William H. Carroll
The Revolution Against Christendom
Volume 5 of Mr. Carroll's 6-volume history of Christendom. What this volume does, mainly, is to create in the reader a strong appetite for further reading. Because there are so many stories intertwined, so many amazing characters and events taking palce, and the reading of the book is so fast and enjoyable that it cannot feed the reader's mind with all the information that he should want; which becomes a little aggravating too. Once you've become interested -and the author sure has a special knack for making the reader feel interested in the story he's about to read right from the first lines in every chapter- then you find yourself wanting more. But then the chapter is over, and you're off to another story and location.
A reason for this way of history-telling is indeed the subject matter, the role that Christendom played through the times and places where the action took place. Christendom is the real main character, always present in every page of the book, regardless of the author talking about Napoleon or Marat or whoever. Everything that happens in the book gravitates around the Church (Catholic Church in this case, since the author is a Catholic historian) and the Gospels. Failure to realize this will make the story a lot less comprehensible and enjoyable.
Therefore, it is not the history book to know all about the French Revolution or about Napoleon, but it sure does a good job introducing the reader who is a believer -regardless of his denomination, I honestly believe- to the big picture of events happening around the world, but especially around Europe, during the late part of the 18th century, and helping him to understand them in a Christian way. I recommend it without a doubt to young people in general.