“Histories of Nations” by Peter Furtado
This is one of the books I can recommend for everyone to read. A lot of people are ignorant of how some identities and races were formed. Moreover, how these races became inhabited into an entity called a nation or a state, with a government to administer their affairs. Notwithstanding, some races, however, are forged into another identity, hence losing their original and known identity. Therefore, to have a full understanding of issues such as this, this book “Histories of Nations” is weighty enough for highlighting the formation and development of about 28 identities and human races.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2012, with a few histories of the nation. In 2017, it was reprinted, and many other histories of nations were added to it. The book is so rich with historical facts that it can help people learn about certain countries of the world. The most important aspect of it is that many people do not understand why some countries of the world undertake some local and foreign policies, hence thinking that they are just doing that for international politics. The truth is that countries of the world would pursue their policies based on historical antecedents and how the people were formed. This is the central information the book portrays. Since many nations have different formations, they will certainly act differently in their interactions with other nations.
Another intriguing thing about this book is that the history of various nations is written by different writers. For example, the history of Egypt is undertaken by Hussein Bassir, while that of Iran is by Homa Katouzian. The history of the 28 countries of the world captured by this book is written by different writers, and the duty of Peter Furtado was to combine these works together to give readers a sense of direction and ease.
This book will make a good read for historians, political analysts and social commentators. It is a sure thing that the information from this book will sharpen the reader's knowledge on understanding the fulcrum of many nations of the world. Before I stumbled on this book, I found it difficult to understand the history of Israel as a nation and why its foreign policies are different from those of most countries in the world. As I read through this book I got to understand lots of things about them. You might also be in a situation that I was in, the only thing is that this book can bail you out of ignorance and misinformation.
Moreover, the book is accompanied by images of great men and landmarks as well as maps showing the locations and places of history of each of these countries. These are enough facts to help readers and researchers in their work.
This book is beyond just being an intellectual activity or prowess, it's an intentional act on the part of the writers to bring to bear some aspects of information for the sharpening of the intellectual capacities of the readers. Anyone who spends time on it will have no regrets whatsoever.