History could be Interesting: The Human Story!

"History", the first memory which this word brings me, rather for all of us, are those agonizing & Sleeping-Pill-like Social Studies classes in school. Adding to it, imagine having the class after lunch break. How about that!!! It wasn't one of my favourite subjects in school. I was relived & happy, when we finally said Good Bye to the subject after Tenth. I  never wanted it back in my life. I abhorred it. I was so so Wrong!

I was roaming at the Landmark Book Store in Chennai. Browsing through the various New Arrivals. Trying to find out a book which I could buy next. I went through various genres of book from Fiction,Comedy, Self-help, Sci-Fi, etc. Nothing seemed to interest me. Just about the time I was deciding to go for the usual category of books, I saw this book with a very interesting cover (It is the same which is put up here). The name of the book was 'The Human Story: Our History, From the Stone Age to Today' by James C. Davis. Without giving it a thought, I just went ahead and bought the book. This happened sometime during the mid of 2010. I never picked it up for reading again, in that year. 

I picked up this book to read in January '11 and rest as the say is History. The book had a very interesting and engrossing feeling from the very start itself. It covered the complete history of mankind. The evolution of human, the transformation of him/her from hunters to gatherers, formation of societies. The rise of religious and scientific belief, discoveries, inventions,revolutions, wars, uprisings and the list goes on and on. 

The way stories of World War I & II is put forth is simply amazing. It was more like an Action-Thriller movie. The gruesome historical figures like Hitler,Stalin etc. are mentioned in quite a detailed manner and clearly brings out the role (cruel) they played. It also mentions the horror through which Jews in the  German Concentration Camps, the Chinese People during the rise of Communism in China, Russian Peasants during the rise of Marxism, etc. went through. There are many more facts which would amaze and shock you.

James C. Davis taught history at the University of Pennsylvania for thirty four years. This book clearly shows the experience and command he has on history. The book is more of a collection of memoir and excerpts of various books, articles & poems and his own interpretations on the same. More so it has been arranged and knitted in a very interesting and great manner, with a little touch of humour too. 

I would recommend to each and everyone to read this book. It would open up your mind and also provide different thought-angles to topic such as Globalization. It would also make you feel proud that, We are born in a Democratic Country like India.

Before summing up and spoiling your fun of reading this book, I would like to share one the Poem written by James C. Davis in this book. The title is 'So Far So Good':

"From Labrador to Coral Sea

Our lives were stunted, bleak, unfree.

We shared our huts with rats and fleas

And lost our children to disease.

(Our holy men would sigh and nod 

And tell us, "That's the will of God.")

But then, with steam, vaccines, and votes,

Our fortunes rose like tide-raised boats.

We'd more to eat; drew breath more years;

Dethroned (or worse) our tsars, emirs;

Sent men and mirrors as our eyes

To search the black galactic skies;

And in our cells, till then unseen,

We found our Fates, our djinns: our genes.

The world's still cruel, that's understood,

But once was worse. So far so good."

I was so Wrong! History could be Interesting. Just read it once and probably you would believe the same.

I have rated this book a 5 out 5.