The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: The 100 Worst Things People Have Done To Each OtherA compulsively readable and utterly original account of world history—from an atrocitologist’s point of view. Evangelists of human progress meet their opposite in Matthew White's epic examination of history's one hundred most violent events, or, in White's piquant phrasing, "the numbers that people want to argue about." Reaching back to 480 BCE's second Persian War, White moves chronologically through history to this century's war in the Congo and devotes chapters to each event, where he surrounds hard facts (time and place) and succinct takeaways (who usually gets the blame?) with lively military, social, and political histories. With the eye of a seasoned statistician, White assigns each entry a ranking based on body count, and in doing so he gives voice to the suffering of ordinary people that, inexorably, has defined every historical epoch. By turns droll, insightful, matter-of-fact, and ultimately sympathetic to those who died, The Great Big Book of Horrible Things gives readers a chance to reach their own conclusions while offering a stark reminder of the darkness of the human heart. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - ThothJ - LibraryThingI expected to be utterly depressed throughout my reading of this fascinating trip down Atrocity Lane, but instead I found myself enthralled by the history being presented to me and the different way ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - ThothJ - LibraryThingI expected to be utterly depressed throughout my reading of this fascinating trip down Atrocity Lane, but instead I found myself enthralled by the history being presented to me and the different way ... Read full review
Contents
Second Persian | 3 |
Age ot Warring States | 13 |
The Roman Repubic and Dominions ca 133 BCE | 20 |
GIadiatoriaI Games | 34 |
GaIIic | 41 |
RomanJewish Wars | 51 |
The Three Kingdoms ot China | 74 |
Mideast Save Trade | 88 |
Haitian SIave RevoIt | 275 |
Qing China 18501873 | 287 |
Taiping RebeIIion | 294 |
Hui RebeIIion | 307 |
Mahdi RevoIt | 325 |
GrecoTurkish | 370 |
Second WorId | 422 |
Korean | 439 |
Mayan Coapse | 98 |
Religious Killing | 107 |
Fang La RebeIIion | 113 |
Huagus Invasion | 132 |
Ming China 13681644 CE | 143 |
BahmaniViiayanagara | 146 |
Aztec Human Sacritice | 156 |
Conquest ot the Americas | 188 |
BurmaSiam Wars | 195 |
French Wars ot ReIigion | 206 |
The Time ot TroubIes | 215 |
Coapse ot the Ming Dynasty | 229 |
Great Turkish | 237 |
Europe ca 1675 | 240 |
Great Northern | 247 |
War ot the Spanish Succession | 254 |
NapoIeonic Wars | 271 |
Other editions - View all
The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: The 100 Worst Things People Have Done ... Matthew White No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
Africa allies American army arrived attack battle became began blame British called camps capital cause century China Chinese Christian civil civilians colonies Communism Communist Congo count dead Death toll destroyed died dividing East emperor Empire enemy estimates Europe European eventually Fall famine fighting finally followed forces France French front Genocide German half hands head History human hundred India Italy keep killed king Korea land later leaders lives lost major March massacred military million MULTICIDES Muslim Nationalists native North official ofthe participants Persian political population Press prisoners probably Rank Rebellion rebels reported returned River Roman rule Russian Second sent ships shot side slaves soldiers South Soviet thousands took trade tried troops turned Type United University usually Vietnam wanted Wars West Western World York
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: The 100 Worst Things People Have Done To Each Other |
| Author | Matthew White |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company, 2011 |
| ISBN | 0393081923, 9780393081923 |
| Length | 669 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Military / General History / World |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |