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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
I had high hopes for this, hoping for a Guns, Germs and Steel type look at Central Asia but instead it felt more Europe and US focussed look at how the Middle east evolved. It felt a bit flat and not what I wanted from the book.
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
From what I can see of other Goodreads reviews, I think this book may suffer a bit from misinterpretation. I am hoping that this review will help some who are interested in reading it.
This is not a book about the cultural, artistic, or even commercial progressions of the Silk Road in antiquity. BTW for a really entertaining take on that, I recommend you watch The Silk Road docu-series narrated by Alfred de Montesquiou from Paris Match. It is excellent. I found it on Amazon.
I see Dr. Frankopan as working to answer three questions with this book. First - How has the power dynamic shifted between the Middle East and the West over the past 3000 years? Second - what has that shift been motivated by, primarily, throughout history? Third- what does this historical perspective tell us about where power is shifting in the 21st century?
In the United States, focus is often placed on our history and relationship with Western Europe - especially since the 1500’s, and on Russia and now, China in the last 100 years. Frankopan shifts the focus so that the Middle East is at the center of the narrative, and in this he does an excellent job.
I feel I understand much better now how the power dynamic shifted as the Roman Empire ended, the Mongul empire moved in, how Europe rose from the ashes in the early 10th century (and headed to the Middle East), and the impact of the shift west as Europe emerged into conquest of Africa, India, and the Americas. The book really picks up steam as we move into the middle ages and the past 500 years, always keeping focus on the relationship between the Middle East and the West, specifically England and the United States.
There is a lot of concentration on Empire. And there is a lot left out of the book. It is a great primer if you are interested in history and how we got to where we are. What I admire the most about this book is precisely what may tick others off, and that is the successful focus on those three questions above. Frankopan does not stray, he maintains his focus and that must not have been easy to do.
I am so glad I read this book. It is an investment as it clocks in at about 500 pages. I found it highly informative and entertaining, and I am really looking forward to heading down the rabbit holes that it has inspired.
This is not a book about the cultural, artistic, or even commercial progressions of the Silk Road in antiquity. BTW for a really entertaining take on that, I recommend you watch The Silk Road docu-series narrated by Alfred de Montesquiou from Paris Match. It is excellent. I found it on Amazon.
I see Dr. Frankopan as working to answer three questions with this book. First - How has the power dynamic shifted between the Middle East and the West over the past 3000 years? Second - what has that shift been motivated by, primarily, throughout history? Third- what does this historical perspective tell us about where power is shifting in the 21st century?
In the United States, focus is often placed on our history and relationship with Western Europe - especially since the 1500’s, and on Russia and now, China in the last 100 years. Frankopan shifts the focus so that the Middle East is at the center of the narrative, and in this he does an excellent job.
I feel I understand much better now how the power dynamic shifted as the Roman Empire ended, the Mongul empire moved in, how Europe rose from the ashes in the early 10th century (and headed to the Middle East), and the impact of the shift west as Europe emerged into conquest of Africa, India, and the Americas. The book really picks up steam as we move into the middle ages and the past 500 years, always keeping focus on the relationship between the Middle East and the West, specifically England and the United States.
There is a lot of concentration on Empire. And there is a lot left out of the book. It is a great primer if you are interested in history and how we got to where we are. What I admire the most about this book is precisely what may tick others off, and that is the successful focus on those three questions above. Frankopan does not stray, he maintains his focus and that must not have been easy to do.
I am so glad I read this book. It is an investment as it clocks in at about 500 pages. I found it highly informative and entertaining, and I am really looking forward to heading down the rabbit holes that it has inspired.
I enjoyed this book and I learned a lot, especially from the chapters dealing with more recent times, the latter half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. There were a bunch of things that I didn't previously understand, didn't know I didn't understand and now make a lot more sense.
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
Not a good choice for an audiobook, although very informative and amazing amounts of detail. I think I'll retain the bog takeaways.
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Well researched book that offers a very comprehensive look at the Silk Road. And a real accomplishment to be able to go from BC to present day in one book. If you are looking to expand your knowledge of this area of the world, would recommend!