by Gail Collins
First published 1990
Gail Collins takes readers on a comprehensive journey through ten centuries of human experience. She catalogs the most significant achievements and disasters that shaped our world from 990 to 1990. Collins organizes her material around notable highs and lows, creating lists that capture both triumph and catastrophe across the millennium. Her approach moves systematically through the centuries, identifying pivotal moments and influential figures. The author balances her historical survey with forward-looking speculation, offering her predictions for what the year 2000 might bring. Collins presents complex historical patterns in accessible terms, making connections between distant events and contemporary life. This book provides readers with both a retrospective understanding of how we arrived at the modern era and thoughtful consideration of where we might be headed as we approach the next millennium.
Genres: history, 20th-century, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: accessible, comprehensive, thought-provoking
Tropes: forward-looking, retrospective
Period: 990, 1990, 2000
207 pages · Paperback · Main Street Books