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Biography & Autobiography. History. Religion & Spirituality. Nonfiction. HTML: Amazing Grace tells the story of the remarkable life of the British abolitionist William Wilberforce (1759-1833). This accessible biography chronicles Wilberforce's extraordinary role as a human rights activist, cultural reformer, and member of Parliament. At the center of this heroic life was a passionate twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade, a battle Wilberforce won in 1807, as well as efforts to abolish slavery itself in the British colonies, a victory achieved just three days before his death in 1833. Metaxas discovers in this unsung hero a man of whom it can truly be said: he changed the world. Before Wilberforce, few thought slavery was wrong. After Wilberforce, most societies in the world came to see it as a great moral wrong. To mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade, HarperSanFrancisco and Bristol Bay Productions have joined together to commemorate the life of William Wilberforce with the feature-length film Amazing Grace and this companion biography, which provides a fuller account of the amazing life of this great man than can be captured on film. This account of Wilberforce's life will help many become acquainted with an exceptional man who was a hero to Abraham Lincoln and an inspiration to the anti-slavery movement in America..… (more)
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Interestingly, it showed the importance of reading multiple overlapping histories in a single time period. I have recently read Rough Crossings by Simon Schama. They both have extensive treatments of the Thorntons and Macaulay in regards to Sierra Leone. While Metaxas comes off very sympathetic to these Clapham saints, Schama is less impressed. To be honest, Schama seems to lack an understanding of what this group was trying to achieve and reads it through the filter of later 20th century. However, he does bring up the issues of paternalism that was exhibited to a certain extent by members of the abolitionist movement that is largely ignored in the Metaxas bok.
This biography looks at Mr. Wilberforce's life and, in particular, his fight to end slavery. It is very well written, with many witty turns of
I had not heard of Mr. Wilberforce before reading this book and am surprised that his outstanding contribution to the world is not more widely taught in schools and more generally know. This book makes an important contribution.
This biography reminded me so much the recent Thomas Jefferson biography I read. Both were avid readers and intellectuals who did some incredible things in their lives. They lived life to the fullest, always wanting to do more and to help everyone that they could.
One striking thing about Wilberforce’s life was the constraint strain of sickness that hindered his actions. Instead of using his physical ailments as an excuse to do less, he powered through them, sometimes near death, and achieved more than most of us will in our entire lives.
It was also disturbing to hear how corrupt and England was during that time period. The slave trade was not the only deplorable things happening during that century. Prostitution was at an all-time high. The average age of the prostitutes was 16 and 25 % of unmarried women were prostitutes! One of the main forms of entertainment was called bull baiting. The breed of bulldogs was actually created as the perfect type of dog that could be trained to attack bulls until they would fight back.
BOTTOM LINE: A powerful biography about a man who gets very little recognition. Highly recommended along with the other Metaxas biography on Bonheoffer.
Pair with a viewing of the film version of the book Amazing Grace and The Madness of King George. I rarely recommend pairing a book with the movie version, but in this case I think the film makes Wilberforce a bit more emotionally accessible. The other film focuses on the disease which strikes the King during that time period. His medical case and the resulting political upheaval are mentioned multiple times in the book. It had a direct impact of the fight against slavery because the leadership was in question at the time.
My Thoughts: I learned so much that I didn't know about Wilberforce and the England of his times. It was a bit dry at times, but I'm glad I read it and I found Wilberforces' life inspiring--the way he did so much good with his life is certainly a worthy example to follow.
I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Metaxas speak when he introduced his new book (at the time), 7 Men. He is an engaging speaker - the kind of individual you would want to invite home for dinner and lively conversation. He has quite the sense of humor and electric wit! He autographed the two books I had - and they are my treasures!
Anxious to read Miracles by Metaxas and whatever else this storyteller has planned.
It is something new.
As with Bonhoeffer, I have come away from this book with another new spiritual hero in William Wilberforce. In him we find a man whose faith translated into action in a way that should move us all. In an era where it is easy to be cynical about politicians, Wilberforce shows us the power that a man of principle can have when he is willing to persevere through the slings and arrows. Eric Metaxas writing ability makes this an even greater joy. Highly recommended!