How Sweet the Sound: Publishers Hitch a Ride on Amazing Grace

by Jana Riess, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 1/3/2007

Nearly two centuries after his death, William Wilberforce continues to be a "force" to be reckoned with. The British abolitionist's life will be the subject of the major motion picture Amazing Grace: The William Wilberforce Story, debuting in theatres nationwide on February 23, the 200th anniversary of Britain's passage of the Abolition Bill. Throughout January and February, religion publishers are releasing tie-in books by and about Wilberforce, as well as honoring Wilberforce's legacy by raising awareness of modern-day social justice issues.

Harper San Francisco has the two official tie-in books, a relationship that began when the house worked with Walden Media on books related to last year's Narnia release. (Walden Media is the sister company of Bristol Bay, which is producing the Amazing Grace film; Bristol Bay's films are targeted more for adult and teenage viewing audiences, while Walden Media movies are aimed at youth.) "We had such a good experience working with the people at Walden, and we'd been looking for another project to do together," said HSF deputy publisher Mark Tauber. "A couple of years ago, they came to us and said they were doing this Wilberforce story. We knew it was time for an updated biography." That portrait is Eric Metaxas's Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, on bookstore shelves February 6.

Harper's other official product is completely different: ethics professor David Batstone's Not for Sale, which chronicles the rise of the modern "global slave trade" of human trafficking, profiles spiritual and political leaders who are fighting the problem, and gives readers concrete suggestions of things they can do. Along those same lines, Zondervan has the youth book Be the Change (Mar.), in which 14-year-old author Zach Hunter outlines how readers can become involved. Like Not for Sale, it is an official book of the Amazing Change campaign (www.amazingchange.com), which Walden Media is spearheading in conjunction with the movie.

Such officially sanctioned books are only part of the story. Though not an official tie-in, New Leaf Press's coffee-table title The Amazing Grace of Freedom: The Inspiring Faith of William Wilberforce (Jan.) has a film connection too: one of the co-authors, Ken Wales, is the producer of the Amazing Grace film, and the book features an exclusive interview about his six-year journey to bring the project to screen. New Leaf is also reissuing a previously published Kevin Belmonte biography of Wilberforce; releasing an original activity book for young children; and reproducing a vintage 1861 biography of Wilberforce, which publicist Laura Welch says will be offered free to CBA store customers who purchase The Amazing Grace of Freedom.

Tyndale Entertainment, meanwhile, has a full-cast audio drama, Amazing Grace: The Inspirational Stories of William Wilberforce, John Newton and Olaudah Equiano. (Jan.), featuring a cast of more than 80 actors, an original musical score and cinematic sound effects. Tyndale's SaltRiver imprint has a book, Finding God in the Story of Amazing Grace, by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware (Feb.).

The film is already garnering widespread support among many kinds of Christians. A preview screening is planned at CBA Advance in Indianapolis on February 1, and Sojourners magazine is devoting a cover story to the movie and to Wilberforce's contemporary standard-bearers. "The movie has strong Christian themes but appeals to wider social justice themes," said Harper's Tauber. "Wilberforce has become a hero among evangelicals as a guy who was strong in his faith and also helped to change the world."