I found this book to be a really unique take on American history. Some characters readers may be familiar, some not. But, to consider history from the standpoint of charisma really makes us focus on people's individual stories and their personal abilities. It's a refreshing retreat from any kind of determinism that seems to often be the way to tell history.
I was really intrigued by Anne Hutchinson's story; I had known of her but never really took the time to understand nor contemplate the impact that she would have in society. Jackson's populism and outsider charisma was skillfully explored as well. I've read a lot about him, but not to the point that Worthen explores him.
She makes the case early on that persuasion is not charisma; it's an interesting point that made me linger and do some philosophizing about. At times she raises (even if tangentially) the question of constructing a charismatic mindset. It left me thinking, can we use these people's lives as a guide to be more compelling and captivating?

If you are looking for history focused on individuals, without psychobabble, Spellbound should be on your reading list. It's fun and intellectually engaging, and you might just be able to connect to it on a personal level in some fashion

First and foremost, I thank Convergent Books for providing me this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

I chose Spellbound by Molly Worthen for review because of my love for Christianity (I’m a Christian) and my growing interest in American history and politics in recent years. Spellbound traces the origins, rise, and dangerous influence of various forms of charisma America has seen till today. While much of this term’s notoriety is doubtlessly associated with Christian charisma, she argues that its scope is much broader, not confined to Christianity alone. Prophets, military leaders, agitators, experts, and spiritual/philosophical gurus can all possess charismatic qualities. Another thing is that the term ‘charisma’ isn’t what we commonly think it is; rather, it has a long history (dating back to the ancient Greeks) and profound and complex psychological meanings. It’s a power linking a leader with their followers that defies reason.

America, often described as a “city on a hill,” is a deeply religious nation, founded by Puritan Christians in the seventeenth century. Consequently, they treat God as the nation’s invisible sovereign, and Americans fear disobeying Him. Charismatic leaders invariably cause harm, making it vital to exercise vigil on newcomers. By intervening in time, it’s possible to prevent their rise proactively. This book aims to open Americans’ eyes to the dangers of blindly following such charlatans.

Spellbound provides a rich, well-researched history of the USA over the (nearly) last four centuries (1634–now), in which charismatic leaders have been culled out for detailed study. As I am a lover of American history, I enjoyed reading it. It’s a scholarly book on the subject and a protracted attack on charisma. The pics inside add to its appeal and the nearly 100-page long Notes section toward the end lends a degree of authority to it. The author’s narrative skills are excellent. These features taken together make the book stand out.

That said, the book does have shortcomings. The version I reviewed has language and other errors. I also wished the narratives had been more concise/compact in places.

Taking the praiseworthy points and the shortcomings together, I award the book a full 5 stars because the former far outweighs the latter.

I recommend it to all adult Americans eligible to vote, as well as to students and professionals in history, politics, political science, religion, and American studies.

Molly Worthen has created an incredibly researched text that documents the creation of our western Christian church through the lens of charismatic leaders (and in some cases, dissenters) throughout history. Worthen does this by starting with the Puritans and the Quakers and moving into modern day charismatic TV personalities and even some government and political names and organizations. I appreciate that the writing is fact-based with few opinion statements. There isn't some overarching argument to be made necessarily (other than cautioning people against seeking answers through leaders). This makes the text potentially appealing to those out of the church as well and those on all sides of the political spectrum, despite many leaders being clearly on one side or in one sect of the church. This scholarly text is accessible even to non-scholars. Whether you're interested in church history or general American history, you'll find something new here.

I do wish citations were created in-line rather than at the end in the Notes section. I reviewed the digital copy so perhaps this is unique to the digital version and may be different in print or may change by production time. I would also really enjoy having this as an audio book and I hope that is in the works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for the free, advanced copy to review.

This review will also be posted on Goodreads, StoryGraph, Instagram, and Facebook @SunnysideReadsLFL, and on Amazon.

This was a very interesting and informative book which gave the reader a glimpse into history and how society as a whole gets drawn under the spell of people's words and status.

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