Heretics and Heroes

Starred review from August 5, 2013
Between the late 15th century and the early 17th century, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door, Henry VIII declared himself England’s supreme ruler, and Michelangelo created several masterpieces that still attract millions of tourists to Italy each year. Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization) cheerfully explains the enduring value of the Renaissance and Reformation movements to 21st century Western principles, injecting humor and a conversational style into well-written and easily accessible chapters centering on controversial issues and mesmerizing personalities. The illuminating discussion covers key figures such as the inventive da Vinci and the good-natured Erasmus—while showing no affection for covetous and gluttonous Henry VIII—as well as the high cost of the spread of religious dissent across Europe. Well-chosen illustrations and discreetly placed asides clarify his arguments without overwhelming or speaking down to readers. In this remarkable fourth installment of his Hinges of History series, Cahill writes passionately about the era’s transformational art, the unexpected benefits of the Black Plague, and the intellectual struggles over secular and papal power, resulting in an entertaining yet thought-provoking examination of Western civilization. Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

Starred review from September 15, 2013
Cahill (A Saint on Death Row: The Story of Dominique Green, 2009, etc.) sets his delightfully analytic mind to the major transformations prompted by the Renaissance and Reformation. This sixth book of the author's wonderful Hinges of History series shows how events and a change in philosophical views can uproot and reconfigure entire civilizations. Cahill begins with a little-known insurrection of the Sicilians against the French in the 13th century. They annihilated the French and their fleet and thwarted an invasion of Constantinople, which halted an East/West reunification under a single pope, giving rise to nation-states and, ultimately, Protestantism. The coming of the black plague decimated the peasant population, investing them with the economic power to demand an end to the rich/poor gap and giving birth to the middle class. Cahill illustrates societal changes as reflected in the writings of Dante, Boccaccio and Erasmus, "the Jon Stewart of his day." Artists from Botticelli to da Vinci to Caravaggio bestowed their gifts upon us as iconic religious imagery was replaced by truer visions of flesh, warmth and perspective. Luther's first vernacular printing of the Bible not only gave everyone the chance to learn to read and think, but actually helped developed written language. The author makes it seem so simple to connect the dots, as the 14th through 16th centuries witnessed changes to every facet and walk of life--from the expulsion of the Moors in Spain to the emergence of nations and massive religious upheaval. The breadth of Cahill's knowledge and his jocular style of writing make for a remarkable book.

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October 1, 2013
From Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (2003) to his recent book on the flowering of the High Middle Ages, Cahill has proven that he can bring even the most obscure epochs back to life. In this sixth of seven projected volumes in his Hinges of History series, Cahill arrives at his most turbulent era yet: the Reformation and Renaissance. Replete with a larger-than-life cast of explorers, innovators, imperialists, and reformers, the era seems built for Cahill's masterful storytelling. Although it is rigorously researched, the book abounds in the serendipities that make for the best fiction: Columbus discovers the New World by accident and Gutenberg modifies a winepress to print books. Even the tragic fall of Constantinople and the horrors of the bubonic plague yield unexpected opportunities. The text is delightfully sprinkled with clever notes and asides as well as dozens of illustrative images and poems. Heretics and Heroes is proof that truth is stranger than fictionand that it can be just as entertaining.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

May 15, 2013

Still hungry after reading Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve? Just can't get enough of those crazy Borgias? In this sixth in his wildly popular "Hinges of History" series, Cahill covers the startling artistic and scientific advances, power struggles and religious schism, and exploration and emerging individualism that defined the late 14th to early 17th centuries.

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