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racheldoodle's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve read a few political bits and pieces over the years. I’ve always been a fan of Orwell and I keep up to date with politics, but it’s always been something I dip in and out of and get bored of quite quickly. This however is engaging, exciting and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I have peripheral knowledge of each of the themes in the chapters of this book and have found each chapter enlightening and educational. With a different perspective and view point on each topic.
I found it unbiased and the conclusion was profound. I cannot stress enough how enjoyable and accessible this book is, and look forward to reading prisoners of geography (yes I am aware this is not the way they were published but I picked up Divided on a whim without knowing anything about it) however I will be reading the rest of his material!!!
I have peripheral knowledge of each of the themes in the chapters of this book and have found each chapter enlightening and educational. With a different perspective and view point on each topic.
I found it unbiased and the conclusion was profound. I cannot stress enough how enjoyable and accessible this book is, and look forward to reading prisoners of geography (yes I am aware this is not the way they were published but I picked up Divided on a whim without knowing anything about it) however I will be reading the rest of his material!!!
alorena92's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this. I didn't finish it sooner because every page made me do a Google search to know more about a certain topic. In fact, I felt so ignorant at times; this book made me realize how much I still have to learn about what has already happened and what is currently happening in politics/society/culture worldwide.
A few reviews here point out how "outdated" this book is, which is absolutely ridiculous. It's a *book* on geopolitics; it's outdated even before it hits bookshelves. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is in a disarray, the Indian government has stripped Kashmir of its autonomy, and Brexit is still a chaotic, unresolved mess. It's impossible not to be outdated when we're talking about the present.
I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about geopolitics!
A few reviews here point out how "outdated" this book is, which is absolutely ridiculous. It's a *book* on geopolitics; it's outdated even before it hits bookshelves. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is in a disarray, the Indian government has stripped Kashmir of its autonomy, and Brexit is still a chaotic, unresolved mess. It's impossible not to be outdated when we're talking about the present.
I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about geopolitics!
lottie1803's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
jwood619's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Having read the first three books in the series, this one definitely outpaced the first two and was a worthwhile contribution to the field of simplified geopolitics.
The author tackles topics surrounding the theme of why the world feels as divided as ever, even in the midst of the Information Age when we are more connected than ever. I thought this book lended itself more to the author's writing style since it allowed him to draw on personal experience and opinions/analysis that felt more out of place in the first two books of the series.
I appreciated that the author didn't spout partisan talking points but gave a more nuanced view of a number of controversial historical and current topics. One example being the caste system in India, not an easy topic to address without oversimplifying, but one that he managed to summarize well while providing a degree of cultural complexity along with a fair critique.
The author addresses not only physical barriers but also ideological walls that keep the world divided. The East-West divide during the Cold War, where occasional physical barriers only told a small part of a much deeper divide, is a main example used. He also looks at the social media age and the weaponized sound-bytes without substance popularized by more recent self-proclaimed wall builder politicians.
It includes chapters on the history of walls and many historical examples such as the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall, as well as more current analysis of the U.S. and Mexico, Israel and Palestine, Europe and the refugee crisis, India, and the Korean peninsula. Overall a quick and informative read.
The author tackles topics surrounding the theme of why the world feels as divided as ever, even in the midst of the Information Age when we are more connected than ever. I thought this book lended itself more to the author's writing style since it allowed him to draw on personal experience and opinions/analysis that felt more out of place in the first two books of the series.
I appreciated that the author didn't spout partisan talking points but gave a more nuanced view of a number of controversial historical and current topics. One example being the caste system in India, not an easy topic to address without oversimplifying, but one that he managed to summarize well while providing a degree of cultural complexity along with a fair critique.
The author addresses not only physical barriers but also ideological walls that keep the world divided. The East-West divide during the Cold War, where occasional physical barriers only told a small part of a much deeper divide, is a main example used. He also looks at the social media age and the weaponized sound-bytes without substance popularized by more recent self-proclaimed wall builder politicians.
It includes chapters on the history of walls and many historical examples such as the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall, as well as more current analysis of the U.S. and Mexico, Israel and Palestine, Europe and the refugee crisis, India, and the Korean peninsula. Overall a quick and informative read.