Book Review

So, I have been reading Five Cities That Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson. I was really anticipating this book because I am a history teacher and I have heard positive things about Douglas Wilson's books. But, this was a difficult book to read. The premise made me really excited. A look at 5 cities that have played an enormous role in the world both in its history and the world today. Jerusalem, Rome, Athens, London, and New York are all fascinating cities at how they have been founded and their role in world history. I was immediately drawn into the book as it begins with Jerusalem and the way the city was founded. It was neat to me as a Christian to see the Jewish, Christian and Muslim founding of the city. This city is the birthplace of three of the world's religions and its history was fascinating. Rome and Athens were interesting as well, but after that the book became difficult and dry to read. This is a book that I fear only historians and people with a deep love of history will find interesting. While the initial reading was interesting and held my attention, as the book moved further in, to me it read like a history textbook and not something that I would find as pleasure reading. The premise of the book is good, take 5 cities and show how they have ruled the world. However, in the execution, the story got dragged down and seemed like a chore to read. I learned several things that I did not know, but overall this book was a chore to read. I really do not recommend this book to anyone except those with a deep love of history or a professor of history.