Sicily: An Illustrated History (Illustrated Histories

by Joseph F. Privitera

Sicily was the jewel of the Mediterranean, and Sicilians were the first civilized people of the Western World-here is their rich and diverse history in crisp prose and lively illustration. This concise history relates how Sicily rose to become the first independent, civilized nation of greater Italy, as well as home to many of the world's most distinguished philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, and artists. The narrative subsequently recounts the region's millennium-long decline at the hands of foreign invaders, its hard-won battle for freedom in 1860 under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi, and its current status as a center for art and tourism.

Genres: Italy, History, Nonfiction

172 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts about this.

First off - this is a great intro into the history of Sicily. VERY concise/dense with pivotal moments highlighted and explained.

Secondly - as a Sicilian myself, I found it to be very painful, to see so many countries use Sicily as either a stepping stone in their trade route or as a place to exploit to fulfill whatever other “grand plan” they were enacting (Spain, I am looking at YOU).

The only constant throughout is the Sicilians themselves. Kept subjugated by whatever whim put a country into power, they scraped by and cared for each other. Their endurance was and continues to inspiring.

As for the writing, I really appreciated the look into what each country/culture contributed to what we know as Sicily/Sicilian today. And if the downfall of 12th century Palermo doesn’t give you a visceral reaction…I don’t know what to tell you.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an author’s anecdotal history—what most students could recount after a semester of study. Calling the book “illustrated” is a stretch. There are black and white photos, but only enough to barely justify the word “illustrated.” This is for a fast read, not an in-depth study.

[Anca Popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and easy to read in order to get yourself introduced in to a section of history to wich you're not that familiar. Fast to read and still with lots of information.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very dry history of Sicily. Interesting if you truly want to learn what the history of the island is, but I don't recommend it for enjoyable, leisure reading. The one good thing about the book though is that it is short. The author covers the history from the 11th century B.C. to present day in only 142 pages. So while it is dry, it is concise and to the point. Being called "An Illustrated History" though, it could definately use more actual illustrations.

[Lalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mostly readable, but occassionally dry, concise history. Very misleading subtitle. There are very few illustrations and photos. However, I would recommend it to everyone who wants a comprehensive overview of the history of Sicily. It seems that there are not very many good (nonov-erly academic) books to choose from on this topic.