Amazing Grace

A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn

By: James Walvin

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

A fascinating journey through the history of one of the transatlantic world’s most popular hymns

Sung in moments of personal isolation or on state occasions watched by millions, “Amazing Grace” has become an unparalleled anthem for humankind. How did a simple Christian hymn, written in a remote English vicarage in 1772, come to hold such sway in all corners of the modern world? With this short, engaging cultural history, James Walvin offers an explanation.

The greatest paradox is that the author of “Amazing Grace,” John Newton, was a former Liverpool slave captain. Walvin follows the song across the Atlantic to track how it became part of the cause for abolition and galvanized decades of movements and trends in American history and popular culture. By the end of the twentieth century, “Amazing Grace” was performed in Soweto and Vanuatu, by political dissidents in China, and by Kikuyu women in Kenya. No other song has acquired such global resonance as “Amazing Grace.” Behold a compelling story of music and social change.

©2023 James Walvin (P)2023 Recorded Books

Amazing Misunderstanding

The author had very promising subject matter but doesn’t understand the basics of the Christian faith or American history and culture. The results in multiple errors of fact based on his own assumptions rather than research-based facts. In addition, this book is not well edited. The same material is repeated multiple times and irrelevant content is added, perhaps to add to the content to get it to book length. There were many times when we said “Here we go again. He already said that.” What a disappointment and waste of time!