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A review by candelibri
Sicily: An Illustrated History by Joseph Privitera
informative
fast-paced
4.5
I have so many thoughts about this.
First off - this is a great intro into the history of Sicily. VERY concise/dense with pivotal moments highlighted and explained.
Secondly - as a Sicilian myself, I found it to be very painful, to see so many countries use Sicily as either a stepping stone in their trade route or as a place to exploit to fulfill whatever other “grand plan” they were enacting (Spain, I am looking at YOU).
The only constant throughout is the Sicilians themselves. Kept subjugated by whatever whim put a country into power, they scraped by and cared for each other. Their endurance was and continues to inspiring.
As for the writing, I really appreciated the look into what each country/culture contributed to what we know as Sicily/Sicilian today. And if the downfall of 12th century Palermo doesn’t give you a visceral reaction…I don’t know what to tell you.
First off - this is a great intro into the history of Sicily. VERY concise/dense with pivotal moments highlighted and explained.
Secondly - as a Sicilian myself, I found it to be very painful, to see so many countries use Sicily as either a stepping stone in their trade route or as a place to exploit to fulfill whatever other “grand plan” they were enacting (Spain, I am looking at YOU).
The only constant throughout is the Sicilians themselves. Kept subjugated by whatever whim put a country into power, they scraped by and cared for each other. Their endurance was and continues to inspiring.
As for the writing, I really appreciated the look into what each country/culture contributed to what we know as Sicily/Sicilian today. And if the downfall of 12th century Palermo doesn’t give you a visceral reaction…I don’t know what to tell you.