Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This attractive book should win awards for its innovative design and layout even while raising eyebrows with its revisionist text. Mac and Tait, the Grammy and Dove Award-winning members of Christian band DC Talk, move from the tremendous success of their Jesus Freaks series to take a quickie tour of American history. It's certainly more nuanced than some other Christian interpretations of the nation's founding, as the Founders are allowed to have a few flaws. (Benjamin Franklin, for all his teachings on thrift and industry, was a slave-owning dandy, for example.) The authors don't stop with the Founders and Framers, but carry forward the American story in a greatest-hits manner while touching on freedom fighters (Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr.) and political leaders through the 20th century. But the historical merits of this book are shallow in the area of religion. In their determination to show the Christian foundations of the American nation, the authors strongly overstate the evangelical bona fides of their heroes. Thomas Jefferson appears all through the book, for example, but the authors never discuss his controversial reworking of the Bible with all of the miracles and supernatural elements excised. And Sojourner Truth is cast as a classic evangelical Christian with no mention of her forays into the Kingdom of Matthias cult or spiritualist séances. Still, the lasting appeal of this book is its stunning design, not its one-sided view of history. With jagged-cut pages, Old World backgrounds, "distressed" illustrations and bold sidebars, the book’s appearance is both arresting and ingenious.

Bookloons.com

"I literally could not put it down."

Faithful Reader.com

"A beautiful book. This one does what it set out to do- stir the hearts and spirits of contemporary Americans."

About the Author

Four-time Grammy Award winners TobyMac and Michael Tait, of dc Talk, are leaders in the pursuit of melding music with provocative questions of faith. They have received numerous awards, earned double-platinum albums, are strong-selling solo artists (together they have sold more than 7 million records), and have released five books in the Jesus Freaks line that have sold more than 1.5 million copies.

Paperback: 382 pages; Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2004); ISBN: 0764200089

Reviews

Very Powerful Book: This book is a set of short one to three page factual stories of historical events and people. Each one focuses on the positive and on God's place in these events. For example, one short story was about Daniel Webster and the talk he gave on Plymouth Rock. However, it emphasizes Daniel Webster's belief in God and the role God played in his life. The book brought home to me the high price that many people have paid for our freedoms. It also brought home to me again, the large part that God played in this Country from the beginning to now. These are short stories that do not focus on every aspect of each life or event they chose to include in this book. There are books that have been written about each person and each event that goes into greater detail. I will agree the authors overlooked some of the negative aspects of our history. The previous reviewer is correct. However, I do not think that is the point of this book. This book is a celebration of God and the role he has played in this country. I found this book to be very powerful. It was a strong reminder to me that I have much to be thankful for and much to appreciate in this country. This country has much that is worth protecting. It was a strong reminder to me that God is ever present in our lives and that He has a greater purpose in mind. Having said that, I did not find that this was a "God-- In your Face" type of book. Rather, through quotes from these historical people and events in history a great story is retold. Well worth every penny. Enjoy.

Triumph and Tragedy: America's Spiritual History

This is a very interesting book to read, as it is really a collection of short stories, historical events, quotes and documents that show America's Spiritual roots. Overall, this is a very good book. The depictions and stories leave no doubt to our roots, our past triumphs and tragedies. Easy to read in short bursts or in one sitting, it is well documented with pages of sources in the bibliography. Highly recommended for all who are proud of our nation, and desire to learn from our past mistakes, and ensure that we live up to our spiritual heritage as a people and as a nation.