Book Review: 5 Cities That Ruled the World

Book Review: 5 Cities That Ruled the World: How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and New York Shaped Global History
By Douglas Wilson

Well, sadly, I have to admit that this book was not for me. I suppose I was expecting more of a social history or a socio-geographical history that linked the past great cities to today. And yes, there was some of that, but the book was heavy on the religious history which is not currently an area of interest for me.  If you are into ancient history and religious history, then you will find this to be a great, fascinating book.

Wilson covers Jerusalem (talk about a long history of fighting there–wow), Athens (city of ancient philosophers), Rome (amazing how much of current law originated there), London (literature), and New York (commerce). Personally, I found the history of London and New York to be the most interesting. Did you know London has burned at least 20 times in its history? Yikes. (Better buy fire insurance if you live there.) And New York is also a intriguing city that, indeed, seems to be currently the world’s center. I enjoyed Wilson’s perspectives and insights on New York. Although the city is relatively young (but older than I realized), it has become a center for the world. He also discusses how and why it became a target, and more.

In every nonfiction book there is usually a statement that makes me pause and look at things a little differently. In this book it was: “England’s greatest achievement–in terms of long-range impact–was the creation of the American colonies and the subsequent creation of the United States by losing those colonies.” Hmmm. What would today look like if England hadn’t lost the American colonies? Would it be the same anyway? Or would it be different? And if so, how? Maybe Montreal or Toronto would be the New York.