A Disease in the Public Mind

“Lincoln would have liked this brilliant book. It lights a path through history to his great goal: an America united by understanding and forgiveness.”

“A great deal of fine scholarship…Mr. Fleming more than
supports his arguments…Well-researched and well-written…[A] superbly
revisionist book.”

“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.”

“A thoughtful examination of the root cause of that costly
conflagration that interrupted the lives of the entire nation…Fleming’s
trademark as a 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.”

“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.”