The West : a new history in fourteen lives
Book |
Dutton
New York :
[2023]
- 1 of 2 Copies Available at Libraries in Niagara Cooperative
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
| Branch | Call Number | Location | Holdable? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grimsby | 909.09821 MacSw | Non-fiction | Copy hold / Volume hold | Available |
| Welland Main | 909.09821 Mac | Adult Non-fiction | Copy hold / Volume hold | Checked out |
About
In this groundbreaking, story-driven retelling of Western history, Naoíse Mac Sweeney debunks the myths and origin stories that underpin the history we thought we knew. Told through fourteen figures who each played a role in the creation of the Western idea—from Herodotus, a mixed-race migrant, to Phylis Wheatley, an enslaved African American who became a literary sensation; and from Gladstone, with a private passion for epic poetry, to the medieval Arab scholar Al-Kindi—the subjects are a mind-expanding blend of unsung heroes and familiar faces viewed afresh. These characters span the millennia and the continents, representing different religions, varying levels of wealth and education, diverse traditions and nationalities. Each life tells us something unexpected about the age in which it was lived and offers us a piece of the puzzle of how the modern idea of the West developed—and why we’ve misunderstood it for too long.
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Details
- ISBN: 9780593472170
- Physical Description: x, 438 pages : illustrations ; 24 cmprint
- Publisher: New York : Dutton [2023]
- Bibliography, etc. Note: Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-423) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note: Introduction Obsessed with origins -- Chapter 1 The rejection of purity: Herodotus -- Chapter 2 The Asian Europeans: Livilla -- Chapter 3 The global heirs of antiquity: Al-Kindī -- Chapter 4 The Asian Europeans again: Godfrey of Viterbo -- Chapter 5 The illusion of Christendom: Theodore Laskaris -- Chapter 6 The reimagining of antiquity: Tullia D'Aragona -- Chapter 7 The path not trodden: Safiye Sultan -- Chapter 8 The West and knowledge: Francis Bacon -- Chapter 9 The West and empire: Njinga of Angola -- Chapter 10 The West and politics: Joseph Warren -- Chapter 11 The West and race: Phyllis Wheatley -- Chapter 12 The West and modernity: William Ewart Gladstone -- Chapter 13 The West and its critics: Edward Said -- Chapter 14 The West and its rivals: Carrie Lam -- Conclusion The shape of history -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Further reading -- Index.