Scan barcode
A review by nelsta
To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914-1949 by Ian Kershaw
4.0
It's difficult to learn about either world war in detail without coming to the inevitable conclusion that the Second World War was essentially a continuation of the first. I've read a lot about both wars and the opportunity to learn about both wars in the context of a single book was too good an opportunity to pass up. Ian Kershaw is a great historian, too, so the fact that he authored this volume is the cherry on top. "To Hell and Back" is so perfectly titled that I cannot fathom any other title being used in its stead.
This history was very good, but it lost me in some places. Maybe it is because I've read so much about this period, but the sections that covered the actual wars felt lackluster. His focus was clearly on the consequences of the wars for the various areas of Europe, and I appreciated that. But I had hoped for personal quotes or anecdotes to make those sections "pop." I think explaining the wars and their aftermath in numbers might have helped as well.
The sections that surrounded the wars were great, however. I learned a lot about the effects of the Great Depression in Europe and the beginning of the Cold War. These often get skipped in history lessons, so it was rewarding to get a bird's-eye view into those years. While Kershaw obviously tried hard to be even-handed in his approach, I felt like southern Europe and Scandinavia were largely overlooked. West, central, and eastern Europe were all given appropriate coverage, though.
"To Hell and Back" is part of Penguin's history of Europe. It is preceded by "The Pursuit of Power" by Richard Evans and followed by "The Global Age" by Ian Kershaw. Someday I'd like to read every volume. I've already read two of the three I own (there are a total of eight). It would probably be more rewarding to read them in chronological order, but so far I've approached it like a smorgasbord: I pick out the books that sound interesting and leave the rest on the plate.
If you're interested in European history and you want to get a more in-depth look at it than what is offered by a single-volume history, I would recommend this book to you. If you're more interested in the wars from a myopic perspective, buy Max Hastings' "Inferno," or a similar history. I think "To Hell and Back" offered some really compelling context to the two world wars and the Cold War that is missing from other books, but it often felt a bit dry. Still worth my time and money, but best read as part of the Penguin series.
This history was very good, but it lost me in some places. Maybe it is because I've read so much about this period, but the sections that covered the actual wars felt lackluster. His focus was clearly on the consequences of the wars for the various areas of Europe, and I appreciated that. But I had hoped for personal quotes or anecdotes to make those sections "pop." I think explaining the wars and their aftermath in numbers might have helped as well.
The sections that surrounded the wars were great, however. I learned a lot about the effects of the Great Depression in Europe and the beginning of the Cold War. These often get skipped in history lessons, so it was rewarding to get a bird's-eye view into those years. While Kershaw obviously tried hard to be even-handed in his approach, I felt like southern Europe and Scandinavia were largely overlooked. West, central, and eastern Europe were all given appropriate coverage, though.
"To Hell and Back" is part of Penguin's history of Europe. It is preceded by "The Pursuit of Power" by Richard Evans and followed by "The Global Age" by Ian Kershaw. Someday I'd like to read every volume. I've already read two of the three I own (there are a total of eight). It would probably be more rewarding to read them in chronological order, but so far I've approached it like a smorgasbord: I pick out the books that sound interesting and leave the rest on the plate.
If you're interested in European history and you want to get a more in-depth look at it than what is offered by a single-volume history, I would recommend this book to you. If you're more interested in the wars from a myopic perspective, buy Max Hastings' "Inferno," or a similar history. I think "To Hell and Back" offered some really compelling context to the two world wars and the Cold War that is missing from other books, but it often felt a bit dry. Still worth my time and money, but best read as part of the Penguin series.