Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading the 25th anniversary edition of A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 by Paul E. Johnson. The book looks at the connections between religion, politics, and economics during this period of time. The author gives a preface discussing what he thinks is right and wrong after 25 years of study and criticism. Yes, I am reading this book for fun. I have a myriad of interests, one of which is religious revivalism and utopian societies of the mid 19th century. What makes my enthusiasm for this topic even more interesting (at least to me) is that I happen to live in the "Burned-Over District". This area was a hotbed of religious revival and many religions actually began here (Spiritualism and Mormonism are just two).