kickerdad - , reviewed on 2/18/2018 + 123 more book reviews

I acquired "How the Irish Save Civilization" on a whim. My stack of things to read is at least shoulder high but the title called to me. So without any inkling of content, not a single review read, I began. I struggled through the first 50 pages wondering the point and purpose of the book. It meandered and I was unsure of my destination. I found the tone somewhat belittling and demeaning, almost like the professors I had my freshman year of college who tried to convince us that we didn't know anything, and that everything we may have learned up to this point was a lie. Sentence structure was complex. I considered setting side but I was curious. My knowledge of early European history is very weak and I wanted to know what the founding of Rome had to do with what I thought I was reading.

I finally started to see the threads coming together in Mr. Cahill's tapestry - around page 100. I feel like I learned more about the evolution of Europe than any classes I may have taken previously. It was also fascinating how the socio-political rise and fall of Rome led to Ireland becoming a major hub of knowledge that helped humanity retain flickers of knowledge through 'the Dark Ages.' Some of the more cynical observations and conclusions need to be viewed in the light that all history is tainted by the perspective of the writer. Even so, I feel my knowledge of Roman, Greek, and European history has been expanded. [3.75 of 5]

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