The gripping and illuminative story of how five cities-Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York-shaped the course of global history.
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Aug 14, 2011
Jesse
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This was just jolly fun (fun comes from the Anglo-Saxon, enjoyable probably from Latin, which I know thanks to this book). It takes Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and New York and traces the impact that they've had (and are having) upon the world. I was actually quite surprised to find that London and New York (but especially London) were my favorite chapters. I'm typically an ancient history kind of guy, with the cynical and un-Chestertonian theory that anything not here now must have been
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Dec 31, 2009
Jason
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Five Cities That Rule The World is an enjoyable, enlightening and encouraging read, not for the technical-treatise-history lover, but for the non-technical-conversational-history learner. Wilson weaves a connection between the threads of five influential cities that leave us a well-worn legacy that continues to shape all of our lives. History is past. We weren’t there, yet we‘re here molded by those older ancestors of the world. The author serves as a guide as we journey the streaming river flow
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Nov 03, 2009
Debbie
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I received this book as a review copy from the publisher. "Five Cities That Ruled The World" spent about 40 pages per a culture giving a quick overview of thousands of years of history for the Jews, Greeks Romans, and British, and hundreds of years of history for America. Each section was topped off with a very brief summary of the lasting legacy of the corresponding city.
The few pages covering each city's legacy felt more like an afterthought than the focus of the book. Th More...
The few pages covering each city's legacy felt more like an afterthought than the focus of the book. Th More...
Sep 07, 2011
Sally
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An interesting historical look at five influential cities. Wilson says that "Jerusalem represents the soul set free. Athens established the ideal of free inquiry. Rome passed on to us liberty of movement, liberty under law. London was the place where the literary imagination was set free. And New York, with its commercial success, has shown us freedom to trade, and the subsequent freedom from want." He concludes by reminding the reader that because of Christ, God-with-us, the kingd
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Nov 17, 2009
Donna
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Do cities and their inhabitants have to conquer the world in order to rule it? No. "5 Cities that Ruled the World" establishes the powerful influence that Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York have had on history. Her we see examples of faith, the rule of law, democracy, literature, theater, commercial enterprise, and wealth that were new or different. While not always popular, and many times under attack, the people of these cities brought about change. Do they still rule the
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Oct 05, 2011
Carrie
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This book had tremendous amounts of promise, based on the premise. The trouble is, it only occasionally meandered across the premise.
It read much more as a history of the Christian religion than any of these five cities. While, for Jerusalem and Rome that might have made sense, it didn't for Athens, London, and New York.
London was a greater mess than all the rest -- it went PAGES without even mentioning the city, going through a haphazard history of England that focused o More...
It read much more as a history of the Christian religion than any of these five cities. While, for Jerusalem and Rome that might have made sense, it didn't for Athens, London, and New York.
London was a greater mess than all the rest -- it went PAGES without even mentioning the city, going through a haphazard history of England that focused o More...
Jul 15, 2010
Lynn
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I like it very much and find it very interesting. Fear the facts will go right away from me after I'm finished reading it but it is more than facts. This is a good book for discussion so people can assimilate the information more thoroughly. I finished this book and absolutely loved it. I especially loved the sections on London and New York. The book adds a lot of information that many books don't include. How the loss of the American colonies affected the development of London and Britain
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Jul 26, 2010
Joel
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This book is a history. It may seem trite to say so. Commonly, that term is watered down, taken to mean nothing more than an event which happened in the past. Wilson's main success in this book is his representation of the events of the past as narrative. As a result, all the drama, suspense, swashbuckling and folly of history gain special import, due especially to their context.
The overarching theme or context of Five Cities is that put forth by Scripture. Wilson is quick to point More...
The overarching theme or context of Five Cities is that put forth by Scripture. Wilson is quick to point More...
Jul 18, 2010
Mike
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I loved the idea of this book: the connection of the past to the present and the often hidden or unseen contributions of cultures to our own. Wilson's epilogue provided a good summary and connected the dots. I gave it only three stars because, quite frankly, I had a hard time reading it. My mind kept drifting from the text. Not sure if it was because I was tired or distracted or if the text didn't flow well enough to keep my attention. In any case, the book is worth reading.
Nov 27, 2009
Jean
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This isn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I was expecting more of a social history and a socio-geographical discussion of the five cities and how they shaped the world (there was some of that), but instead I got a lot of religious history which isn't up my interests alley.
If you like ancient history as well as religious history, this book is for you.
If you like ancient history as well as religious history, this book is for you.
Dec 04, 2009
Doug
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Interesting insights on English/Scottish history and their impact on the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Funny, how all the history classes in high school and college never mention this. I would recommend it to those who enjoy history and theology.
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Apr 28, 2010
Matthew
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Super interesting and historically fascinating. This books analyzes the character traits of Jerusalem, London, New York, Athens, and Rome and, along with them, the civilizations they spawned. I already knew many reasons why these cities were/are great, but as I got more into this I realized my knowledge level barely scratched the surface.
Jan 01, 2012
Alice
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This is more of a hodge-podge of thoughts about 5 very important cities. It's hard to see how Jerusalem and Athens "ruled the world," but their influences, like those of the other cities, with the exception of New York (not yet anyway), resound through history. The author has very interesting things to say about many things. However, it didn't hold together as a whole for me. The author does approach this from a religious point of view which would notlikely be offensive to anyone,
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Dec 27, 2009
Bill
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I love the concept. And love Doug Wilson. But while the book was a pretty good history of each city, i never felt i learned why each city ruled the world. This aspect of each city's role was relegated to the last page or two of the chapter. Hardly enough given the title and proposed scope of the book.
Apr 02, 2010
D.
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I really liked this book. I felt like Pastor Wilson had a lot of fun writing it, so I had fun reading it.
Dec 19, 2011
Z.C.
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This book chronicled the powers, personalities, and movements of five major cities in our history, namely, Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York. Whirlwind history, set as a story, rather than a dry collection of facts. Further, the author understands God's longterm story in history, and it is that teaches us to hope for the future.
Aug 15, 2011
Alex
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I don't know enough to evaluate history books, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And it makes me want to learn history. Some people reserve the five stars for brilliant works like Hamlet, but I'm not claiming that this book is brilliant. Rather, I'm giving it five stars because it is deeply entertaining and edifying. I loved it.
Nov 07, 2009
A. T.
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Very good. This is a whirlwind history through over two thousand years of history, but it is history as it should be taught; as a story, not as a dry assemblage of facts. There were a lot of things I did not know about places I thought I knew really well.
Aug 19, 2011
Rylan
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The first half was okay; the second half was really good. London was definitely the most interesting chapter.
Jul 02, 2010
Gwen
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Outstanding analysis and so easy to read. Wilson should write all the history books.
Dec 31, 2009
Jason
rated it:
Five Cities That Rule The World is an enjoyable, enlightening and encouraging read, not for the technical-treatise-history lover, but for the non-technical-conversational-history learner. Wilson weaves a connection between the threads of five influential cities that leave us a well-worn legacy that continues to shape all of our lives. History is past. We weren’t there, yet we‘re here molded by those older ancestors of the world. The author serves as a guide as we journey the streaming river flow
More...
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