Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History, Volume II (4th Edition)

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Summary: A window into the minds that shaped the world.
Review: As a high school teacher, I find Rodger's book a wonderful resource for helping students to see history through the eyes of the people who lived it. The books allow students to get acquainted with historical debates from which we can simulate them in the classroom. Students consistently report that they prefer the personal touch of primary sources to traditionally dry textbook accounts. After finding so much utility in them, I was somewhat surprised to see Rogers chided by so many reviewers. I noticed two dominant themes in these criticisms that warrant attention.
First, that "It's boring & confusing": This assertion reminds me of freshmen whose eyes glaze over when reading anything that contains anything with multiple syllables. Rogers' thesis is that history can only be made intelligible by studying the ideas of the people who shaped it. Those unaccustomed or disinclined from engaging with viewpoints other than their own would naturally take umbrage with his approach. Furthermore, one should not assume that one's own difficulties of understanding are necessarily symptomatic of defects on the part of the author. Serious reading takes time and patience.
Those who can discern no logic to the organization of the collection need only assemble a fuller concept of the history before attempting it. Rogers posits history as a debate between differing points of view. The outcomes of these debates become the dominant institutions and beliefs that define the events of any given period. His selections help us to see that process, from the horse's mouth as they say...
Second, that "Rogers is a Marxist": It is disheartening to see that readers lay the faults of communism on Rogers' doorstep. While certainly one is entitled to despise alternatives to capitalism, one cannot justly dispute that the activities of its opponents have done much to shape history, for good or ill. Rogers is an historian, not a politician. The beauty of Rogers' approach is that he allows his readers MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS by giving us competing ideas from many points of view. Of course if a free marketplace of ideas is repugnant to you, it would best to confine yourself to a diet of historical fiction, propaganda and your own writing. After all, wasn't politicizing history the worst mistake Marx ever made?

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Summary: Dr. Perry Rogers, Did he skip High School?
Review: I Fear this book may be the worst I have ever had the torture of reading. I was adviced to use this terible book in my history class, but after I read it over I would not subject my students to this even if I hated them. Roger's collection of facts and quotes are in some ways intellectual but when he attempts to connect things together with his owns words he destroys everything. Nothing he says seems to make sense, he tends to be all over the page and too opinionated. I am strongly agaisnt the banning of books but for the good of mankind I beg you to extinct this work of crap by Perry Rogers.

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Summary: A helpful primary source textbook
Review: In my AP European History class, I not only used this book, but had the author as my teacher. Overall, I found the book to be generally enjoyable and easy to read; I even brought it with me to college, heavily highlighted and full of notes, and have actually used it as reference for several class projects (and I attend an engineering school). While some sections of it I consider to be dryer than others, I believe that had more to do with my lack of interest in particular topics than it did the material itself. The chapter introductions and timelines put the material in a good historical context, and the study questions are good food for thought (and helpful for preparing for the AP exam -- in my experience, standardised test questions are seldom worse than anything Perry Rogers can think up). I think it was a great textbook that I would definitely recommend.

Rating:
Summary: A helpful primary source textbook
Review: In my AP European History class, I not only used this book, but had the author as my teacher. Overall, I found the book to be generally enjoyable and easy to read; I even brought it with me to college, heavily highlighted and full of notes, and have actually used it as reference for several class projects (and I attend an engineering school). While some sections of it I consider to be dryer than others, I believe that had more to do with my lack of interest in particular topics than it did the material itself. The chapter introductions and timelines put the material in a good historical context, and the study questions are good food for thought (and helpful for preparing for the AP exam -- in my experience, standardised test questions are seldom worse than anything Perry Rogers can think up). I think it was a great textbook that I would definitely recommend.

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Summary: Great Book but .....
Review: okay, this book is totally awesome because it has a lot of useful information, but occasionally it gets so boring that you want to die. It can get really tedious, and repetative too. Overall, it's good though.

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Summary: A fine collection of primary source material
Review: This is not so much a book, as a mish-mash of various articles and writings, many of which are so arcane as to be unreadable.
On page 168, Perry writes (in a chapter intro) "As long as competition, efficiency, and profit were the primary catalysts of the industrial revolution, the laborer would have to be sacrificed." This shows the author CLEARLY has little to no understanding of economics, or human nature. Microsoft, for example, has made SEVERAL HUNDRED people millionares! This is hardly what I would call sacrificing the worker! And WHY did they make so many people rich? Because they were going after "competition, efficiency, and profit". Capitalism does not "sacrifice" the worker, it REWARDS the worker. Even 100 years ago, many people became rich on the coat tails of Ford, Carnegie and Mellon. It appears Rogers is more interested in perpetuating the socialist/liberal ideal of a "workers paradise" (which will NEVER exist) then he is in historical fact. Emotion without truth, idealism without a foundation. This man would get along GREAT with Ralph Nader. :o)
If you are not forced to buy it for a class, don't do it.

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Summary: Loving Perry Rogers
Review: While I have had the magnificent ability to have this man as a teacher, I found this book to be incredibly stifling. The contents often made little or no sense and had to be deciphered by the students. The book often seems loosely put together, as if there was no actual intellect used to produce it - as if the book was only published to be published and there is no other reason it should be available to the public. I do not advise anyone to read this book unless you absolutely must. This man obviously has a Napolean complex, and any further production of his books must be immediately halted.