This was one of the most thought-provoking books I've read in quite some time. Two things that I think the book does exceptionally well: 1) It broadens the definition of "secularism" in a way that makes many contemporary phenomena make a new kind of sense; 2) It explains Protestantism's culpability in that secular shift.

But. This book seems to take FOREVER to make those points. And once they've been made, it almost feels as if Gay proceeds to make them again! Honestly, this book felt about twice as a long as it actually is. Now, to be fair, a good part of that is probably the result of the amazing breadth and depth of Gay's background reading (I've lost count of how many titles ended up on my wishlist after reading Gay's summary/analysis of them), but, still and especially in the last third of the book, I found myself reading impatiently to "get to the point."

However, I would still call this book a "must-read" for anyone who is interested in understanding the state of contemporary culture; you will find no better analysis. ( )