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koreilly's review
4.0
I picked this up from the bargain bin at Barnes and Nobles thinking it would be a high level overview of various points in history that were each terrible in their own way. And I was right! Derek Wilson provides an interesting and breezy read through some of the worst years in history.
This worked exceedingly well for people like me who want more than a wikipedia article to learn about something but can get intimidated by 500 page tomes with excruciating details on things like court intrigue, harvest levels and proper attire. I own James Reston's Dogs of God, a terrifically detailed book about the Spanish Inquisition. But after 200 odd pages of Catholic Court intrigue and the fevered letters between Isabella and Ferdinand, I nodded off and lost interest. Derek Wilson's 20 page summary of the Inquisition doesn't go into near as much detail but still kept me interested.
You could wag your finger at a large portion of the book for being ethnocentric (nothing at all from East Asia except some brief mentions of Vietnam in the 1968 chapter and Mongolia technically) but this is counterbalanced by a surprisingly nuanced and well-written section on the Rwandan Genocide that doesn't pull any punches from the Western Powers. Also, many people could argue effectively that there were much worse years than some of the ones mentioned here (the great freeze is interesting but weak) but it is still an interesting, if light read.
This worked exceedingly well for people like me who want more than a wikipedia article to learn about something but can get intimidated by 500 page tomes with excruciating details on things like court intrigue, harvest levels and proper attire. I own James Reston's Dogs of God, a terrifically detailed book about the Spanish Inquisition. But after 200 odd pages of Catholic Court intrigue and the fevered letters between Isabella and Ferdinand, I nodded off and lost interest. Derek Wilson's 20 page summary of the Inquisition doesn't go into near as much detail but still kept me interested.
You could wag your finger at a large portion of the book for being ethnocentric (nothing at all from East Asia except some brief mentions of Vietnam in the 1968 chapter and Mongolia technically) but this is counterbalanced by a surprisingly nuanced and well-written section on the Rwandan Genocide that doesn't pull any punches from the Western Powers. Also, many people could argue effectively that there were much worse years than some of the ones mentioned here (the great freeze is interesting but weak) but it is still an interesting, if light read.
nnekajax's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping for more. Perhaps that was my mistake. But charming and informative for the most part.
shiv91's review
4.0
Probably would have given it 5 stars if there had been more new information for me but that's just a personal opinion of my own historical knowledge.
In saying that, it was a very interesting read and there were some points in the book where I was pleased to find that it discussed something I didn't already know.
Would be good for those with little or no prior knowledge of historical events as it was well written to ensure it easy to understand without coming across as condescending.
In saying that, it was a very interesting read and there were some points in the book where I was pleased to find that it discussed something I didn't already know.
Would be good for those with little or no prior knowledge of historical events as it was well written to ensure it easy to understand without coming across as condescending.
ceciliabereadin's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were parts where I was like "Why are we talking about this?" But I truly enjoyed this book!!! I thought this book gave a lot of good points and facts but a little biased.
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