The greatest strength for interest and readability is the personalization of each era:
--A mother passes along to her child the stories her grandmother told about the transition from the nomadic to agricultural life style.
--A father teaches his son about forging steel, and demonstrates steels superiority over bronze in battle.
--A runner carries news of his army's victory, enabling democracy to thrive (this, of course, is Pheidippides, bringing news to Athens of the victory at Marathon.).
--A wise teacher named Jesus is unjustly executed, and his followers establish a movement that persists today.
The Iron Age, the Silk Road, and the Crusades round out the volume.
For a quick, engaging view of history in broad strokes, Mankind is a worthy, if limited, effort.
Here's a sample:
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary review copy!
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