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Shivers posted:I found Jack Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World to be quite excellent. It tells the story of how Genghis Khan went from being a starving nobody to one of the most powerful men in history. The book also details alot about Mongol history, customs and culture. I highly recommmend it. So far I've only read the introduction, but it really puts Geghis Khan on a pedestal. It relates how he built massive road systems, enacted religious tolerance, banned torture (?), and joined disparate cultures that have never met before. The introduction makes no mention of the Mongols' slaughtering entire cities; in fact, it barely mentions the military aspect of Genghis' life. Some choice quotes from the introduction: quote:...When their highly skilled engineers from China, Persia, and Europe combined Chinese gunpowder with Muslim flamethrowers and applied European bell-casting technology, they produced the cannon, an entirely new order of technological innovation... quote:In nearly every country touched by the Mongols, the initial destruction and shock of conquest by an unknown and barbaric tribe yielded quickly an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and improved civilization. I don't buy into the belief that Genghis Khan was an inhuman monster, but I also don't believe he was the savior of the world. So a book that starts out with ten pages fellating his legacy makes me skeptical. I already bought it, so I might as well read it, but I'll take it all with a grain of salt.
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Feb 14, 2014 03:49
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Grand Fromage posted:There has been a lot of revisionist pro-Genghis stuff lately. I think it has its place and re-examinations are good, but I would suggest listening to Dan Carlin's Wrath of the Khans or picking up a less sympathetic book to go along with it to get some balance. I've heard the podcast and it forms about 90% of what I know about the Mongols. Carlin comes down pretty hard on the "Ghengis was a monster" side of the debate, but he makes a lot of good points. Maybe this book will balance the argument out a bit. On a side note, it's a drat shame that The Sack of Baghdad isn't taught in history courses in the US. It truly was one of the history's worst tragedies.
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Feb 26, 2014 12:55
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I need a recommendation on US history post-Civil War. I'm mostly interested in Reconstruction, but anything covering, say, 1865-1900 would be great. I want to read American Colossus, which focuses on major industrialists in the late 19th century. But first I'd like to read about Reconstruction and the history preceding Carnegie and Rockefeller.
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May 23, 2014 12:11
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Antwan3K posted:Well Foner's Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution is always the first recommendation I think. Purchased, thanks. I imagine this will be a very depressing read.
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May 24, 2014 16:33
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Multi volume history of India? Something accessible to an amateur; I'm reading for leisure, not study. But something will sufficient detail; 5k years of the subcontinental history is impossible to cover in a single volume.
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Mar 17, 2024 22:06
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