Review of The Search for God and Guinness A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World By Stephen Mansfield

9:19 PM

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595552693
ISBN-13: 978-1595552693

Description (Publisher Website)
The history of Guinness, one of the world’s most famous brands, reveals the noble heights and generosity of a great family and an innovative business.
It began in Ireland in the late 1700s. The water in Ireland, indeed throughout Europe, was famously undrinkable, and the gin and whiskey that took its place was devastating civil society. It was a disease ridden, starvation plagued, alcoholic age, and Christians like Arthur Guinness—as well as monks and even evangelical churches—brewed beer that provided a healthier alternative to the poisonous waters and liquors of the times. This is where the Guinness tale began. Now, 246 years and 150 countries later, Guinness is a global brand, one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The tale that unfolds during those two and a half centuries has power to thrill audiences today: the generational drama, business adventure, industrial and social reforms, deep-felt faith, and the beer itself.
Author Bio (Publisher Website)

Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and a popular speaker who is becoming one of the nation’s most respected voices on religion in American culture. He is author of The Faith of George W. Bush, The Faith of the American Soldier, Then Darkness Fled: The Liberating Wisdom of Booker T. Washington, and Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill, among other works of history and biography. In 2008, Mansfield wrote The Faith of Barack Obama, intended as an objective look at Obama’s religious life and the controversies that have surrounded it. The book reflects Mansfield’s ability to compassionately describe theological and political views that are not necessarily his own.
Founder of both The Mansfield Group, a research and communications firm, and Chartwell Literary Group, which creates and manages literary projects, Stephen is also in demand as a lecturer and inspirational speaker.

Review

I was intrigued by the title of this book. It's not often that you see God and Beer together like that, let alone from a Christian publisher like Thomas Nelson. I was also interested in it just from the historical angle.

Whether you drink beer or not, I think that you'll find this book very interesting. It covers the history of beer, as well as the history of the Guiness family. It's a timely look at a corporate model for how to treat employees and customers alike.

Bottom line is that I found this book to be very interesting on a lot of levels. I'm not sure that I agree with the idea that beer is a gift from God, but it's still an interesting read. Whether you're a Christian or not, or whether you're a beer drinker or not, you'll still find this book interesting.

I received a copy of this book for free from Thomas Nelson publishers as a member of their book review bloggers group.