Customer Reviews

Amazing Grace: The Inspirational Stories of William Wilberforce, John Newton, and Olaudah Equiano (Radio Theatre)

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This 5 CD set from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre is an outstanding audio drama that I recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the lives of these great men of faith. Wilberforce and Newton are currently more popular following the release of the movie Amazing Grace and these CDs give greater insight into their lives before and after their miraculous conversion to Christianity. The other gentleman included in this set is Olaudah Equiano. Another substantial character in the Amazing Grace movie, Equiano was a former slave who was able to purchase his freedom while in America and then returned to England to join the abolitionist movement along side Wilberforce and Newton. Equiano's book was a best-seller and he was tremendously influential in the cause of freedom for others less fortunate then he.

The production quality of the CD audio drama is first rate -- absolutely outstanding. I would recommend this set to everyone and it is entirely appropriate and entertaining enough for a younger listener as well -- probably a young middle school aged student around ten or eleven could follow the events and find the stories educational and entertaining.

When we picked this up I was thinking it would emphasize William Wilberforce but it actually contains three separate stories of three different men and their common passion to ban slavery from the British Empire (both in trade and practice). These are very well done and very powerful but can be graphic in their description of the horrid acts done to slaves and likely not for younger listeners. Still, I'd recommend it very highly for older listeners.

These three polished, visceral full-cast audio biographies present further details about the historical figures featured in the recent movie "Amazing Grace". Acting and production values are top notch, permitting one to painlessly learn about a little-discussed topic: the 18th century slave trade from the British point of view. I also gained a lot of respect for "Focus on the Family", the Christian production company that produced these dramas: the company could have played down Christian complicity in this truly evil business, but instead aimed a spotlight at the centuries-long willingness of obstensibly Christian men to allow, and actively profit from, the African slave trade. Two of the stories here revolve around men who eventually see that contradiction in themselves and start to do something about it, and the remaining story recounts the story of one particular slave and his efforts to attain freedom and prosperity. Though I usually am drawn to more secular fare when selecting audiobooks to listen to in the car, the stories featured in "Amazing Grace" absorbed me from first disc to last.

This collection about John Newton, Olaudah Equiano and William Wilberforce, while it may be fine for older croud of 17 years on up,... ***it is TOO GRAPHIC for anyone younger than seventeen. However, for the older croud, it is excellent and highly recomended!