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Title: Amazing Grace : The Story of America's Most Beloved Song by Steve Turner ISBN: 0060002182 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: 05 November, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5
Rating: 5
Summary: Grace Both Sacred And Secular
Comment: I sing and Amazing Grace is one of my favorite hymns. I'm also a nontheist. I'm pretty comfortable with those two seemingly incongruous facts, but I thought I'd read Steve Turner's book Amazing Grace to see if other folks like me had made it into the text. I'm also an Arlo Guthrie fan and I figured I'd do some fact checking on the version of John Newton's story Arlo tells when singing Amazing Grace in concert. Folks like me show up towards the end of the second part of the book and Turner indicates that Arlo is aware that his version is condensed and inaccurate.
The first part of Amazing Grace is the story of John Newton and how he came to write the words to what is now America's favorite hymn. I learned a lot of history, especially of the slave trade in the 1700's, while getting the non-Arlo, complicated version of Mr. Newton's life. The second part of the book follows the history of the hymn post-Newton. Turner has done his homework and I especially enjoyed learning about the history of the hymn in the 1800's, including how Amazing Grace picked up the tune we now sing it to.
I highly recommend Amazing Grace to fans of history, music, and, of course, the hymn Amazing Grace.
Rating: 5
Summary: lovely, comprehensive resource
Comment: I just led a church service about "Amazing Grace," and Steve Turner's book served as my main resource. I read it cover to cover during the process, and found it highly intelligent and interesting, with far too many "tidbits" that I wanted to include in the service and couldn't! I encourage the reading of this book AS a "pleasure read," not just as research material.
I particularly appreciated the section on contemporary versions of "Amazing Grace" and its impact on the secular community. As a Unitarian Universalist, I was greatly cheered to find one of our ministers quoted on the impact of the hymn on those who don't necessarily believe in a divine presence.
The discography of AG recordings included as an appendix was also hugely valuable, as I compiled a CD of recorded versions as a "party favor" for my (small) congregation. Turner's correct when he says it's a "select" discography, but he got most of the really good ones!
Rating: 5
Summary: a work of history that reads like a good mystery
Comment: I love Steve Turner books, and I love the song Amazing Grace. What a combination!...a work of history that reads like a good mystery novel! I couldn't put it down until I'd read it from cover to cover. This book has everything...a great redemption story, both for the man, Newton--and his song, which didn't really take off until someone put the perfect tune with it a hundred years later. Turner manages to present the context of Newton's theology in a scholarly way that will be informative, but not off-putting to those who are not into reformed theology. The secular life of the song is fascinating...to see how this song was popularized, and now touches millions. To me this song has what we wan't all music to have...something that touches our insides in a way we can't describe, but we know that it makes our lives more complete. And the biggest surprise of the book?...Newton became a slave-trader AFTER his conversion, and only opposed slavery much later in life. Considering how slowly America has repented of it's historic racism, there may be a lesson for us all as we see the sanctification that occurred over time in Newton's life.
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Title: White Christmas: The Story of an American Song by Jody Rosen ISBN: 0743218752 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 19 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title:The Very Best of Judy Collins ASIN: B00005MLVE Publisher: Rhino Records Pub. Date: 21 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $11.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $11.98 |
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Title:Amazing Grace: 5 Hymns That Changed the World ASIN: 1568554133 Publisher: Questar Inc. Pub. Date: 02 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $14.95 |
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Title: Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family and Their Legacy in American Music by Charles Hirshberg, Mark Zwonitzer ISBN: 0684857634 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: July, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: A Hard Day's Write, Revised Edition : The Stories Behind Every Beatles' Song by Steve Turner ISBN: 0062736981 Publisher: HarperCollins (paper) Pub. Date: October, 1999 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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