Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Book Review: National Geographic - History at a Glance

Raise your hand if history class in high school was incredibly boring and dry.

All of you should have your hand up because it was. It was awful. Now if we had something like this to reference, it could have been a lot easier for students like me. If you a history buff, struggle in history, teach history, or just like history in general- this is your book.

National Geographic History at a Glance

Sweeping but succinct, this comprehensive reference presents all of world history in a browsable format featuring more than three dozen maps, along with hundreds of photographs and illustrations. From the dawn of humankind to today's global complexities, this book provides a compelling reminder that history is unfolding all around us.

The epic story of humanity on all seven continents is explored through a unique design that combines concise essays with expansive time lines that invite deeper reading on milestone moments, explained within the broader context of the era. The final chapter highlights such recent events as SpaceX's heavy rocket launch, the restoration of U.S./Cuba relations, and the historical trends that were the precursors to the state of our world today.

Informative and richly illustrated, this authoritative take on world history will be a compelling reference you'll turn to again and again. 

Do I need to tell you this book is incredibly beautiful? Probably not but I'm going to anyways- the photographs and images throughout this book are incredible and it's hard to believe any of this is real. Throughout the book there are visuals that hammer the facts home and really makes it feel like you were there and saw or experienced this first hand.

The book begins with The First Societies: Prehistory-500 B.C.E and the thought that we even have information of this time blows my mind. From Egyptians to Mayans, to maps showing us (approximately) what was happening when and where. Did you know the first Olympic Games are recorded at Olympia in 776? I did not, but that is amazing.

On page 107 there is an image with the caption of "Millions of Muslims climax their pilgrimage to Mecca by bowing in prayer at the Great Mosque before the cube-shaped Kaaba, their holiest shrine." and the image is breathtaking. It's taken from above with a city in the backdrop and though it's night the lights around illuminate the area so that it looks like daytime. That is how the Faith and Power section begins and it's a really interesting section to say the least.

The best thing about this book is that isn't just America and our history, its the entire world, much of which we know so little about. The last section covers 2000-to current day titled Globalization and Disruption and also covers the recent Women's March but also features climate change with a heartbreaking photo of a polar bear standing on a small remnant of snow. The timelines throughout the book are succinct and well organized, the images cement the information given to us, and you will not close this book at anytime without learning so much.

I'm a firm believer in everything happens in a cycle. It all repeats, but we can't do better if we don't know better and there is no better way to do that than study history. If you have a history buff on your holiday shopping list, or just someone who likes to learn about anything and everything, this is a great gift!
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour and National Geographic for sending me this incredible book. This post contains affiliate links. 

1 comment:

Shooting Stars Mag said...

I love learning new little facts, and that's great this is about WORLD history and not just U.S. history.

-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net