Molly Worthen
Molly Worthen
Historian & Journalist
What happens when Americans lose faith in their religious institutions—and politicians fill the void? From the Puritans to Donald Trump, this sweeping history will change your understanding of the forces that create leaders and hold their followers captive.
In SPELLBOUND, historian Molly Worthen argues that we will understand our present moment if we learn the story of charisma in America. From the Puritans and Andrew Jackson to Black nationalists and Donald Trump, the saga of American charisma, Worthen argues, stars figures who possess a dangerous and alluring power to move crowds. They invite followers into a cosmic drama where hopes are fulfilled and grievances are put right—and these charismatic leaders insist that they alone plot the way.
“Elegant and insightful, Molly Worthen’s Spellbound is an important contribution to the urgent project of understanding America in our time. . . . A truly original study.”
—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of And There Was Light
Molly writes about religion, politics, and higher education for the New York Times and has also contributed to the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and other publications.
Charismatic churches are much more complex than the secular media caricatures.
To understand today’s culture wars, we need to rescue a familiar word from decades of confusion and cliché: charisma.
From Gregorian chants to CCM megahits, we need music that confronts us with the gospel’s strangeness.
Molly’s interviews about personal faith and her list of books and podcasts that might help other seekers, doubters, and skeptics.