This enlightening book examines the physical objects found in elite Virginia households of the eighteenth century to discover what they can tell us about their owners’ lives and religious practices. Lauren F. Winner looks closely at punch bowls; needlework; mourning jewelry; baptismal gowns; biscuit molds; cookbooks; and many other items; illuminating the ways Anglicanism influenced daily activities and attitudes in colonial Virginia; particularly in the households of the gentry.
#1492898 in Books 2005-12-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .59 x 5.76l; .67 #File Name: 0300108532176 pages
Review
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful. Shocking documentBy cccpI've decided to read this book because I visited Vilnius (Lithuania) last month and there I visited the KGB museum. The museum is very impressive; but where it does show a lot of wrongs of the KGB (when the Soviets were in power in Lith.); it hardly mentions anything at all about the significant role local Lithuanians played in the Holocaust during WW II. I stumbled upon this title by surfing ; and then decided to order it. The 'Ponary Diary' is hard to digest realy. It is an almost casual diary of a Polish journalist who lived in the area of the infamous killing fields of Ponary. What I found so hard to digest; is the matter-of-fact style in which the entries are written. There is no emotion whatsoever; Sakowicz could have been describing the local cattle slaugther-house. But maybe it is a good thing he writes in such a distanced way; so the facts (the things he actually witnessed with his very own eyes) don't get blurred. I'm glad I read this book; but I would not want to read it again. It is that hard to take. (What bothered me also a bit; was the fact that nothing was written by way of an epilogue; of what happened to those sadistic Lithuanian and German mass-murderers. They remain nameless and faceless for the most part).1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Chilling and frighteningBy LoveHarryPotterI grew up with the Holocaust. I would wonder how people could let such things happen but came to realize how those who stood up were killed. Though this man could have done something to help those who were being killed; he made; at cost to his life; a record of what he saw and thus; what could have been considered a lie is truth. He detaches himself from what he saw and to protect his sanity. How would anyone believe such things happen.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. ExcellentBy Franks hereI've read many; probably too many; books on the holocaust.I've written more than a few papers on the subject.This book does stand out from the rest; not necessarily better than; but different than.It is an excellent book; and it should be required reading for anyone interested in how "average citizens" ( the Lithuanians) could become the lapdogs of the Nazi machine.Hatred is a powerful thing; and this book explains the banality of the power when an entire society succumbs to it.
