This historical and sociological study of Buddhism in the U.S. from 1844 to 1912 provides insight not only into American Buddhism but also into American culture in the Victorian period and the interactions between new religious movements and the values and beliefs of the dominant culture. The book is academic but not obtuse, and it's relatively engaging.

Tweed explores in detail the ways in which European-American converts to and sympathizers with Buddhism in the Victorian period both dissented from the dominant culture and also consented to it, and he observes that to be successful, a new or transplanted religious movement needs to be different but not too different from the dominant culture. Tweed argues that Buddhist adherents and sympathizers shared a number of basic Victorian American values and beliefs that Buddhism, as it was then understood, seemed to contradict: theism; individualism (a label that Tweed actually uses for two distinct things: the belief in a substantial and immortal self and an emphasis on self-reliance); optimism (a belief in the basic goodness and inevitable progress of individuals and history); and activism (an emphasis on moral action to uplift individuals and reform societies). In contrast, Buddhism was seen as atheistic, nihilistic, pessimistic, and passive. Although some Americans attracted to Buddhism were able to reject theism and the belief in a substantial self, very few were able to relinquish their commitments to optimism and activism, and they rejected interpretations of Buddhism as pessimistic and passive. Tweed finds that two major sources of Buddhism's appeal during the Victorian period were the perception that Buddhism was more compatible than Christianity with science and the perception that Buddhism was more tolerant than Christianity and Victorian culture toward religious and cultural outsiders.

Tweed also provides an interesting typology of Euro-American Buddhist adherents and sympathizers in Victorian America: the "esoteric," "rationalist," and "romantic" types.

Enjoyable to read and up-to-date in scholarship, this is a collection of essays by leading American and Canadian authorities in the field of Religious Studies. Eight fascinating articles make the case for looking with fresh eyes at the classic anglocentric and Protestant orientation to studying religion in America. Of special interest are the essays by Roger Finke, Ann Braude, and Catherine Albanese. Sociologist Finke, also well known for his revealing book The Churching of America, 1776-1990, offers a supply-side market interpretation of the rise and decline of membership in American denominations, an approach which is much more fascinating, and persuasive, than it may sound. Ann Braude of Macalester College provides a much needed antidote to the practice of scholars who focus on the historical role of male religious leaders while ignoring the contributions of the female majority who constitute the backbone of religious institutions. She describes the different vision of religion which comes into focus when seen from the perspective of increasing participation by, and influence of, women rather than the declining involvement of men. Catherine Albanese, whose America: Religion and Religions, has been a staple of Religion in America courses for nearly two decades, is at her cogent best demonstrating that religion in America is not simply the result of the paternalistic influence of Protestantism on other faiths, but a reciprocal process of contact and change crossing many boundaries. This book is for the informed layperson as well as academics seeking to look with new eyes at an important subject.

"Asian Religions in America: A Documentary History" is an important contribution to the subfield of Asian Religions in America by two leading scholars. As the title suggests, the book is a superbly edited collection of primary sources that range from early missionary accounts in Burma through the civil war right up to author Amy Tan and the Beastie Boys. Moreover, the introductions and explanations by Tweed and Prothero clearly interpret the importance of these documents for the reader. These introductions both contextualize the selected writings and explain their significance. The final chapter, Mapping Legal Boundaries: Religion and State, also provides a glimpse at the future of Asian Religions in America. A must read for any scholar, or practicioner with a historical bend.