ROGER WILLIAMS AND THE CREATION OF THE AMERICAN SOUL Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty

For centuries Americans have struggled with the relationship between church and state and between a free individual and the state. These questions initially were raised by Roger Williams, who left England in a dispute over the place of the Anglican Church in English government and then was exiled from Massachusetts because of disagreements with Puritan leaders. This audiobook offers a thorough examination of the man and the people and forces that shaped him. Richard Poe offers a solid reading, with just enough of a conversational style to keep listeners engaged. While he pauses longer than he needs to at times, that's only a small flaw. Parts of the content itself, such as an examination of the English judicial system, are sometimes overly detailed, making listening tedious, but, overall, Barry and Poe provide an interesting history. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]