A century ago; outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones; Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation; viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present; the East and the West; Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.
#30764 in Books Ecco Press 2011-03-08 2011-03-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.26 x 5.31l; 1.38 #File Name: 0060787295784 pagesEcco Press
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good study.By Karen Van BuskirkThis book is a very interesting and in depth review of medieval crusades and the powerful men who wielded the swords. I found it quite complicated in following the timelines and locations so using a historical map (included in the book) helpful. I also tracked the major event dates by building a diagram of sorts. This seemed make the reading flow better. All in all; it is a fascinating time and illustrates the tumultuous growth of the Christian church. Be prepared to take your time.346 of 355 people found the following review helpful. The best one-volume history of The Crusades I've yet readBy Shawn M. RitchieA good; readable history of The Crusades has escaped me to this point; for whatever reason. I was very excited when Tynerman's God's War was released a few years ago; and quickly became disenchanted when I tried slogging through it and realized what a boringly-written brick it was. Couldn't finish it. Runciman's classic volumes; which have been the definitive essential reading for half a century now; are still valid; entertaining reads but have been long since over-taken by newer evidence and much fresher; more-encompassing interpretations. As a read; they're still great fun. As good history; they're quite biased and lacking today.So; when I saw a shiny new tome promising a complete revisiting of long-held assumptions; I couldn't resist. Asbridge's chronology is straightforward; starting with a quick survey of Islam's rise and subsequent takeover of the Christian Holy Land; he moves to Europe to set the scene of the medieval papacy and nascent western kingships that would bring about the concept of Crusading. In a nice touch; he continues to revisit the contemporary meanings; definitions and assumptions behind crusading as it developed from an event without even a name ("crusading" was a later appellation) to the currently-understood form. From these basics; he moves us through each of the main five Crusades; deftly describing the expected peoples; places; and battles. He strikes a good balance between talking about the most important figures and key battles versus the less-glamorous but as-important topics such as trade and societal makeup that; while harder to make exciting; are very important when trying to gain a full understanding of the events.Very crucially; he spends as much time covering the Arab viewpoint as he does the Christian. He also properly gives notice to the fact that; while western sources are fairly voluminous by the standards of the era; the Crusades just didn't have a major impact on the Muslim world at the time; and therefore sources from the Muslim POV are much less available. That said; he does an admirable job of situating the reader as best he can in the Muslim frame of mind during each crusade; giving admirable detail on outside pressures that might've existed; any internal dynastic or civil events that had bearing on their interactions with the Crusaders... other histories I've read of this era often fall flat in this particular regard.He closes with an excellent overview of how the Crusades have themselves been viewed throughout history; both in the West and in the Muslim World; this may have been my favorite part of the book as it's not a topic I've ever seen covered before; much less so well.The writing style is nice and lively as well. It reads almost like a strong historical fiction narrative; a testament not only to the author's skill but to the inherent drama of the period.BOTTOM LINE: This will be my only answer for anyone asking for a recommendation on the period for probably years to come.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Well done - excellent narration; extensive look at the subject matterBy M. LongWell done - excellent narration; extensive look at the subject matter. Outstanding detail; good background into “cause effectâ€. A bit of repetition; but overall; a very good book!
