miguelf's review against another edition
2.0
It would seem reviews for this book are bound to be polarized: it’s in the love it or hate it mold. Put me in the latter category: the experience here was akin to reading a book written by a squirrel with its tail on fire writing about selected historical events over the past 2,500 years. Yes, the author starts from 500 BC and goes to the present in order to build a story about water being wet – that Christianity has had a significant effect on Western thought. This wasn’t the book I thought I was going to read, but hopefully one day I’ll be able to find a book that is a wide-ranging coherent criticism / explanation of how Christianity influenced history (with an emphasis on how it’s mostly been detrimental). Towards the end of this there are long-ish sections on both Tolkein’s LoTR and also the Beatles. Apparently ‘Hey Jude’ needs to be thrown on the pile: I felt second-hand embarrassment on the author’s behalf for having to wade through this particular example.
clare_the_reader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
nicholaspoe_'s review against another edition
4.0
Breathtaking in scope and thorough in telling, this book is what I hoped Sapiens was.
There were times near the beginning of the book where the author made a claim that I disagreed with but he didn't expound on it, so I'd check his sources. The sources did not at all back up what his claim was, which left me feeling like, in regards to that particular claim, his argument was wrong at worst and unsubstantiated at best. That made it a bit harder to trust him in the future when he made other such claims. But, overall, the thrust of his argument is well-reasoned and really hard to deny.
There were times near the beginning of the book where the author made a claim that I disagreed with but he didn't expound on it, so I'd check his sources. The sources did not at all back up what his claim was, which left me feeling like, in regards to that particular claim, his argument was wrong at worst and unsubstantiated at best. That made it a bit harder to trust him in the future when he made other such claims. But, overall, the thrust of his argument is well-reasoned and really hard to deny.
carolynf's review against another edition
2.0
I have read a lot of Christian theology and history for various classes, but I couldn't get into this book. The first chapter was about the theology of Greeks and Romans, to show Christian theology in contrast I suppose. The second chapter was the Hebrew Bible written as verifiable history, and the third chapter did the same with the Christian New Testament. This is a pet peeve of mine, when people based history on texts by religious adherents without including any corroboration by impartial sources. I tried to get into the fourth chapter, but it seemed more and more like the "Christian Revolution" was mostly a mental process. Flipping through the rest of the book, this is a very good history of how Christian thought changed and developed. In small scattered segments it makes its central argument, by talking about how even secular residents of Western Europe (which is what the author means by "the World") have had their impulses and rationalizations shaped by Christian culture.
jackramage's review against another edition
3.75
The history is good but there’s some conclusions in the final chapter I’d disagree with.
veveveve0's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A really thought provoking book. If you've read other books by Holland (particularly Millennium) there will be some events you've already read about, but this book is more about the spanning narrative, and if you've enjoyed his other books I'd definitely recommend this.
lachm99's review against another edition
4.0
This is really good, and definitely worth reading.
It’s so close to 5 stars, but I just found it a touch long and hard to slog through some bits.
It’s so close to 5 stars, but I just found it a touch long and hard to slog through some bits.
the_thursday_murderduck_club's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0