Shirley Brosius

Whether Henry Ward Beecher is the most famous man in America may be debatable, but he certainly appears to be one of the most ambivalent, a man who sometimes stood for what best served his purposes. However, The Most Famous Man in America offers far more than a glimpse into the life of this enigmatic preacher, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book offers a slice of history at a crucial time in America and tells tales of the movers and shakers in the days leading up to and following the Civil War.

Readers will learn that the Civil War was not just a simple matter of being for or against slavery. They’ll learn of the origins of political parties and of the evolution of the modern newspaper.

But back to Beecher. He was such a charismatic man that even his opponents seemed to love him and remain faithful. While the theology of his Calvinistic father was that of fire and brimstone, Beecher stressed God’s love and may have influenced more of our modern theology than we might credit him for doing.

Applegate has done a masterful job of organizing the complicated aspects of Beecher’s life and loves, inside and outside of marriage. Whether he was a scoundrel or a saint depends on who offered an opinion. It’s an intriguing read—for saints and sinners, for history buffs and for those of us who have forgotten much of what we learned about the cultural development of our nation. Well documented, the book boasts more than 50 pages of endnotes and includes an index.