Book excerpt: Many Seventh-day Adventists are somewhat familiar with positions taken by Ellen G. White on such topics as recreation, education, health, reform, etc. Most Adventists are not familiar, however, with the historical context of her writings. Even biographies of Ellen White usually fail to describe the world in which she lived and of which she was a part. What was the usual diet of Americans when she gave counsel on that subject? What was the situation of public education? What was the town in which she grew up like? She made many cross-country train trips, beginning soon after the first transcontinental railroad. What was the rail travel like then? What was the situation of Blacks, when she wrote about the church's attitude toward the freedom? All these topics and more, including the economic situation in Australia during the nine years Ellen White spent there, are presented in this book. Each of 14 areas is handled by a scholar who has specialized in the field. - Contributors. Preface. 1. Ellen White's Hometown: Portland, Maine, 1827-1846. 2. Michigan and the Civil War. 3. Tension Between the Races. 4. Overland by Rail, 1869-1890. 5. The Rise of Urban- Industrial America. 6. When America Was "Christian". 7. The Sunday Law Movement. 8. The Crusade Against Alcohol. 9. Health and Health Care. 10.The Transformation of Education. 11. Amusing the Masses. 12. Literature for the Nation. 13. Ideas and Society. 14. The Australian 1890s. For Further Reading.