This extraordinary retelling of American political history shows thatdespite the clear separation of church and statereligion lies at the heart of American politics. "This is American history the way I like it, prodigiously researched and vivaciously told. Mr. Morone has a knack for peeling off veneers, for locating the surprising fact, for adopting the unexpected and illuminating slant. He is a rarity, a scholar who is never boring."Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofThe Soul of a New Machine "Hellfire Nation [places] much of our public life in its proper soul-searching contextand its careful anatomy of the hand-in-glove relations between the American state and the American faithful is both welcome and illuminating."Chris Lehmann,Washington Post Book World