€œFascinating . . . a lively and perceptive cultural history.€ €•Annette Gordon-Reed, The New Yorker
In this wide-ranging, brilliantly researched work, David S. Reynolds traces the factors that made Uncle Tom€s Cabin the most influential novel ever written by an American. Upon its 1852 publication, the novel€s vivid depiction of slavery polarized its American readership, ultimately widening the rift that led to the Civil War. Reynolds also charts the novel€s afterlife€•including its adaptation into plays, films, and consumer goods€•revealing its lasting impact on American entertainment, advertising, and race relations.15 illustrations
