Amazing Grace
The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
by Bruce Hindmarsh; Craig Broilers
Pub Date07 Mar 2023 | Archive Date 01 Jun 2023
Thomas Nelson--W Publishing/Thomas Nelson
Biographies & Memoirs| Christian| History



I am reviewing Amazing Grace through Thomas Nelson and Netgalley:


The story of Amazing Grace comes from years of research into the life and works of John Newton. It tells the story of a lost son who returns home, and a young love that blossoms against the odds; it tells the story of a young man who is torn by grief and wounded by cruelty, ultimately descending into slavery. He rejects God repeatedly, but God's mercy ultimately rescues him as he faces his past and repents.


The story of Newton is shocking, and Amazing Grace does not airbrush or excuse his mistakes. While hundreds of slaves lay in chains in the hold below, a ship's captain retreats to his cabin to read Bible and write love letters to his wife while he studies his Bible.


Newton’s story is shocking, and *Amazing Grace* does not try to airbrush or excuse his faults. There are extreme contradictions in the life of a ship’s Captain who retreats to his cabin to study his Bible and write sweet love letters to his wife while hundreds of slaves lie in chains in the hold below.


"Amazing Grace" has moved generations since its first public performance nearly 250 years ago, and now readers can connect with John Newton's story like never before. We need grace more than ever in these days of extreme polarization when race, church, and politics are deeply divisive in society. Oftentimes, we don't hear stories like this one about the human condition, but rather about God's forgiveness and his relentless love.


I give Amazing Grace five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I learned so much about John Newton's life and what led him to write the hymn "Amazing Grace". This was also an eye opening account of the slave trade and how far reaching it was. I enjoyed this honest biography, but it was a difficult book to read at times due to the subject matter. It is still a very worthwhile read.

The history behind the well known hymn Amazing Grace is an interesting one. i. John Newton’s life is about human redemption and transformation. It shows how God can use any life for his purpose. This novel provides an eye opening glimpse at the slave trade. And it also shows that grace is a free gift given. However, spiritual growth is a longer process. Newton continued the slave trade for a few years after his conversion to Christianity. Amazing Grace by Bruce Hindmarsh kept true to history with an honest look at John Newton’s life. Those who enjoy historical fiction will appreciate this novel. I received a free copy from Netgalley with no obligations other than an honest opinion.

“‘My memory is nearly gone. But I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.’”


This is the year (2023) that we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first singing of the hymn, Amazing Grace, by John Newton.

“The hymn has endured through two-and-a-half centuries and become today a powerful symbol for many people of hope in the midst of tragedy.”

This may be one of the most well-known songs in the country, but the story behind it— not so much. I grew up in the church and I had heard of John Newton, of course, but it was the post-repentant John Newton. The song’s message is even more powerful when you read of everything that came before it.

You’ll find Hindmarsh and Borlase’s book, Amazing Grace, to be enlightening, angering, and encouraging. It will challenge and convict but bring you to a place of hope and freedom.

Be warned: this is not an easy book to read. John Newton was an active participant in the slave trade from an early age. Not only was my knowledge of Newton expanded, but my knowledge of the slave trade was as well. It’s very hard to read about the dehumanization of the African people and the things that were done to them, the conditions and the abuse they endured.

“I was blind, but now, I see” is a poignant phrase. Utter blindness is the only explanation because there is no excuse for the near universal acceptance of the slave trade. And to God’s glory that even the deepest of sins can be forgiven. There is no wretch out of reach of God’s grace.

That is the story of John Newton.


“Where do we find hope today in the midst of deep divisions in society and violent disagreements? Where do we find hope for the human condition? Where do we find hope for all the griefs and sorrows that threaten to undo our own lives? Perhaps we need to look again at the perennial message of ‘Amazing Grace.’ Perhaps here we might find a renewed hope that however difficult the troubles in our lives, however deep our personal shame and regret, however dark the evil that stalks the earth, there is a mercy that is deeper yet, a forgiveness that makes all the difference, and a power for reconciliation greater than ourselves.”


The book is written from multiple sources including Newton’s autobiography, his diaries, logbooks, letters, and other published writings. There have been some creative liberties taken to fill in other facts and framework and thus this book would be considered a “dramatized biography.”

It didn’t read like a textbook. The writing was very well-done as they unraveled the story. Some of the language used was indicative of the times and not used in a condoning way (i.e. whore).

Even as the people in the story engage in sin in all matter of ways, including their words, the message of the book is not in accordance with that. The dignity of humanity, made in the image of God, is very much the conclusion. We are brought through the sin and failures of John’s life into his salvation and the continual process of being refined by the grace of God to the truth of humanity, sin, and reconciliation.


The Beginning

John’s father was an intimidating ship captain that instilled fear in John from an early age. Within the first chapter we see a six-year-old John sneaking out at night to see the dead body that was hung near the docks earlier that night. Shortly thereafter his mother dies of consumption. His father remarries and John is sent to boarding school where he endured beatings from his headmasters.

Considering this early trauma and the crude environment of growing up among sailors, it’s no surprise that John became a risk-taking, selfish, and rebellious teen. Many of his choices are driven by his forbidden love for Polly (Mary) who, after many tumultuous years, eventually becomes his wife.

When John finally gets to work on a ship as he had dreamed, the power goes to his head.

“He wore arrogance like a shield and used mockery as a whip.”

“Newton could barely utter a single sentence without resorting to profanities, and he had a particular disdain for anyone who declared himself a serious Christian.”

Until a series of events result in him being treated as a slave… or rather “servant of slaves.”

“Not an hour a day went by in which John was not humiliated in some way. He tried to ignore it, to block out the taunts and the abuse… He was trapped. There was no escape. All he knew— and he was ever going to know from this point on— was pain.”

These events were just the beginnings of the wild life of John Newton. The book continues and tells of more deaths and harrowing circumstances John finds himself in, some by surprise and some by consequence of his own behavior and choices.

In fact, the majority of the horror happens before John is even 28 years old.

We see many different forms of ‘faith’ in Newton’s life: from obedience and going to church because it was important to his mom; to complete rejection; to a near-death experience averted because of a church service inciting him to think he must be a saint in response; to finding obedience too hard and giving in to his fleshly desires and pleasures; to complete despair; and eventually to a right understanding of grace, mercy, and obedience out of love and gratitude.


The Slave Trade

The slaver ships would take goods from Europe down along the Guinea Coast to buy slaves. Once they got 100-200+ slaves they would make the trek across the Middle Passage to the West Indies to sell the slaves for sugar and rum and then head back to England. The voyages would typically take a year or more.

At one point, John lives in Africa with another slaver (Evans) and his royal, African wife (P.I.)— who was actually running the slave factory there. She had all the power and she didn’t like John so she turned Evans against him. He became their slave.

We know it is sin that corrupts. Slavery has been a historical staple in all cultures for many many years, though in different ways and practices. We can’t deny the major role white people played in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade business, but we also must be careful not to think that any one sin is bound to one race. Sin is nondiscriminatory.

A few terms:

Royal African Company: held a monopoly on trade and shipped more slaves in trade than any other company
press-gang: the forced enlistment of men into the British Navy
bilgewater: water that collects at the bottom of the ship
thumbscrews: torture device often used on slaves
roundrobin: a petition, often against authority, which is printed in the middle of a paper and signed all around the outside of it to prevent the order of names or a ringleader to be identified; in this book, mutiny against the captain

By the end of the book we are into the early 1800s and the public opinion about the slave trade is shifting. Hindmarsh introduces us to William Wilberforce and his dealings with Parliament to get the slave trade banned.

We hear the shocking tale of the Zong slave ship. After sickness struck their ship and they knew they’d suffer financial loss, the captain, knowing insurance didn’t cover profit loss due to sickness but did cover slaves thrown overboard as from storms, etc. he threw 130 slaves overboard alive in order to collect the insurance.

However, the insurance company refused to pay and the case went to court.

“Initially the jury sided with the crew, but the subsequent appeal— which created widespread publicity— ruled against the ship’s owners. It was a landmark decision, and one that brought the horrors of the Middle Passage to the public’s attention like never before.”



John Newton gave transparent and honest legal testimony against the slave trade.

He shared that “The people are gentle when they have no communication with the Europeans” and dispelled myths: “Most Africans did not endorse the trade. They were not naturally lazy. Their contact with Europeans did not civilize them but instead dragged them to the lowest levels of corruption.”

He also wrote against it, “‘There was nothing quite so iniquitous, so cruel, so oppressive, so destructive, as the African Slave Trade… [it] will always be a subject of a humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders.’”


We are also introduced to the relationship between John Newton and William Cowper, famous poet. Cowper (pronounced Cooper) experienced a lot of spiritual warfare and depression in his life, but he penned some very profound poems. Here are a few lines from his poem ‘Charity’

“But ah! what wish can prosper, or what pray’r,
For merchants rich in cargoes of despair,
Who drive a loathsome traffic, gauge, and span,
And buy the muscles and the bones of man!

Canst thou, and honour’d with a Christian name,
Buy what is woman-born, and feel no shame?
Trade in the blood of innocence, and plead
Expedience as a warrant for the deed?”


Newton’s Conversion and Hymn

Throughout his life Newton had several ‘come-to-Jesus’ moments in which he recognized God intervening in his life. However, it was indeed a journey to his salvation and his full realization of his sin.

The most major spiritual surrender happened when he found himself at sea in a vicious storm that left their ship in shambles. The crew even called him Jonah for bringing such devastation to their ship. The crew spent 27 days on board bailing water and trying to survive until somehow the ship found land again.

John finally had confessed in what he felt were his final moments, ‘I am a wretched sinner… Do with me as you please.’

“It was the moment where John finally placed his trust in the cross of Christ. It was the point when he finally realized that he needed God to do for him what he could not do for himself. He was a wretch, and he needed grace.”

However, there was more repentance to come because it was after this storm that John eventually becomes captain of his own slave ship.

“According to his logbook, he bought and imprisoned 468 African men, women, and children on board his ships. Sixty-eight of those people died on his watch, while the rest he delivered into the deadly slave system that powered the plantations of the West Indies.”

It is a lesson in cognitive dissonance that we can see Newton despairing of his (certain) sins and desiring to be obedient to God and do what is right and good, yet climbing aboard a ship and selling chained people like product.

“When John took his place on deck while the slaves were eating, surveying the men, women, and children that he had bought and held captive on his ship, he could only rest content and thank God. To his eyes, as he looked at men in leg chains, women fearful of rape, and children taken from their families, it looked like a peaceful, happy scene. he was so certain of this he made a point to write that they were ‘more like children in one family, than slaves in iron and chains.’”

“With few distractions and plenty of time alone in his cabin [to read, write, and pray], John was convinced that his time as a captain in the slave trade was a God-given gift that would allow him to mature as a Christian.”

It does not make sense. The blindness is blinding.

But thankfully, his story doesn’t end there, and after a few journeys at sea he is convicted more and more by what he is taking part in. Though illness was the catalyst to his leaving the trade, he eventually recognizes the horrors that he was part of.

He becomes ordained in the Church of England and writes many hymns to accompany his sermons.

“From his earliest childhood memories, John knew the power of hymns, and as a preacher he knew the limits of his sermons. He wanted people to be able to experience the grace and mercy of God for themselves up to a knowledge that went beyond the head and straight to the heart.”


On January 1, 1773, Amazing Grace was sung for the first time. At this point it was titled ‘Faith’s Review and Expectation.’ I think the eventual name change was a good choice.

But the lyrics of this song hit a different way when you realize the spiritual turmoil Newton had knowing his own wretchedness and accepting forgiveness for things too shocking to read.

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
This grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see”


Modern Blindness?

One thing struck me as I contemplated the “appalling and near universal blindness” surrounding the slave trade. People in Europe put sugar in their tea, ignorant of the true price of that sugar. Or perhaps they had vague knowledge, but they were blinded to its sinfulness because they would rather have sugar than have to face the reality of how the sugar got to them.

I couldn’t help but think of a different form of human trafficking that is still prevalent today. I don’t think there is a universal blindness to the wrongs of human trafficking, but I do think there is a blindness to the market that fuels that human trafficking.

Porn.

This is not talked about in the book at all, this is a connection I’m making on my own that I felt compelled to share here. We are rightly horrified by the people who were willing to turn their back on the slave trade so that they could have sugar in their tea.

Yet people sit behind computers and phone screens consuming porn as if there is no harm in how that porn came to be. People are blind to the destruction that comes before and after porn.

People may not be sold because of the color of their skin, and we can be thankful for that, but the war on slavery is not over. People— namely children and women— are being sold as sex slaves and there seems to be a widespread belief that porn has no connection to it.

We are ignorant if we believe porn is an industry of righteousness, honesty, consensus, and freedom.

We may think we could never be like those Europeans. But sin. And our deceitful hearts. We are not immune to the lures of sin.

John confesses, “Custom, example, and interest, had blinded my eyes.”

“If something is accepted by everyone (custom), and everyone else is doing it (example), and it is to my benefit (interest), then we, too, are in danger of self-deception.”

Don’t be blinded by your desire for sugar. Let’s not wait for another Zong massacre before we finally open our eyes to the destruction porn’s market cultivates.

We learn many things from John Newton’s story, and the top of that list is God’s grace and forgiveness, but let’s not miss the conviction to treat humanity with dignity because porn and the industry it fills stands in direct opposition to that in every way.



Four Profound Truths

If you’re not sure what we should take away from this book, Hindmarsh and Borlase summarize the four profound truths we can learn from John Newton’s story:

I can be forgiven. “Whatever shame or guilt you carry, however deep the regrets in your life, no matter what you have done, there is a mercy that is deeper yet.”

I can be deceived. “If something is accepted by everyone (custom), and everyone else is doing it (example), and it is to my benefit (interest), then we, too, are in danger of self-deception.” “Majorities routinely oppress minorities and tell themselves convincing lies to justify this. Dehumanization is always a first step toward violence.”

I can make amends. “even if it happens slowly and in stages… we must face up to the truth, repudiate what we once believed, and do what we can, however costly, to make amends.”

I can be more like Jesus. “God’s grace changes us over our lifespan to make us more like Christ.”

Conclusion

I honestly thought I might be a bit bored by this book and had taken awhile to get to it on my list. Because I thought I knew what I was getting myself into.

I did not.

This is not a book that you say was ‘fun’ to read. But it was a powerful book, to be sure.

It enlightens you, educates you, and encourages you. It will make you feel sad and angry, but it’s a book of hope and forgiveness. It’s a book that reminds us that God is a God of both forgiveness and justice. In a world full of violence and oppression, we know that he sees and we know he will have final vindication.

It reminds us to reflect on our own sin. To confess where we’ve been blind. And to accept his forgiveness when we have repented. We are not disqualified from his grace. If God can save someone like John Newton, he can save us too.

We don’t have to have it altogether when we come to him. Newton didn’t. But God will continually refine us to look more like himself. His grace abounds!

“It is perhaps one of the most amazing things about God’s grace in the cross of Christ— that though the message of grace comes to us with impure hands, stained with violence, it yet offers hope and redemption to the wretched, and it plants the seeds of justice, reconciliation, and healing for all peoples in its universality and affirmation of the common humanity and dignity of every person.”




**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

[Content Advisory: descriptions of the slave trade and all the atrocities done in its name]

Read this book! Be inspired!

I thought I knew this story. Now I really know and understand the life of John Newton.

John Newton was so much more than a slave trader turned pastor. His life was full of ups and downs, some caused by life and others by John. He wrote one of my all time favorites hymns - Amazing Grace. But the context of what was going on in his life when he wrote this hymn was not what I expected.

This book is all about life and the way we live it. The things that we do that are accepted by society and how we feel when we do them. It is about life and how hard living it can be at times. This book is also about choices and consequences of those choices on us and our family. This book is about changing the world you live in.

This book was incredible! A well-written accounting of a story I was only vaguely familiar with. I appreciated how honest and raw the telling of the slave trade was, not shrinking away from the horrors, in the contrast in that part of his life versus his eventual repentance and work against its slave trade was really powerful. Really powerful. The first time. I sang amazing Grace in church after reading this, I cried. What pain, what forgiveness.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Books and NetGalley for a copy to read and voluntarily review.

I thought this was very well written and captivating. It is definitely for a bit older audience as it deals with aspects of history (both personal, and overarching) that are difficult or mature for young children. However hearing the story was captivating and exciting. Amazing Grace is one of my favorite hymns and I didn’t know very much about it’s story or the story of John Newton.

This book captured my attention from the very first page til the end. It will grip at your heart!
What an AMAZING story!it grips at you in so many ways, it captivates you from beginning to end! Once you start reading it you won’t be able to put it down!

I highly recommend it & thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it & give my review..

I loved reading the true story behind one of my favorite songs. And how it come to be. This was very informative book.

This biography is written like a novel which makes it entertaining to read. The subject matter is often difficult, and the author does not spare the gruesome details of the slave trade.
I found Newton's involvement in slavery and his religious zeal bizarre and disturbing. At one point, he becomes aware that slavery is incompatible with his Christian beliefs and he later becomes a vocal opponent of slavery and the slave trade. He also became minister and lived the rest of his life in this capacity.
This book written from a Christian POV and includes an afterward section that uses Newton's life as a religious lesson. I skimmed a bit of this. I did not choose this book for the religious message. I was interested in Newton's life.
As a biography, this is well-written and very interesting. References are included at the end.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've sung the hymn 'Amazing Grace' many times over and heard a little about John Newton, the man behind the song. But I never knew how he got from his life a slave trader to a preacher. He went through some truly horrible experiences, but it took a long, long time for him to turn to God and leave his sinful ways behind.

As you might guess, this is definitely a Christian book. I enjoyed the Afterword with the lessons at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a with a free copy for review.

Amazing Grace by Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase

Title: Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
Authors: Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: March 7, 2023
Genre: Biography

Review (Video Included)

I'd like to start off by saying that this book was one of the most amazing biographies I've read. It was well researched and the authors included a list of the many sources they used.

There's so much to say. This review won't be typical because it evoked many feelings that I'm still processing. My emotions were complicated to frustration because they would weave in and out of one another. They left me with many things to say, yet not having the ability to say them. I'll try to make sense of them.

Excitement: If you know the beloved hymn, Amazing Grace, then you know how special it is. The first verse tells us how John Newton felt about himself and I couldn't wait to read his story.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

Disbelief: John Newton's younger life can be described in one word, rebellion. I had such a hard time reading about his arrogant attitude and ignorant choices. I couldn't believe he would be so empty-headed. He was not a person I liked nor was he someone I greatly disliked. Are you confused already? I was, but it wasn't because of the writing or the lack of a story line. It was because of my love hate relationship with wanting to know the true story of John Newton's life.

Anger: How sick to my stomach I was to read about the cruelty with which one human could treat another. I almost threw the book across the room never to finish. Words cannot describe the kinds of angry tears that flowed.

Apprehension: At one time, my attitude was, "Yeah, right. He hasn't learned his lesson yet."

Wretchedness: Could it get any worse?

Etc., Etc. , Etc.: I'd have to give spoilers if I continued on with my emotions, but you get the idea.

My Final Thoughts: Amazing Grace is an excellent biography. You never really understand a song until you understand the reason someone writes it. I knew something about John Newton's life before I read this book, but I didn't realize the depths God took to finish His work in John Newton's life. This is a book of hope for everyone. It's message is that after we repent and receive God's grace of salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus, we have the hope of eternal life in Heaven.

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Just a Note: Amazing Grace was one of my dad's favorite hymns, especially the final verse. He would often play the guitar while we sang together. Who knows? My sweet Dad and John Newton just might be singing in Heaven right now.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun

It was a really great book about John Newton’s life and how he got to the point of writing “Amazing Grace” and beyond. It’s less about the story of the song and more about the person behind the song.

One thing that really confused me was that his wife’s name was changed halfway through the copy I read. It was changed from Polly to Mary. I’m not sure why. Sometimes he calls her Polly, and in the next sentence she’s referred to as Mary. I’m not sure what’s going on there or if I missed something. It could also be that the copy I received had a lot of typos.

Good book overall!

*I received an early copy of this book from the publisher for me to read and review. The opinions above, though, are my own.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound." Several books have been written, including an autobiography, on the life of John Newton, songwriter of "Amazing Grace". However, if you have never read his story, Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase have a released version on March 7th that they consider a "dramatized biography". Much research went into the writing to make it as accurate as possible based on Newton's own writings and the time period.
For such a beautiful song to rise out of such a past shows the mercy and grace of God and one of His purposes in Newton's life. If you have not read Newton's story, this is a must read.

A copy was provided for my review but all opinions are my own.

An excellent biography of the life of John Newton. It is very well written, and the extra details of Newton's life reflect the extensive research done by the author. The is not boring, or slow but very captivating and reads as a novel instead of a textbook.
Newton had a very hard life, seeing as well as being a part of some very horrible things yet he used these experiences as a witnessing tool in his life and ministry.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. It is a very inspirational book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book for my review.

A carefully researched biography of the great British pastor who wrote Amazing Grace. It is written as a novel, but is researched and true to the historical record.
I was familiar with the story of Newton’s life at sea: serving as a low level sailor, held captive by slave traders in Africa and finally working his way up to being the captain of a slave ship. The book carefully details the turmoils he encountered, but also gives an insight into the likely thoughts he had as a troubled soul.
Most biographies of Newton hurry through his later years as a pastor in a small village. I was unaware of his close relationship with William Cowper, the great hymn writer who was tormented by clinical depression. The book also deals with his efforts in the Abolitionist movement and his relationship with William Wilberforce.
This book is a powerful story of God’s amazing grace. I could not put it down.
Thanks to the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I first want to thank Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for giving me this Kindle book in exchange for an honest review!
This was a very informative and interesting biography about John Newton, writer of the beautiful hymn "Amazing Grace". For many years I have wanted to learn the history of the hymn and I am so glad I finally know it albeit how heartbreaking the history is! I again want to thank everyone involved with supplying these books to us readers! It is very appreciated!

This one does as it says and adds way more details to this story. Interesting read but a bit drawn out. I’ve read the original “out of the depths” and I feel that I prefer the original but this is definitely worth reading if you want more details.

5 stars.

I don’t know what compelled me to read this book, but I’m glad I did. It’s a biography, but it reads as a wonderfully written novel. Perhaps, knowing that what you’re reading is a story of someone’s life, helps the book to have even a stronger grasp on the reader. I’m not a religious person, and if you have concerns about reading this book wondering if it would feel like the author’s trying to convert you, I’d say you don’t have to worry. Obviously, the whole book is about Newton’s relationship with God, and if you really can’t stand reading religious sentiments, the book wouldn’t be a good fit for you, but I think it’s worth it to read his story, and what a life the man had.
Like any good book, it’s also food for thought. For a religious person I assume it’s different, but what I always walk away with from such stories is how some people through God find grace, kindness, and forgiveness, while others use it to discriminate and hate. I wish more people who sing Amazing Grace and then spit hatred at marginalized groups would read this book, but I doubt that would help changing them.
If you love biographies, it’s an amazing one to choose. I recommend it without a trace of doubt.

Read like a novel not like a documentary like I thought it was going to be. Very interesting read so many facts I didn’t know about him and his hardships. Very well researched and written