Crashing into Public History with Aimee Semple McPherson

Abstract In this article, Matthew Avery Sutton reflects on his experiences as he unwittingly plunged into the world of public history. His book on controversial evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson was made into a documentary for PBS, and he served as the historical advisor for the project. He argues that despite many historians' skepticism about the genre of historical documentary, writers and filmmakers are essentially engaged in the same process—each tries to simplify complicated stories about the past to speak to their intended audiences. The differences between the two are of scope, not tactic. Turning the camera on himself, Sutton found that working with the public and the media made him a better communicator, a better writer, and a better historian.