The Allure of Immortality - by Lyn Millner (Paperback)

About the Book

Was Cyrus Teed a visionary or villain, savior or two-bit charlatan? In The Allure of Immortality, Lyn Millner weaves the many bizarre strands of Teed's life and those of his followers, the Koreshans, into a riveting story of angels, conmen, angry husbands, yellow journalism, and ultimately, hope.

Book Synopsis

Was Cyrus Teed a visionary or villain, savior or two-bit charlatan? In The Allure of Immortality, Lyn Millner weaves the many bizarre strands of Teed's life and those of his followers, the Koreshans, into a riveting story of angels, conmen, angry husbands, yellow journalism, and ultimately, hope.

Review Quotes

"Relates the headshaking tale of how [Cyrus] Teed converted two hundred seekers into celibate Koreshans and led them from Chicago to a Southwest Florida promised land, based on a religion-science . . . and the irresistible idea that the entire universe was contained in a hollow earth."--Foreword Reviews "What Lyn Millner does in her outstanding new book . . . is meticulously winnow truth from myth as she fleshes out the characters who were the Koreshans. . . . The result is an account that's as exhaustive as it is interesting. Millner approaches her subject with an appealingly contemporary voice and sensibilities."--Fort Myers News-Press "Millner's writing is historical journalism at its finest. . . . The Allure of Immortality interweaves the stories of Teed, his followers, the press, turn of the century society, and the harsh and beautiful landscape of southwest Florida."--Florida Book Review "Riveting. . . . At once fascinating biography and contextualizing cultural history, [Lyn] Millner's study puts the Koreshan movement squarely in the company of many other friendly and rival organizations."--Florida Weekly "The story is fantastic enough to captivate anyone."--Gulfshore Life

About the Author

Lyn Millner is associate professor of journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University. She has written and produced stories for NPR s "Morning Edition," "USA Today," the "Miami Herald," "Oxford American," and others.
"