Our works complement each other, provide scaffolding, fill in missing pieces, and reinforce each other’s analysis and conclusions, often in remarkable ways. On the contrary, it feels as though we’re on the same side. But to be honest, once the books release it doesn’t feel like our work is in competition. I’ve been edged out at least twice by other authors who landed a coveted op-ed just before mine came across the editor’s desk, and presumably I’ve done the same to someone else. (At a certain point, after I told my publicist of yet another competing title about to release, he was reduced to an exasperated “goddammit another one?!”)
One after another, books began to appear that addressed various facets of white evangelical politics.
In trade publishing, this means competition. In scholarly circles, this makes for a dynamic field. Would Trump be impeached? Would white evangelicals continue to support Trump? Would a global pandemic decimate the nonfiction market? (OK, we didn’t actually see that last one coming.) What we did see was the appearance of a number of other new releases exploring related themes. As a historian who has until now been accustomed to writing about dead people, the stress of writing a book that ended in the present moment was new to me.
The months between finishing a manuscript and the book’s publication can be agonizing ones. Even limiting myself to new releases, the list of books that connects to themes raised in Jesus and John Wayne is long, and impressive.įirst, a bit of background. Having had the opportunity to speak to an array of audiences, I’ve been asked on a number of occasions to recommend further reading. Kudos to my editor for helping me out at critical junctures.
Reflecting on this list, I can’t help but think back to the challenges I faced in weaving together all of these themes into one coherent narrative spanning the last century of American evangelicalism.
0 kommentar(er)
