Oscar C. Huerta

Breathtaking Scale, Cohesion and Vision of Asian History

Reviewed: 03-18-19

As a former Christian worker in Central Asia for nearly a decade after the fall of Soviet Communism, I astonished by how little I understood of Asian animus against the West. My heart was torn since, in the name of “democracy and free market economy”, Western nations have mistreated the East so cruelly since since well before the 19th century. I gained a new appreciation for the hurt and indignation felt by Asians from the Middle East to the Pacific Islands. Thank you, Pankaj, for your fluid prose and comprehensive reading of heroic thinkers, philosophers and activists from the East. The extremely concise Epilogue in particular is written with unusual clarity and circumspection of Asia’s need for a new unifying vision apart from Western materialistic and consumptive self-centeredness. Derek Perkins’s narration is nothing short of masterful, even pronouncing foreign words in more than a dozen diverse languages with precision and beauty.

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4 people found this helpful

Invaluable Gift to the Contemporary Church

Reviewed: 01-06-18

Thanks, Eric, for your labors: patient, faith-filled, sympathetic, relevant and contemporary, realistic portrayal of a flawed, but happy confidently-forgiven saint. Gave me a new appreciation for Luther’s place in Reformed history and the providential hand of God to orchestrate worldwide political affairs, ecclesiastical powers, the printing press’s advent, and the renaissance of humanism’s recovery of the ancient original languages of the Bible. I had wished Luther’s view on divine authority from the text and the “Bondage of the Will” (given his own tortured battle with meritorious good works) had been highlighted at the end. But I understand your desire to make Luther’s enduring effect more understandable to modern audiences. Yet Luther himself, as you have shown us, would not have been reluctant to speak these truths forthrightly since they are eternally relevant and valuable to those seeking their own restful peace in salvation’s assurance. Very grateful for your labors and those of your team (including your family!) mentioned in your Acknowledgements.

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Inestimable Contribution to Early American History

Reviewed: 10-14-17

Cannot overstate what a breathtaking scope and literary masterpiece this was to gather original source material from correspondence, journals, diaries, public documents, newspapers, books in multiple languages to craft a rich biographical rendering of a public man (Adams) and his dear wife Abigail that popular historical perception has largely unrecognized. What was especially valuable was Adams's and his family's extreme industry, charity of spirit, confidence in divine providence, and happy disposition despite countless disappointments and difficulties. The narrator, Nelson Ruger's ability to approximate without distraction voices in accents, gender, and original tone was a pleasure to listen to. Thank you, David McCullough, for your many labors, a gift for generations to come!

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Mesmerizing. Meticulously-researched. I wept.

Reviewed: 07-14-15

Surprising ending to a masterfully-crafted true story of a man who found final redemption and forgiveness for his shockingly cruel captors, suddenly appreciating how God had woven the mosaic of his entire life -- his record-shattering giftedness, his unending odyssey at sea and his POW barbarism -- ultimately to orchestrate final joy for the man, his family and all of us, his readers and spectators, many years later.

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