A Religious History of the American GI in World War II by G. Kurt Piehler (review)

Abstract

“evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics” in 2016 was partly due to vestiges of the “visible and powerful . . . conservative religious reaction” to President Kennedy, even though Kennedy’s education, Peace Corps, and foreign policy efforts had heartened many evangelical Protestants (183–184). Polling would reveal that Catholic support for Kennedy grew during his administration. And while more Catholic voters chose Trump than picked his opponent in 2016, more Catholics had selected liberal Democrats Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Jimmy Carter (once), Bill Clinton (twice), Al Gore, and Barack Obama (twice) than had opted for their rivals. This is a good book, a valuable addition to the historiography on John F. Kennedy’s faith and presidency. It would complement other studies of the intersection between religion, politics, and the presidents in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. But it could have been even better—if only the author had heard more footsteps.