Kirkus Reviews, March 2013 [A] thesis-driven tour. Booklist, 4/1 The prolific Fleming, for decades a fixture among American historians, pinpoints public opinion as the proximate origin of the war...Making a plausible presentation of antebellum attitudes and illusions, Fleming is sure to spark lively discussion about the Civil War. Publishers Weekly, 3/18 [Fleming is] always a quirky, contrarian writer-historian. What Would the Founders Think?, 4/10/13 An interesting and readable book. In the course of Fleming's narrative he casts light on some little discussed related events. Roanoke Times, 4/26/13 A thoughtful examination of the root cause of that costly conflagration that interrupted the lives of the entire nation...Fleming's trademark as an historian is his ability to tell a story without interjecting his bias or his own opinions, unless they are supported by facts. In this book, Fleming continues that tradition of professional observation...Fleming's story about our 'disease in the public mind' is the very essence of good history. Library Journal, 5/1/13 Controversial. New York Journal of Books, 5/7/13 Do we really need another book about the Civil War? Mr. Fleming makes a solid, compelling case in the affirmative. His narrative weaves new threads through this seminal event in American history. Through his exposition of largely ignored events he affords us a clearer, much more succinct picture of antebellum America...Fleming's scholarship digs further into the prevailing Southern and Northern attitudes and mores of the period to draw into sharper relief the more widespread concerns, political and public, behind the Civil War...Certainly this book will provoke controversy of some manner, but we can ill afford to take as gospel truth what has typically been passed off as general history...A Disease in the Public Mind is not simply a thoughtful read, it is another call never to forget our sordid past, to face and conquer our fears. Wall Street Journal, 5/25/13 A great deal of fine scholarship...Mr. Fleming more than supports his arguments...Well-researched and well-written...[A] superbly revisionist book. American History, August 2013 Thoughtful and provocative...The prewar arc of divisive national self-destruction he describes looks eerily, unhappily familiar today. ForeWard, Summer 2013 Extremely captivating...Ties together disparate people and events in revealing ways...Fascinating and entertaining. Philadelphia Tribune, 5/23/13 Makes a convincing case that the polarization that divided the North and South and led to the Civil War began decades earlier than most historians are willing to admit...A Disease in the Public Mind is an attempt to offer understanding and forgiveness for both sides of a war the continues to challenge the country's founding principles of liberty and equality. Garden Grove Journal, 5/23/13 [Fleming's] research is excellent...This book presents an interesting perspective on the Civil War and its causes that is a clear departure from most of the literature on that subject. Bookviews, June 2013 Though it is early in the year, I am inclined to believe that one of the best new books about U.S. history will be Thomas Fleming's A Disease in the Public Mind...[It] provides an insight that few others about the Civil War have done...I heartily recommend reading this book to understand what led to the Civil War--a long process--and the failed compromises that could not deter it. InfoDad, 5/30/13 Thomas Fleming has done a genuine service in writing A Disease in the Public Mind...Consistently fascinating in the new dimensions it brings to historical figures whom readers may think they know but in fact understand only imperfectly...Americans who read A Disease in the Public Mind will see their country and what was, for many, its defining conflict, in a very different way from the typical one, and will understand that the book's title refers to an illness that neither the Civil War, nor the peace afterwards, nor the intervening century and a half, has completely cured. Milwaukee Shepherd-Express, 6/10/13 [Fleming's] fast-moving, erudite, yet accessible account will keep most readers turning the pages...Fleming adeptly shows the inexorable buildup of mutual hatred and paranoia between North and South, primarily over slavery. He illustrates potential turning points along the sad road to national catastrophe, the 'what ifs' that make history so interesting. Reference & Research Book News, June 2013 Written in plain language for general readers, the book describes the roles and personalities of key figures, some almost forgotten by posterity and others well known. WomanAroundTown.com, 6/2/13 One of the most engaging authors of our time...Fleming deftly explains the passions and polarization that led to the horrific conflict. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/16/13 Counterintuitive...One of those books where you wish you had the author in the room with you to defend and discuss his positions. Morristown Green, 6/27/13 If they had a Hall of Fame for historians, Thomas Fleming would be a shoo-in. The Weekly Standard, 7/22/13 It comes...as a welcome relief when a historian of the stature of Thomas Fleming takes it upon himself to set the record straight about the complex, irresistible causes of the Civil War...Well-researched and well-documented...[A] splendid story. Washington Times, 7/9/13 For a different take on the Civil War and for those of us with a contrarian mindset, Thomas Fleming is a delightful and provocative historian. PJmedia.com, 7/5/13 Thomas Fleming is known for his provocative, politically incorrect, and very accessible histories that challenge many of the cliches of current American history books. Fleming is a revisionist in the best conservative sense of the word. His challenges to accepted wisdom are not with an agenda, but with a relentless hunger for the truth and a passion to present the past as it really was, along with capturing the attitudes and culture of the times...A Disease in the Public Mind [is] perhaps his most provocative book yet. Politics & Patriotism (blog), 7/10/13 A Disease in the Public Mind is just what we need in this era of growing frustrations over government intrusion and fears of domestic and international terrorism...It is my sincere hope that thoughtful examinations of our past like this can help us avoid such extreme socio-political upheavals in the future. Bloomington Pantagraph, 7/30/13 [Fleming] digs deep into why there was a War Between the States, starting years before anyone picked up a gun at Fort Sumter . This isn't a book one would want to browse--it's detailed down to the smallest item--but scholars of the Civil War will find it very interesting and, perhaps, thought-provoking. TrulyArts.com, 7/31/13 A new take of the origins and background of the Civil War by one of the pre-eminent scholars and writers on the era...There are plenty of anecdotes in here to surprise you regardless of your stance or political leanings. The Waterline, 8/1/13 Fleming is a regular staple among those who wish to understand America's Revolutionary history...Those with a true passion for American history will enjoy this new book. Veterans Reporter, August 2013 This book is a breath of fresh air concerning the ever-growing library of work regarding the Civil War. PJmedia.com, 8/16/13 Fleming has brought us an intelligent yet accessible account of part of this country's early history. He posits compelling new reasons to add to the debate over the causes of the Civil War. America, October 2013 A highly recommended narrative history that is dominated by this provocative theme: the public mind of the United States, ever since the nation's colonial beginnings, has been infected by a damaging disease. Fleming, by diagnosing the causes, symptoms and spread of that disease, serves up controversial conclusions about why Americans fought the Civil War...Fleming's richly detailed and eminently readable account of events leading up to the Civil War is like a complex melodrama, populated by an intriguing assortment of heroes, villains, victims and plenty of surprises--some of which are very disturbing. Loaded with provocative insights, this book is a well-argued answer to that persistent question: Why did Americans fight the Civil War? Civil War Book Review, Fall 2013 A sweeping work...The author traces the rise of the slavery issue from the American Revolution through the Civil War in a number of fast-paced chapters which are generally quite well-executed in a literary sense, and are based on secondary sources that will be familiar to historians of the era. He provides brief but lively summaries of the evolving views on slavery of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
