The Stories of Hymns (EWTN Publishing)

The Stories of Hymns is a 300 page book that provides the history of "100 of Christianity's greatest hymns." Each chapter begins with the full text of the hymn. After that, there is a couple of pages giving context and history for the hymn, as well as some explanation of the hymn where necessary. Before I picked up this book, I admit that I went in a bit arrogant, thinking I would recognize 90% of these hymns. After all, I grew up Baptist, and they love to sing! And now that I am Catholic, I figured I had been exposed to most all Christian music. WRONG! In fact, I didn't recognize 90% of these hymns. This was very humbling, and I not only learned so much about the hymns that I knew, but I learned about so many other hymns. Before reading through this book, I used to flip through the hymnal and notice names and years, but not really thinking about it. After this book, I now see so much more. I know not only when these were hymns written but why they were written. If you are a lover of hymns or know someone who is, then this is a book that belongs in their life. I would definitely consider getting one for your music minister if they don't already have it, as it will be edifying for them and could lead them into an even deeper ministry, which will be good for them and the church they serve.

This book was provided to me for free by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for an honest review.