from ashergabbay

This weekend I finally got around to reading How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill. This book, originally published in 1995, is the first in a series by Cahill called Hinges of History, books that examine "turning point" events in history. This book tells the story of how Irish monks...

from davidpwithun

Before reading this book I had heard from quite a few people that it was a great read. They were wrong; it was better than great! The description of St. Augustine and his later, unfortunate, influence on Western Christianity was spot on as was his juxtaposition of this influence with the (much mo...

from jchancel

I generally do not like to read nonfiction. I find that most nonfiction authors merely state facts. Cahill is different. Although some may argue that his enthusiasm and sarcasm detract from the academic quality of the book, I found that it made me pay more attention and learn more than I expected...

from wagner.sarah35

High marks for focusing on a little-known period of history - the time between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the High Middle Ages. I did feel that it took the author a while to get to his point - a lot of time was spend laying the groundwork for what Roman civilization was and what was...

from misskate

Very revealing on a personal level. I discovered a good deal of my "irishness" in the descriptions of the people. Made me rather proud of the tenacity of the monastaries in preserving early writings. That may be why I love books!