Noyes and his acolytes are fortunate that Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to "the gods of Science and Doubt" is a welcome change from most "as told by" family histories. A fall from grace due to the clash of egos and cultural sea changes may seem unremarkable, but the devil is in the detailed telling of Oneida's ultimate metamorphosis, which uncovers how unconventional "electric sex" eventually turned into the profitable enterprise of selling tableware.

"A lively and often entertaining account.... In Wayland-Smith’s extended chronicle, we see utopia as it sails through the world, assaulted on all sides by the forces of assimilation and greed."—The New Yorker

"Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to 'the gods of Science and Doubt' is a welcome change from most 'as told by' family histories."—The New York Times Book Review

“Remarkable… a detailed, riveting account.”—The Guardian

"Lively...[Wayland-Smith's] nuanced and empathetic book vividly captures the spirit of a brief historical moment."—The Boston Globe

"[A] fascinating, beautifully-told history."—The New Republic

“An incredible story.”—WBUR’s Here and Now

“An intimate, quirky family portrait.”—The Nation

"A gimlet-eyed book about Wayland-Smith's family history."—Gawker

"Drawing from letters, diaries, newsletters, and family stories, the author, an original-family descendant, adds inside information to this retelling of a radical movement’s transformation in the shifting current of American ideals. The narrative is engaging and detailed. This is a must-read for those interested in American social history, and should have broad appeal."—Booklist (starred review)

“[An] impressively thorough and engaging work…. This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a ‘free love utopia’ and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“The spotlight Wayland-Smith shines on this remarkable community's beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of ‘the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation….between communal harmony and individual striving.’”—Kirkus Reviews

"This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

★ 05/01/2016
In the early 19th century, an odd, socially awkward, and unlikely leader named John Humphrey Noyes (1811–86), similar to other self-proclaimed ministers of the Second Great Awakening, claimed to have exclusive knowledge about Jesus's millennial kingdom. Noyes believed in the perfectibility of human nature and built an intricate revolutionary community of free love and equality. The Oneidans grew to fairly modest but self-sustaining numbers and eventually built businesses to support their way of life. One of these enterprises included flatware. After the Oneidans disbanded in 1880, they converted to a joint-stock company and Oneida Community Limited (now known as Oneida Limited) would become one of the most well-respected brands of silverware for middle-class American families. Author Wayland-Smith is a descendant of Noyes and teaches writing at the University of Southern California. VERDICT This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a "free love utopia" and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry.—Erin Entrada Kelly, Philadelphia

Narrator Khristine Hvam finds drama in the many branches of the Oneida Community's family tree. Oneida, one of the most famous mass-marketed silverware brands today, had its roots in a free-love religious group. Parts of the story of the communal living experiment begun by John Humphrey Noyes are lost. Descendants long ago burned the book that chronicled them. But there's still some of the story left for descendant Ellen Wayland-Smith to tell. Hvam often gives Wayland-Smith's account an admiring tone, even as she hints of fire and brimstone in the religious aspects. Wayland-Smith touches on sexual topics and the relationship between eugenics and birth control, so listeners may find her family's history discomforting. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

2016-03-31
A study of the unlikely origins of one of America's most recognizable brands.For many, little bears the white, middle-class stamp of approval of monogamy more than the timeless wedding gift of silver. But Wayland-Smith (Writing/Univ. of Southern California), great-granddaughter of the former vice president and treasurer of Oneida Limited, unearths the eyebrow-raising history of the rural New York free love-espousing community that spawned one of this country's top silverware makers. Founded in 1848 by John Humphrey Noyes, the Oneida Community brought together a tightknit group of Christian religious dissenters who, for 30 years, pooled their assets and lived as one in a "commune-cum-capitalist powerhouse." Wayland-Smith carefully details the rich biography of Noyes, the fascinating sex-obsessed theologian who had his minister's license from Yale Divinity revoked after he began subscribing to Perfectionism, the belief that a sinner could "not only reform himself by making the right moral choices but also be made ‘perfect'—free from sin—simply by accepting God's grace." Finding the traditional definition of Christian marriage too confining, Noyes proceeded to fashion his doctrine to practice eugenics and allow for—indeed to celebrate—completely open relationships, which had the somewhat unintended effect of dissolving (for a time) the strictures of traditional 19th-century gender roles for women. Oneida women were able to undertake the same jobs as their male counterparts and encouraged to shun the restrictive, corseted stays of Victorian dress for more practical attire. The narrative is occasionally dry, but the author offers as in-depth an account as possible of Oneida origins, given that, in 1947, unknown persons burned the community's historical records in an attempt to purge the by-then well-respected industrial giant of its racy past. The spotlight she shines on this remarkable community's beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of "the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation...between communal harmony and individual striving."