Saturday, January 9, 2010

OHP BOOK REVIEW: THE WORLDS BLOODIEST HISTORY: Massacre, Genocide and the scars they left on Civilization

THE WORLDS BLOODIEST HISTORY: Massacre, Genocide and the scars they left on Civilization
By JOSEPH CUMMINS
Fairwinds Press, 319 pages




It is hard to describe a book with this title or its subject matter as a great read, much less an enjoyable book. However that is what Joseph Cummins did…..I am talking 5 stars, straight through the uprights, 3 points and nothin’ but net.

Ok, let me explain from a Reviewer/Reader stand point. I receive a lot of books to review and sometimes I receive a book that is sound, has a good looking cover and it draws me in somehow. I read the first two chapters. If it holds my attention I keep going, if not it’s to the center of the book I go for a middle chapter or two then two the last couple of chapters. By then I have gauged the quality and the intent, and have a solid foundation to judge (in my personal opinion) that its good, bad or average.

As an Historian and Researcher, I am looking for the complete story. I am looking for primary and secondary sources to back up that story(s). I am looking for names, dates, events and witnesses that can tell the story. And, though it is hard I am looking for the mind set, or both sides of the story, kind of the story behind the story if you will.

The World’s Bloodiest History was one of those books I could not put down. I actually read it over and over and went on my own researching quest behind the stories after each chapter. Now, that is something that no other book in my history of reading has compelled me to do…None, Nada, Zip. Not after each chapter.

What does this book that I am raving about have in it? Why am I so engrossed within the pages? Well, as the title states it’s the world’s bloodiest history. It covers eighteen (18) events that truly impacted the world and thier countries for generations. It is a book about racial and secular superiority. It is a book about greed and hate. It is a book about intolerance. It is a book about so many things, feelings, thoughts and actions. However, it is a book about hope, knowledge and courage to stand up to say this will not happen again. We actually did our interview with Joseph Cummins a couple of months ago and it was aired on OHP in December. Guess what, I’m still reading it.

What I love about this book is that for each chapter, you may not know a thing about the events, lets take the “Colfax Massacre” for instance. This was one of the stories that I did not know. Written with in that chapter there are eighteen (18) pages that cover the event and tragedy. The unbelievable part is….when I finished those eighteen (18) pages, I actually knew the who, what, when, where, why and how of that story. Imagine, each chapter is like that. Yes, every one. From the Carthaginians in 146 BCE to the Massacre at Srebrenica, its there and you will have a grounded understanding of each event when your done.

If you are like me…. it just may be a book that never ends. Pick it up, borrow it, check it out, download it; however you can get it, this is a book that you will want to read…and never completely put down.

Craig Anderson
Our History Project

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