I was spellbound by Molly Worthen’s SPELLBOUND: HOW CHARISMA SHAPED AMERICAN HISTORY. A professor at UNC Chapel Hill and an historian of American religion, Worthen manages to entertain and enlighten, all the while deeply researching her subject matter.

I chose to read this book in the hopes of understanding our current political situation but it provided a better service: more insight into the ebb and flow, the dynamics of the past which bring us to today. Early on, Worthen defines charisma as “a relationship between leader and follower. It reflects the human need to explain and control unseen forces, and the power of an all-encompassing, empowering story to make people do things for the storyteller.”

And stories abound in this book, all told with compelling sensory detail. This is “great man/woman” historiography. The author focuses through the lens of which leaders are most able to connect people with an identity and a purpose in the midst of the prevailing anxieties of their era.

Many of the figures I was familiar with, but Worthen provided additional enriching historical context. Some, like the fascinating Benjamin Lay, were entirely new to me. Worthen’s writing, so straightforward and descriptive, makes the material compelling. For instance, speaking of Lay, she writes “he and his wife, Sarah (who was also a dwarf, a hunchback and a gifted preacher)…” It certainly corroborates the ancient Roman Terence’s line, nothing human is foreign to me.

Nearly a third of the book contains end footnotes but the main text is unencumbered. There were times I could have argued with Worthen’s conclusions, especially in the concluding chapter, but that just added interest to the compelling read. If I could give this book Six Stars, I would.

With thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

However, I was hoping for more modern examples to connect the concepts to today’s world. While it’s a good read overall, it felt a bit too focused on historical references. Donald Trump was a great example, but I'm pretty sure that we have a lot of charismatic people around who can be appreciated and presented in that book.

I’d rate it 3.5/5—nice, but it could have been more relatable with up-to-date examples and not so focused and prolonged on historical aspects.

This is college-textbook worthy, with a deep dive into the idea of charisma from the puritans to Trump. There are so many little-known historical moments and players, but as history goes on, it becomes easier to pick out patterns, see repetitions, and understand how we got to where we are. There are so many aspects to charisma, from religion to politics and celebrity. I went into this expecting a lighter read, but it was very dense and nuanced, and definitely an investment of time and attention for anyone who is interested in a scholarly view of history. That said, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in how charisma has shaped America since the Puritans.

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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