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Summary: Coffee Table Books For Dummies
Review: Isn't it funny that a book allegedly written by "Journalists" and "Reporters" can be so poorly fact-checked as this one is? First off, Jennings purports that the 20th Century ends at December 31, 1999. It doesn't. It ends December 31, 2000, so says the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the United States Naval Observatory.Besides that, as others have pointed out in these reviews, way too many people have been left out of "The Century" - as if their contributions to history do not matter nor exist. It's a nice-looking coffee table book, but those who buy it should not think for a second that it is anything more than a glossy and large (if narrow) view of the past 98 1/2 years. There are many better history books out there if that's what you're after.
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Summary: Invest in a good paperweight instead!
Review: This book, which purports to be an historical account of our century, is nothing but a colossal flop and big disappointment. All the glossy pictures and captions are interesting for about five or ten minutes, and then this book will start taking up space and collecting dust on your coffee table or bookcase. Jennings and Brewster claim to cover the history of the 20th century in this book, but what they have produced instead is a dumbed down, jaded, and insultingly simplistic work of tabloid journalism masquarading as history. My condolences to anyone who was duped into buying this book by all of the hype. For those of you who have not yet plopped down the 40+ dollars for this book, don't do it! Invest in a good paperweight instead! Or better yet, read one of the many well-written books about historical events that occurred in the 20th century. At least then you will have a better idea of what you are getting and will not be disappointed, insulted, and misinformed by Jennings' media spin machine.
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Summary: Once again looking to his own belly...
Review: I think americans should be ashamed. How could someone call "The century" something that we could call "US Century"? And what about all the other great momentus that happened around the world? The book is really good, is excellent. But the name makes no sense! Americans should remember that there is life outside US.
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Summary: Gandhi and Indian struggle for independence aren't mentioned
Review: I'm a twelve year old 7th grade student. My parents are immigrants from India though I was born in Germany. Mr Jennings, in your book I would like to point out that Mahatma Gandhi and Indian struggle for independence were not mentioned at all. Gandhi was a very important person in the history of this century, he led a revolution to success without any bloodshed. I don't mean to criticize your book, but Mao Zedong was mentioned a lot in your book and in my opinion I think Gandhi was a more important figure than Mao Zedong. Yet, your book had a vivid description on World War II. I'm interested in the history of the war and know a lot about it. You gave a great vivid summary of the Battle of Stalingrad. You had a really touching story about the collapse of communism in Europe.
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Summary: An excellent story, but it cannot have everything.
Review: The narratives and text of The Century are astounding. As the authors suggest, this book is truly meant to be read through as a novel. However, its title is very ambitious, and its material focuses more on America and its growing historical stance than taking on an objective point of view for the entire world. Still, this text will remain a great documentary on the shaping of American history.
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Summary: this book fails the Emma Goldman Test
Review: How can a book that proports to cover the history of the US this century not even mention Emma Goldman? Yet it does includes Bernard Geotz. It only makes a passing mention of anarchists in a reference to the Russian Revolution. The American Century by Harold Evans is a much better book. The book is a hack job which would be best out of print.
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Summary: The Century in America is a more appropriate title
Review: Dear Mr. Jennings: Hard to believe that as a former foreign correspondent and citizen of the world you've taken such a glib view of the world outside the US. The coverage of your book is so disproportionate, and so personality-driven that it's almost like the People Magazine version of history. What happened in Asia (Sino-Japanese War, democratic revolution in the Philippines, India/Pakistan) were given minimal coverage. Do you think that more than half of the world's people matter this little? Perhaps you should call this The Century - volume 1.
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Summary: A great listen
Review: I bought the audio version of this because I drive a long way to a summer place every weekend, and have found the tapes riveting. The sections on the two world wars were especially compelling--for the first time I understood the power of Hitler over a Germany reeling from the double whammy of WWI and the Depression. The section on WWI was unbelievable--with all that came after it is easy to forget how cruel and bloody and POINTLESS that conflict was. Frankly, audio books tend to put me to sleep, but with the voices of live participants in the events, the music, the sound clips and the Jennings naration, this one was a winner.
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Summary: Another Clone
Review: Rather bleak, rather common. Come on, how many more clones of these books do we need?!
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Summary: good but where was the Titanic?
Review: I think the book is a intresting portral of the century, but many things were not included. The biggest oversight was not including the Titanic sinking. in every book I have read on the subject it is stated that the Titanic sinking was the end of the gilded age and the end of innocence. That should be included. There are also many other things that were not included. Pol Pot's reign, the armenian genocide and what led Tsar Nicholas to abdicate. They left out almost everything to do with Russia at the start of the century. The Russio-Japanese war, 1905 revolution, etc. All in all though it was a good book.
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