Review 374: The Trouble with Tom

The Trouble with Tom: The Strange Afterlife and Times of Thomas Paine by Paul Collins
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars



Not really a biography of Thomas Paine as the author follows where Paine's bones have appeared in the years after his death. Along the way we meet all sorts of people that are associated, and brief biographies of m0st. We have moments of modern times and compare the current state of that place with what it was like in the past, when Paine was there, or some of his bones.

One person discussed the most is Moncure D. Conway, a minister who published Paine's works. We also encounter Margret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain and some phrenologists.

Wasn't exactly what I expected from the book, but I'm not unhappy I read it.
Listened to the audiobook.