Saturday, January 30, 2010

Five Cities That Ruled the World


Thomas Nelson Publishing

In picking out books from Thomas
Nelson Publishers to review, I saw
this one and loved its cover. In the
homeschool world, the author is
well know. Douglas Wilson's ( check
out his son N.D. Wilson's new
children's fiction) book is an excellent
historical overview of each city's legacy.
Here is in one reading why the cities are
loved. That love flows out into culture as
we think of " Sidewalks of New York"
or Shelley's "Ozymandius" ( which my
literature students memorize) or " London
Bridge is Falling Down." History is linear.
It is going somewhere. Wilson quotes David
Hegeman : " Culturative history is God's unfolding
purpose for man, in which mankind plays
a chief role in the development of the earth from
garden-paradise to the glorious city of God."

I would use this book as I have with
"How Should We Then Live" by Francis
Schaeffer for a worldview and historical
learning tool. I loved the maps and the cover.
That is important to me for a book to feel
good and have aesthetic qualities.
George Grant put this book on his
10 Best of Non-Fiction in 2009.
I would definitely recommend this to the
traveller: Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London,
and New York.


4 comments:

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

I'm intrigued...sounds like something I would enjoy reading, and learn from too.

podso said...

This sounds good. Each city has its own culture that's for sure (and probably a unique sin...would you not suggest our city's sin may be pride?) Can we borrow it?

Nancy Kelly said...

Nice review. I prefer them short and sweet! I finally signed up for booksneeze, too. We'll see how that goes...

Brenda Williams said...

Bonnie, I only found your blog a few days ago by linking from Beth's site. I was thrilled to have this link with your. Reading your entries is close to being in the chair across the room from you, but not nearly as nice as being able to enjoy the bouncing back and forth of ideas. I am anxious to find time to read back through your archives! You have intrigued me today with this book review. I will have to ask my school librarian to order it for us. Are you familiar with Chaim Potok's--Wanderings: History of the Jews? You probably know it...maybe even own it.I have only read through parts of it, but it is extremely rich in connections between the arts, world cultures, and Jewish history. I personally think it would make a great world history text. I will be checking in periodically. Love to examine your thinking!