God, Schools, and Country

Abstract:     
This article reviews Bruce J. Dierenfield's book The Battle over School Prayer: How Engel v. Vitale Changed America. Professor Dierenfield provides thoughtful insights into the often contentious mixture of religion and public education in the United States and puts the 1962 Supreme Court case of Engel v. Vitale in historical context. The book reads both like both a history text and a novel, and therein lies both its uniqueness and strength. The author provides his reader with an understanding not only about the law at issue, but about the people whose personalities and circumstances will largely affect the contours of that law.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 13

Keywords: Engel v. Vitale, Bruce J. Dierenfield

JEL Classification: K40, K49

Accepted Paper Series