Utopian Visionaries

Discusses efforts to create perfect societies by such individuals as: Ann Lee and Joseph Meacham and the Shakers, Christian Metz and the Amana Colonies, George Rapp and the Harmony Society, Robert Owen and New Harmony, George Ripley and Brook Farm, John Humphrey Noyes and Oneida, and Katherine Tingley and the Point Loma community.Discusses efforts to create perfect societies by such individuals as: Ann Lee and Joseph Meacham and the Shakers, Christian Metz and the Amana Colonies, George Rapp and the Harmony Society, Robert Owen and New Harmony, George Ripley and Brook Farm, and others

Gr 7-10-Utopian visionaries have attracted thousands of believers by means of their spiritual and intellectual energies, imagination, charm, and charisma. Unfortunately, none of these qualities is present in this collective biography of eight founders of utopian communities in America. Beginning with Ann Lee, Joseph Meacham, and the Shakers, Streissguth goes on to cover George Rapp's Harmony Society, Robert Owen's New Harmony, Christian Metz and the Amana Colonies, George Ripley's transcendental Brook Farm, John Humphrey Noyes's Oneida Community, Katherine Tingley's Theosophical Point Loma Community, and a final chapter on various modern communities. In dry, straightforward prose, Streissguth delineates the historical and religious precursors to the founding of each society and chronicles its rise and fall. Rather than attempting to analyze the elements common to these visionaries and their ideal worlds, the author concludes with a somewhat strained connection to the virtual worlds created by computer games and the Internet. Black-and-white photographs or reproductions illustrate almost every two-page spread. An appended section, "Utopians in Their Own Words," features excerpts from the writings of some of the aforementioned leaders. Students will find this volume informative but not inspiring.-Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.