He’s saying that Europeans weren’t smarter than other people, just luckier
Read that back to yourself, do you honestly think that Europeans "just happened" to make the decision to go looting and conquering? Just lucky that Indigenous folk were technologically less advanced Didn't choose to brutally kill them in unequal wars, instead of honest trade?
He has nothing to say about the political and religious decisions that drove exploitation on a world scale, its factually wrong, and blatantly misleading
Anyway, enough. this thread is about recommending books rather than arguing about bad pop science, so my recommendation is Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. Yes it's vast, yes you'll know more about crop rotation in 19th century Russia, but it's a work of art. Betrayal, sacrifice, unbearable love, faith, family, all explored: Glorious
Just lucky that Indigenous folk were technologically less advanced
Yes, that's basically the main point of the book. Europeans were geographically lucky, the technological advantage arose from luck, not virtue. That technological advantage is what made it possible for Europeans to colonize far away lands. It's not an argument that Europeans should have done that, it's just saying that it was possible because of fortuitous circumstances. A racist viewpoint would be that Europeans were smarter, not luckier. He's saying the opposite of what racists would say.
Anyway, enough. this thread is about recommending books
So perhaps you should stop criticizing books you don't seem to understand.
books you don’t seem to understand
Its rubbish, OK? He takes history and applies abritary rules to it that do not stand up to scrutiny such as "agrarian societies will always win over nomadic ones" apart from the Dorian invasion of Greece, the Hittites, the Aryans, the Huns and Mongols...he cuts and pastes history to fit his narrative, and does it over and over again in a way that's blatantly misleading in order for world history to fit his chosen narrative
He's like a 19th century writer suggesting that written history is a valuable "end product" that carries more weight than pre-history, which is obviously bogus. His opening statement about how Europeans came to have more 'stuff' than folk new guinea Is entirely a moral question and not an historical one, obvious to even the most casual reader.
I urge you, if you're interested in the idea of "world history" to read properly researched books, start with Collingwood's "The Idea of History" and go from there
Anyway, enough. this thread is about recommending books
I thought you said you were going to stick to recommending books, not arguing.
Yeah I know... Look I'm not having a pop OK, it's a personal gripe I have about that book. It's glossy it's well written it's bloody persuasive, but it's really really badly researched and the theory that it all hangs on is dubious at best, its scientific fake news...
Just read some other stuff that is properly researched is all I ask.
So anyway, I like The Da Vinci Code.
A novel with meaning - my take on that is that some books are just a nice self contained story; compelling narrative but that's about it. A book with meaning is one where the native and/or characters are a vehicle for a more significant comment on life. A good book with meaning is one that works both on the immediate and in a deeper sense - the 'contained story' also needs to be compelling irrespective of the deeper 'meaningful' context.
In addition to a few of the above I'd add 'A Prayer for Owen Meany' by John Irving. A bizarre but highly entertaining story at a superficial level that only comes together and makes sense in a very profound way in the last pages.
FWIW I agree with nickc. I thought Blood, Germs and Steel had the kernel of an interesting idea then a load of cod science piled on top.
If you are after a recent non-fiction book with some interesting ideas in it then I'd highly recommend "Sapiens". "Prisoners of Geography" was a good read too.
'A Prayer for Owen Meany'.
Good call convert,still one of my favourite books.
Some great titles already and nice to see Perfume getting a mention.
Dunno about novels but reading 'The Ethical Carnivore' by Louise Gray has struck more than a few chords. A lot of unanswered questions IMO but good nonetheless. Of course I could be a victim of confirmation bias...
Was fancying 'Alone in Berlin', seem to have developed a taste after 'The Man in the High Castle' and 'Fatherland'.
'Fahrenheit 451' seems poignant in today's climate.
Farnhams Freehold, Robert Heinlein
racisim, the fall of the white man, more racism and eugenics
The World Inside, Robert Silverberg
what happens when the population is allowed to explode
Startide Rising, David Brin
A chilling picture of the galaxy beyond, what it might be like for a technologically primitive man to venture into the galaxy where religious fundamentalists with god like technology hold sway and really don’t like us after we find something that contradicts their religious views
Peter Davidson’s Book if Alien Mosters, a collection of short stories including the hilarious “Vurfing the Gwrx “ (be careful playing games in arcades) and also a chilling story about sample collecting on alien worlds, because mummy and daddy of the samples might be 300ft tall angry carnivorous mobile mushrooms.
The State of the Art Ian M Banks only today Mrs Anagallis seemed aghast that I took the dog for a walk without my phone.
Sophie's World - fabulous introduction to philosophy seemingly aimed at the likes of me! i.e. easy to understand 🙂
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Very difficult to summarise the plot threads that comprise this satire set in Stalin's Soviet Union. Don't google too much or you could spoil it.
Lots of other good books already mentioned.
Flowers for Algernon certainly been one that's stuck with me. And Lord of the Flies, if you only ever read it at school. Totally different read when you're an adult.
I forgot to add: I am Legend and Sacrament (latter by Clive Barker).
The Diceman for sure - already recommended up there ^
The Stranger/Outsider - Camus
The Alchemist - Coelho
Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach
Filth - Welsh
Five off the top of my head there, but yeah loads more - How about Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail?
Animal Farm.
I have never been an avid reader, but do enjoy a graphic novel or two. Ones that get me thinking are,
The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman
Watchmen by Allan Moore.
Sacrament (latter by Clive Barker)
Not read it, but the mention of his name reminds me of his wonderful book Weaveworld – a book I have read many times.
I love Cormac McCarthy. But I always seem to finish his books thinking "That was incredible, but I never want to read it again". They're just emotionally draining. I loved his Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain). But I never want to read it again 🙂
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, actually.
Post Office by Charles Bukowski.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
+ 1 for Zen and The Art. I can see how it can look a bit like armchair philosophy from some angles, but I read it at just the right time and it definitely changed the way I thought about things.
The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed all by Khaled Hosseini
The film of the Kite Runner is one of the best adaptations I've seen.
My grandfather had Alzheimer's and the telling of that in And The Moutains Echoed pretty much had me in tears, something no other book I can think of has done
EDIT - which got me looking at Hosseini's Wiki entry in which he says Jack London's White Fang was an early influence. An excellent book with some truly awful films made of it.
+ 1 for Zen and The Art. I can see how it can look a bit like armchair philosophy from some angles, but I read it at just the right time and it definitely changed the way I thought about things.
I ripped it in half and chucked it in the bin 😀
Watchmen by Allan Moore.
Interesting (for a graphic novel) and entertaining fo'shure., I always find Alan Moore's writing exciting and interesting. But meaningful? I don't know what meaning we're supposed to take away from a blue godlike man, and the death of pretend superheros. (spoilers, duh...)
