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mcquadel 's review for:
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
by Peter Frankopan
Ok it took me an embarrassingly long time to read this book so bare with me.
For starters, I really appreciate the work Peter Frankopan put into this history - I've been longing to learn more about other non-western-centric regions and cultures and boy did he deliver. Overall I was very impressed and appreciative of the overview he provided of the "Silk Road," as I have very little knowledge and background about the region. I am truly thankful that historians like him have the talent and patience to translate these histories into a language I understand.
That being said, I also have some complaints. There was nearly nothing discussed about China, nearly no discussion of the far eastern states (now the -stan block of countries to the west of China's border), there was no discussion of the Ottoman empire nor real discussion of the 1600-1800s and for nearly half the book it felt like we completely focused on Europe and the US, which Peter explicitly said he would not do. I have read several other reviews that note similar (often stronger worded) ratings, and overall I agree with their complaints. Where I will defend Peter Frankopan is that his refocusing on the US and Europe did provide much appreciated context to why modern politics and people from the middle east tend to have incredibly negative views towards the west, and while I do not agree with the violence that has come as a result, I do see why these responses have taken place.
Overall I would rate this a good book to get your foot in the door on history for the regions between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean/Hindu Kush, but would caution readers that once you hit the 1600s, gears shift to focus on the impacts of western counties on those living in this region.
For starters, I really appreciate the work Peter Frankopan put into this history - I've been longing to learn more about other non-western-centric regions and cultures and boy did he deliver. Overall I was very impressed and appreciative of the overview he provided of the "Silk Road," as I have very little knowledge and background about the region. I am truly thankful that historians like him have the talent and patience to translate these histories into a language I understand.
That being said, I also have some complaints. There was nearly nothing discussed about China, nearly no discussion of the far eastern states (now the -stan block of countries to the west of China's border), there was no discussion of the Ottoman empire nor real discussion of the 1600-1800s and for nearly half the book it felt like we completely focused on Europe and the US, which Peter explicitly said he would not do. I have read several other reviews that note similar (often stronger worded) ratings, and overall I agree with their complaints. Where I will defend Peter Frankopan is that his refocusing on the US and Europe did provide much appreciated context to why modern politics and people from the middle east tend to have incredibly negative views towards the west, and while I do not agree with the violence that has come as a result, I do see why these responses have taken place.
Overall I would rate this a good book to get your foot in the door on history for the regions between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean/Hindu Kush, but would caution readers that once you hit the 1600s, gears shift to focus on the impacts of western counties on those living in this region.