killed and Secretary of State William Seward was injured so badly that he has not been seen publicly since the attempt on his life. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814-1869) plays a key role in this alternate history novel. In real li...

It just didn't work for me This wasn't a bad book - I finished it and I wanted to know what was going on, but... The book successfully creates a mood. It reminds me of one of those novels set in the Highland Moors in which creepy Lord Whatshisname gathers his family, friends and professional acquaintances to his manor as he lies dying. The sparks fly and secrets are revealed as the horrible weather howls outside. Jericho's Fall is not based on the Highlands, but on a lonely mountaintop mansion compound in Colorado. There is no English Lord, but instead we have a former Secretary of Defense/CIA Director. His daughters, his ex-lover and loads of professional contacts are in and out of the compound. Sparks do fly and secrets are revealed as freezing rain and snow fall. Well, I hate those kinds of books and this one had a few too many hidden agendas, double secret agents and super spy secret gadgets for my tastes. Too much posturing and too many mind games. It is r...

A thoughtful look at the poo-pooing of religion by secular American society I found The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religion while reading another book by Stephen L. Carter, one that I did not care for, Jericho's Fall . However, I am glad I read Jericho's Fall because I found this book listed on a page of the author's other works. Read the discussion boards on popular blogs, newspaper pages and any other site that attracts people from all walks of life and you will find a strong anti-religious bias. In fact, there is a rather insulting review of this book that does much the same on Amazon.com. Carter takes a look at this relatively new fact of American life - the secularization of everything and the expectation that religious people treat "God as a hobby" and the expectation of people not to use their religious beliefs as a framework for their lives. Fear of someone "imposing" one's religion on another rules...