Page Count: 480
Although far removed even from my remoted of concerns, deep down I’ve always had a yearning to know the ancient Greece, or the Roman empire and her philosophers, the tumultuous Middle Ages, or of course the beginning of today, the Age of Enlightenment. Belonging to where I come from, it is difficult to care or to learn about history, or philosophy or literature for that matter, unless it concerns your career, passing competitive exams, or any way involves earning money. I am sure every student and master have such a story: an easy to avoid, nonsensical to pursue, yet deeply evolving journey of learning for learning’s sake.
Jenkins’s book, which takes on the mammoth task of shrinking the centuries-long history of Europe in just 320 pages (minus the maps and pictures), appealed to my temperament of learning something which I don’t (and shouldn’t) know and am trying to learn myself. My exhaustible ‘stamina’ for reading dense texts is the result of my desires meeting my reality: my optimistic and strong appeal for learning the history (or philosophy, or literature, on my own from the books I know and can purchase) and the rather duller but realistic realization that I cannot consume so much of it or much of it well.
There follows a frustration of not being able to learn well enough from such digestible and telling books, despite one’s enthusiasm for learning and the happiness of acquiring these books.
Starting from the mythical origin stories of the continent that we now call Europe, Jenkins’s book travels, on rather hasty feet, from the ancient Greek empire to the Roman empire and the rise of Christianity; through the dawn of Holy Roman Empire into the chaotic Middle Ages; then the religious wars and the rise Enlightenment as the religions lose power; finally to the bloodiest 21st century with its pre and post histories.
Along the way, we meet the great figures of past and present like Caesar, Cicero, Jesus, and Charlamagne, Napoleon, Voltaire, Marx and Hitler; we visit the famous empires of Greek, Persia, Rome and see how twenty-year-olds become Kings and Emperors – but what we shall find common is love for wars and struggle for power.
What I loved about this book is Jenkins conventional idea and application that history should be presented chronologically so as to appear coherent and meaningful; a mix of remembering some things and forgetting others. History as a series of random events would leave a reader more confused than learned. Despite the enormity of this book’s subject matter, the well portioned parts of this books along with its concise and dictating chapters made this one of the easiest history books to read.
The brevity of this book, which although makes it an entertaining and fast-paced read, also makes it forgettable. Running through such a long-standing and diverse history of a continent and her distinct nations, I found it hard to pause and take in the scenes in order to recall them later.
Therefore, one must make a choice going into this book: to read it for joy and entertainment, or read it rather tediously by making notes, searching the half-knowns, and putting effort to remember. I chose the prior but regretted not going with the latter.
Ratings: 4/5 **** July 11, 2021_