Skip to Main Content

Under God

Religion and American Politics

About The Book

In Under God, Garry Wills, one of our liveliest and most eminent political observers, moves through the tapestry of American history, illuminating the instances where American politics and American religion have collided.

Beginning with the 1988 presidential contest, an election that included two ministers and a senator accused of sin, Wills surveys our history to show the continuity of present controversies with past religious struggles and argues that the secular standards of the Founding Fathers have been misunderstood. He shows that despite reactionary fire-breathers and fanatics, religion has often been a progressive force in American politics and explains why the policy of a separate church and state has, ironically, made the position of the church stronger.

Marked by the extraordinary quality of observation that has defined the work of Garry Wills, Under God is a rich, original look at why religion and politics will never be separate in the United States.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Garry Wills is the author of 21 books, including the bestseller Lincoln at Gettysburg (winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award), John Wayne's America, Certain Trumpets, Under God, and Necessary Evil. A frequent contributor to many national publications, including the New York Times Magazine and the New York Review of Books, he is also an adjunct professor of history at Northwestern University and lives in Evanston, Illinois.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 25, 2007)
  • Length: 448 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781416543350

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

"Easily the most engrossing and informative -- and far and away the best written -- book on American politics in many, many moons."

-- Booklist

"Abounds in complexities and ironies."

-- Time

"A brilliant examination of the connection between religion and politics in American life."

-- The Milwaukee Journal

"A devastating analysis."

-- The Washington Post

"Intellectual journalism of the highest order."

-- San Francisco Chronicle

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Garry Wills