The American Miracle by Michael Medved

The American Miracle by Michael Medved Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Crown Forum Released: October 25, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In The American Miracle, conservative radio host and best-selling author Michael Medved describes a stunning series of amazements in early American history that each suggest an "intelligent design"—a higher power that has steered crucial turns in our nation's story, and will again.

The American Miracle traces the grace that shaped twelve decisive moments in our history—from the desperate passengers of the Mayflower who were blown off course to the one spot in the region that gave them a fair chance for survival, to the casual discovery of three cigars wrapped in handwritten notes that assured Union victory in the Civil War. Sometimes Medved reveals the providential nature of well-known incidents, and at others he focuses on an unknown historical event that had long-term impact.


My Review:
The American Miracle described incidents in American history that where attributed to the divine hand in part due to how improbable they seemed. He looked at the period from the Pilgrims to the Civil War. At the beginning, he mostly focused on specific events. As the book went on, he focused people who had a series of "divine incidents" happen in their life. The book ends with Abraham Lincoln, and that section read more like a biography. The more biographical portions are on George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, Nicholas Trist, and Abraham Lincoln.

When describing an incident, he often quoted people who actually witnessed these events. I'd previously heard of many of these events. However, I did learn some interesting new details about those events and learned about some events I was unaware of. If you're not familiar with this theme, I think a person would find it very interesting and well-researched.

Incidentally, his point is not that we have the right to be arrogant or feel faultless because God has intervened in our history but rather that we should be grateful and are obligated to act more nobly because of it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.