Review
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Title:  Christopher Columbus: "A Man among the Gentiles"
Author:  Clark B. Hinckley
Publisher:  Deseret Book
Genre:  History
Year Published:  2014
Number of Pages:  276
ISBN: 978-1-60907-920-8
Price:  $25.99

Reviewed by Gabi Kupitz for the Association for Mormon Letters

Christopher Columbus has been the subject of many books--so many in fact, that "If all that has been written about Columbus were brought together in one place, the load would easily sink the small boat that carried him to America."

What makes this title by Clark B. Hinckley so unique is that it captures the historical Columbus and weaves in the religious leanings possessed by this explorer--leanings that Columbus tried to describe, but which Nephi saw in vision hundreds of years prior to Columbus' birth.

While historians may scoff, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embrace I Nephi chapter 13 verse 12 in "The Book of Mormon : Another Testament of Jesus Christ"  as describing Nephi's vision of Columbus:

"And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land."

Given that Nephi received this great vision around 600 B.C., Columbus' venture to the new world fulfilled more than the desires of his heart and that of his sponsors.  It fulfilled prophecy.

Born in 1451, Columbus defied monumental odds during his young life.  "By 1484, Columbus had sailed all the known seas of his age..."  He was uniquely qualified to set sail for "Asia by sailing west..."  And, he did.

Columbus was not perfect, but he was chosen.  Like all humans, he made mistakes.  Some modern historians and college professors have cast doubt on the motivations of Columbus and have emphasized his brutal manner in the treatment of the people he found in the new world.  Columbus has become the subject of jokes and derision, but in this book, the author paints a more balanced picture of a unique man and his date with history and prophecy.

Maps, a time line, chapter notes, source notes, bibliography, and index all point to a vast amount of research done by Hinckley and others.  Besides the welcoming writing style and the background materials which set Columbus in context is something I find fascinating:  "Appendix 2.  Temple Ordinances for Columbus and Crew of the First Voyage."

If all you can remember about Christopher Columbus from school is the little poem/song that begins, "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue..." or the names of his three ships, you are in for a pleasant surprise with this well-written book on a very great man.  "Christopher Columbus : 'A Man among the Gentiles'" is a worthy addition to any library.  Kudos to Clark B. Hinckley for tackling the subject of Christopher Columbus and breathing life into the man and the times in which he lived.