Author:Lawrence Potter
This is a life raft for anyone who finds themselves floundering amidst a sea of ten-second soundbites, wishing they had a better grasp of complexities of world politics and global issues. Clear, concise languagesets the record straight on a diverse range of topics as Lawrence Potter presents answers to fifty-seven questions about the world we live in, stretching from "What is jihad?" to "is fair trade a good thing?" and "Is there still a war in Chechnya?" . Important information including the latest research on environmental issues and the history behind current events worldwide is presented in enough detail to be useful without overwhelming readers with too much making for a balanced, informed reference guide.
Also covering... What is the problem with plastic bags? What did Sadaam do to the Kurds? What is the difference between a sunni and a shia and is it possible that global warming is not taking place in athoroughly updated new edition complete with a new chapter explaining the problem of Afghanistan
Written with disarming honesty and a wonderful sense of humour, explaining quite difficult problems with just the right level of detail and analysis, this book is a pleasure to read and worth buying .
—— Morning StarFerguson constructs an entire scenario starting with Charles I's defeat of the Covenanters, running through three revolutions that did not happen and climaxing with the collapse of the West, ruled by an Anglo-American empire, in the face of a mighty transcontinental, tsarist Russian imperium ... A welcome, optimistic assault on an intellectual heresy
—— Sunday TimesA talented and imaginative team who tackle with counterfactual verve a series of turning points
—— Daily TelegraphMaking Haste from Babylon is essential reading for those who think they know the story of the Pilgrims. It will be pure pleasure for those who are new to the subject
—— Simon Middleton , BBC History MagazineThis new history has made those supposedly dull Puritans crackle with narrative energy and fizz with vibrant colour as never before
—— Christopher Silvester , Daily ExpressAn honest, intensive attempt to reconstruct the nemal world of the first Pilgrims, and the topography of the new lands in which they settled
—— Times Literary SupplementThe mythologised vision of the Pilgrim Fathers we have today - their black hats, their lace collars, the landing on Plymouth Rock - is largely a sentimental Victorian fabrication, says this rewriting of one of America's most sacred fables
—— Financial Times, Christmas round upTimely... Nick Bunker has re-told an old story with aplomb, using a wealth of sources to capture the febrile mood of the time
—— Sally Cousins , Daily TelegraphAdmirable
—— New York TimesSweeping, extensively researched
—— Leo McKinstry , ExpressButterworth writes lucidly, in fine detail
—— Peter Preston , ObserverThis is an exhilarating gallop through the history of anarchism
—— Financial TimesHistorian Butterworth makes a first-rate addition to the growing list of books dealing with terrorism's origins and history... Delivering a virtuoso performance, Butterworth adds the hope that history will not repeat itself and that a successful new bloody ideology will not create the next scourge
—— Publisher's WeeklyThis is entertaining stuff
—— Sunday Times, Christmas Round UpButterworth's fascination with his subject drips from the page...this is entertaining stuff
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday TimesAn astounding story of bitter civil warfare that raged across many countries for decades. Butterworth's passionate account of the anarchist movements born in the late 19th century describes a conflict that spawned its own "war on terror"
—— Steve Burniston , Guardian