REVIEW: The History of Money: A Story of Humanity by David McWilliams (2-stars)

 TLDR: A lively premise weighed down by oversimplification and a mismatch between subtitle and substance.

McWilliams sets out to tell “a story of humanity,” but the execution feels much narrower. The book reads as if it were built around a handful of pre‑selected concepts (coins, credit, trust, markets) rather than a coherent historical arc. Because that structure is never made explicit, the narrative jumps abruptly across centuries and civilizations, often without context or connective tissue.

The opening chapter on Rome is engaging and cinematic, but the momentum falters quickly. The transition into the Middle Ages is especially thin, relying on broad generalizations about Western Europe (“command and control economy,” “work hard to go to heaven”) rather than primary sources or meaningful economic analysis. Entire regions and monetary innovations — China, the Islamic world, the Mongol Empire, Africa, the Americas — are largely absent, which makes the subtitle’s claim to cover “humanity” feel overstated.

I’m also increasingly wary of books marketed as both a “breezy romp” and “important.” Those two promises rarely coexist well. When a book tries to be light, fast, and universal all at once, the result is often what happens here: a narrative that moves quickly but flattens complexity, oversimplifies history, and leaves out the very material that would make the subject genuinely meaningful.

The writing is accessible and fast‑paced, but often at the cost of depth. Readers looking for a TED‑style overview may enjoy the tone. Readers seeking rigor, global context, or a grounded history of monetary systems will likely find the treatment too superficial.

Recommended alternatives: If you’re genuinely interested in the history of money or want a more accurate picture of the medieval world, I strongly suggest pairing (or replacing) this with:

• Jack Weatherford’s The History of Money — a more global, anthropological, and conceptually coherent exploration of how money evolved across cultures.

• Matthew Gabriele & David Perry’s The Bright Ages — not a book about money specifically, but an excellent corrective to the flattened, Eurocentric Middle Ages narrative used here.

Bottom line: A quick, energetic read that overpromises on scope and underdelivers on depth. Best suited for readers new to the topic who prefer narrative momentum over historical nuance. REVIEW: The History of Money: A Story of Humanity by David McWilliams

RATING: 2-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (1-star)

 This book is one of those "big history" books where the author attempts to explain all of human history -- anthropology, sociology, pop psychology and pop economics -- through the objective lens of his own narrow perspective.  Frankly, I'm not sure why I kept listening in the hopes that he would uncover something novel or interesting.  I had intended to borrow the e-book to do a re-read but there are plenty of critical reviews out there of this book.

An excellent critical review here: SAPIENS BY YUVAL NOAH HARARI: A BRIEF JUSTIFICATION FOR CHAUVINISM

There's nothing new or groundbreaking in this book except that the author could manage to slide in so many sly, sexist references.  His treatment is hardly objective -- he repeatedly inserts sexist, racist and biological deterministic comments that had me laughing out loud. This book gets such rave reviews - why?  (See also: The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari)

He's a good story teller - but he does drone on and on --  sneaking in many biased statements and utter nonsense as "factual."  He even weaves in his own Western appropriation of Eastern spirituality in ways that seem to justify and excuse injustice throughout human history.  For example: 

"suffering is not caused by ill fortune, social injustice or divine whims. Rather, suffering is caused by the behavior patterns of one's own mind." 

I did a bit of research and he's practices meditation -- but it's really the racism and chauvinism that get me:

"In 1880, the Chinese empire did not operate a single railroad."  Why?  "they lacked the values, myths, judicial apparatus, and sociopolitical structures that took centuries to form and mature in the West and which could not be copied and internalized rapidly. France and the United States quickly followed in Britain's footsteps because the French and Americans already shared the most important British myths and social structures.  The Chinese and Persians could not catch up as quickly because they thought and organized their societies differently."

He claims that  "This explanation sheds new light" on the mid-to-late 19th century because there were no tangible advantages in the West or other explanations for their increased rate of industrialization.  Huh, ya don't say? 

He repeatedly talks about "feminism" as an ideology and in several repeated rants about the woes of individualism, he implies the negative consequences of women being able to vote, have checking accounts, divorce abusive husbands or choose not to marry at all.  

In more than one way - he makes it clear that he identifies with the successful, monied classes. This line was so laughable I bookmarked it:  "A government may impose heavy taxation on industrialists and use the money to give lavish unemployment benefits which are popular with voters."  Clearly, he doesn't understand how unemployment benefits work (ie, workers pay toward this fund) and his definition of "lavish" may need some examination.  Here in California, the maximum unemployment benefit is $450/week which is hardly a cause for celebration much less paying one's rent. 

Finally, he wraps up his conclusion with a dystopian prediction of a future occupied by cyborgs who have their feelings managed, and yea, even experience feelings we cannot imagine.  It's all a very "Gattaca" + "Blade Runner" + "The Fifth Element" kind of future and I had to rewind through the conclusions because it had me hooting and giggling so much.   YMMV.

Stick with Thomas Piketty's "Brief History of Inequality."

REVIEW: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 

RATING: 1-star

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: Around the Roman Table by Patrick Faas (4-stars)

 This is a history book disguised as a cookbook.  The first 2/3 are mostly ancient Roman history: culture, customs, sociology & anthropology. Great stuff!  The recipes are presented in latin and translated to English, and most are interpreted to modern cooking measurements.  I bought this in paperback at the Legion of Honor Museum when they had an exhibition of food and culinary items from Pompei -- and I"ll never part with it.  There are many recipes that I want to try.  I'm so curious to try Roman recipes that are heavily cumin & coriander (leaf and seed) dependent -- modern Italian  cuisine doesn't use those as much.

While the author described carousals and dining arrangements for festivities, I thought it was interesting that normal day to day dining wasn't much addressed. It seems that the society was largely centered around men  based on this history.  I want to know more about the women's lives and culinary habits.

REVIEW: Around the Roman Table by Patrick Faas 

RATING: 4-stars

REVIEW: Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages by Phyllis Rose (4-stars)

 What a great social history of personal relationships - whether they were larger-than-life literary figures or not, these well documented couples present variations on a theme of women's role in Victorian England.  Fantastic read - well written, very enjoyable.

Sadly, I loaned my copy to someone and it hasn't returned.  It seems like a re-read is in order with all the celebratory fluff around Charles Dickens.  The section on Charles Dickens relationship with his wife in this book merits more attention.  Yes, he was a talented writer and overcame much but he was also an incredible dick!  He philandered, he was controlling and abusive with his family, and more.

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: The Wild Muir: Twenty-Two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures by John Muir (5-stars)

 Purchased as an impulse at some park bookstore in the past couple of years, I am so glad I finally sat down to finish this book! It's like a box of chocolates, packed with novel delights - each just as delicious as the other, making it hard to decide which you like best.  The book lacks the excessive, hyperbole laden introductions that typically accompany this sort of thing.  The editor includes a brief paragraph or two to introduce each selection and provide context, along with a nice timeline of Muir's life at the back.  

There's even the inclusion of an article written by a man who accompanied Muir on a hike - and another report showing someone else's view of the same incident.  All in all, showing that Muir's physical fitness must have been quite unusual even for today because he rarely mentions any difficulties on climbs and gives the appearance to the onlooker of a fleet footed gazelle prone to bouts of "amatory botany."  It's funny - I rather had a picture of Muir as somewhat kin of Doctor Who - very intelligent, constantly moving and going and exploring, not really getting upset or stressed out about any scraps: falling ass over teakettle and knocking himself senseless or going snowblind didn't seem to upset him.  All the while admiring, enthusiastically appreciating and overflowing with joy at the amazing lovely wonderful things around him.  

I think one of my favorite stories was about the tree ride because I share this fascination with wind and could totally see the movement of the trees he described.  I most envy his description of the aurora borealis events - never having seen one.  The little dog going along on the hike was a fantastic tale, too.  I quite relished his constant descriptions of the quality of light - and the anthropomorphization - describing "badgers, marmots and other small people who live on the mountain."  

Now, I wish I could hear his voice - so I am going to have to go find some proper Scottish indie films to get that in my head for the next time I read something by Muir.

REVIEW: The Wild Muir: Twenty-Two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures by John Muir 

RATING: 5-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.

REVIEW: The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman (4-stars)

This is really a solid book - sort of a gateway book - it purports to be about the potato, but it's really about land tenancy laws, enclosure, the advent of crop rotation, population growth,famine, fuel costs, social history of home baking & the like.  The chapter "Women's Work" could be an article to stand on its own. He even gets into discussion of the use of utensils, dishes & pots - and given the late adaptation of forks in the US, and the ongoing use of knives for eating in England - it's no wonder that my granddad, who was born in 1910 to English emigrants to who moved SW Pennsylvania to mine coal, perpetually vexed my grandmother with his ingrained habit of eating off his butter knife.  He would always laugh and repeat the rhyme of "I eat my peas with honey..." before switching to a fork to please her.

 

REVIEW: The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman 

RATING: 4-stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.