Five Cities That Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson (Book Review)

Five Cities That Ruled The World by Douglas Wilson has been described as "the gripping and illuminative story of how five cities—Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York—shaped the course of global history."  As you might expect, the book is divided into five sections--one for each city--plus an epilogue.  Each section describes the history of a city, its present state, and its legacy.

I've come to appreciate the study of history over the past several years, and so I was eager to read this book.  Wilson's tone is conversational and subtly humorous; his worldview is decidedly Christian.  I thoroughly enjoyed the section on Jerusalem, especially the way that the author connects the historical events described in the Bible to other concurrent world events.  For example, in roughly the same timeframe as the Babylonian captivity ended, Socrates taught, and the Buddha and Confucius both lived and died.  These connections help me to see "the big picture" of history.  I liked the sections on Athens and Rome, but then struggled to finish the sections on London and New York.  Perhaps a reader who's more of a history buff than I am would enjoy this book more than I did.

For more information about Five Cities That Ruled the World, and to read an excerpt, visit the Thomas Nelson product page.

The book is available for purchase at Amazon.com, BooksChristian.com, BOOKSAMILLION.COM, and other book retailers.

I'm linking up to Book Review Party Wednesday!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book, at no cost to me, for review purposes.  Thanks to BookSneeze for the opportunity.  This post contains affiliate links.