A very short history of the world… sounds simple enough,
right? Start at the beginning, and just say everything that has ever happened
really quickly. From every culture. Including before humans could write. And
not missing anything or going into too much detail.
Simple? Not at all!
Geoffrey Blainey’s book A
Very Short History of the World attempts to recount the complete history of
human life on this planet, beginning from the move out of Africa and continuing
to the present day. It is an abridged version of his A Short History of the World however, let me tell you, it is still
a looooong book. And understandably! The world has a long history!
Despite its length, I found this book utterly fascinating.
If you are interested in history, geography, politics, war, culture or
basically any other part of human existence, then I can guarantee there will be
something in this book that interests you. Highlights for me included the final
four chapters, which touch on, amongst other things, the rise of the Internet,
terrorism, the world wars and globalisation.
The chapter ‘Israel and the anointed one’, about the life
and legacy of Jesus, was particularly interesting for me as a Bible-believing
Christian. Blainey phrases things very carefully, constantly repeating things
like ‘it is said that…’ or ‘his disciples believed…’, but you get the feeling
that Blainey really recognises, at least to some extent, the profound
significance of Jesus’ life on earth. However, Blainey does write that upon his
ascent to heaven Jesus ‘would wait until the day of judgement when he would
appear on earth again to punish the wicked and reward the good’. Any good
evangelical Christian will correct this statement, as Jesus firmly stated that
no one was good, everyone is ‘wicked’ (as Blainey puts it) and we are rewarded
with eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifice, not through our own good deeds!
Nevertheless, I think this book has true merit, whether
you’re a Christian or not. One single author recounting all of history is no
small feat, and Blainey has definitely done a great job. I just picked up on
that particular issue because I have a personal investment in it!
A Very Short History
of the World has really opened my eyes to just exactly how small a part I
play in the history of the world. Instead of finding this discouraging, I
actually find it really exciting. The world has had such a fascinating history,
and I get to be a part of it! Of course, it’s not all good, but I am astonished
that humans have done such amazing things! I mean, we got from grunting to
language! We figured out how to build machines and created the Internet. We have built huge structures and tiny iPods. We are
creative and intelligent.
Human
s are fascinating, incredible creatures, and our history attests to that
fact.
Thanks to Penguin Books, I have four copies of this book to
give away! If you’d like to win one, either comment on this post, write on the
wall of the Facebook page for this blog or email elisabethanera@gmail.com with a
sentence about your favourite part of history and why it’s your favourite! I’ll
judge the best four and announce the winners on this blog and on Facebook, or I’ll
email you if you enter by email.
