einsteinfrankenstein t1_j9rfr88 wrote on February 24, 2023 at 12:52 AM

What are some popular and fairly unbiased introduction to world history for people who are generally not interested in history?

Trying to get someone (a non-Westerner who has been living here since an early age) interested in reading about history, but I do know they're not interested except for a mild curiosity about world history. They're through a stage in their life where they may want to use history to make sense of their life. But I'm not familiar with books on world history myself, only with specific areas (e.g., science history).

Now, I know there is no escaping that history will have its biases, and that a book written by an English-speaking author in a Western country and for Western readership will likely have some degree of pro-Western biases. And that a popular world history book of only a few hundred pages will necessarily simplify history and leave out important events.

But some works of history are based on stronger scholarship than others, which have a political agenda or are written by people without the necessary educational background. So it's not all the same, but at the same time no work is "perfect."

So I want to ask for your help in getting some recommendations. Appreciate it.

ImOnlyHereCauseGME t1_j9unjzl wrote on February 24, 2023 at 6:04 PM

This is really a tough question to answer because it depends what your friend is interested in. If there’s a specific time or issue that interests them more than others then I would suggest finding something regarding that. For instance, if they like Samurai movies or Medieval knights then look for a decent, not heavy, book regarding that time frame.

You could also try something more general that covers a broad expanse of time such as Dan Carlin’s book, The End is Always Near. It’s been a while since I read that but I remember him releasing many historical events to modern day so it is more relevant and interesting.

Not a book, but you should also show them the YouTube channel called, Crash Course World History. It’s done by a history teacher in an engaging way and is meant to cover historical eras in an easy and relevant way - meant for people exactly like your friend. I would recommend starting there and then if they find a historical era or civilization they want to know more about then diving into some related books. Hope that helps!