This unusually accessible study of Africa's many histories since 1970 owes its distinctiveness to the author's career...a thoughtful, passionate account by a senior BBC journalist who spent three decades working on and in Africa. His intimacy with places and people give the book a grittiness that library research never provides.

A superb book...genuinely innovative, demonstrating a fine understanding of the role of structure and agency in the continent's 'many histories'. The argument will appeal to an audience seeking a convincing and well-researched account.

A book we simply cannot do without

This is the book we have all been waiting for - the book that takes us beyond the easy assumptions and lazy comfort of the Mandela era and into what Alec Russell calls the second struggle. Eloquently he shows how transforming the magic of freedom into a nuts-and-bolts change in the lives of ordinary people is turning out to be far more difficult than anyone could have imagined. The strength and power of Russell's book lies not just in the big - and often disturbing - conclusions he has reached but in the little details that have got him to that point. This is not a book written from afar . . . After Mandela could only have been written by a man who actually cares about what happens to the people he has met on his journey through South Africa's recent history

Russell does not pull punches in describing the widespread disillusionment ... but he does seek to put the ruling party's shortcomings in context

Exciting contemporary history, a must for anyone concerned with what is happening now. Scathing in his criticism of newly rich magnates, he also exposes the two-faced liberals

A brisk, lively and vividly written portrait of post-apartheid South Africa

The ingenious plot leads from corruption at the top to a shocking and wholly believable revelation

Unsparing account . . . simultaneously bracing and really quite depressing

Nigel Townson's book provides a marvellous overview of more than one hundred years of Spanish history. It is based on wide-ranging research, original in approach and accessible in style

A splendid study, a true magnum opus. This is absolutely the best history of twentieth-century Spain in either language

Impressive

Compelling ... Impressively for a book that covers a long and tumultuous era, Townson makes space for recent research, much of which will be new to the general reader ... An up-to-date history of modern Spain is a mammoth task, but one which Townson is well placed to attempt

Troubled times call for a historical perspective and this is the historical perspective we need

Demonstrates how that old saying - "this time is different" - is both so true and so wrong!

Crashes are an integral part of the history of capitalism. The last century has seen plenty of them. All crashes begin with debt-fuelled euphoria and end in disappointment. Yet how bad that disappointment turns out to be also depends on where in the economy the crash falls and how determined and credible are the responses. In this lively and blessedly brief book, Linda Yueh does a lovely job of explaining the history and drawing the necessary lessons

This excellent overview identifies the ingredients that are specific to each crisis and common to all. She provides a lucid assessment of the efficacy of policy responses, high-lighting credibility as a necessary condition for successful resolution

"Why did nobody notice?" Was the question the Queen asked about the 2008 financial crisis. It was a good question. All financial crises and crashes have their own characteristics but they also often involve certain common features:- Irrational exuberance, Speculative frenzy, Greed and over confidence usually supported by high levels of gearing.

Linda Yueh's new book will be a timely reminder to governments and regulators of the warning signs of future crises

Timely, entertaining and full of useful insights

Renowned economist Dr Linda Yueh looks at past financial crashes - from the Wall Street Crash to the dot com boom and bust and the Covid pandemic - to explore what we can learn from them in this entertainingly written book.

Entertaining, well-written . . . [Yueh] has come up with a three-step framework to help spot when financial problems are brewing and identifies where the next may occur.

A gifted writer (een begenadigd schrijver)