An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery

by John Bills

An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery is a ride through the Slavic nations of Europe and the men and women who made them great, from violent warlords to medieval kings all the way to ingenious poets, freedom fighters and a woman who literally fell from heaven. Along the way we learn the answers to some vital questions – Who invented the 20th century? How did World War One begin? Is it possible for a human to deadlift cattle?

592 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm a believer in the idea that we shouldn't only judge books based on if the aims of the author have merit, but also in whether they achieve what they set out to do. john bills tells you from the very start what this work is all about and it turns out to be exactly that! a lighthearted book talking about various interesting figures from slavic countries in south and central europe. as someone from this region, i was pleasantly surprised to for once see a book about said cultures that wasn't demeaning and depressing. the people the author talks about are interesting and the chapters can essentially be read about in any order. throughout the entirety of the book, the author manages to be funny and honest without being straight up insulting. (quite an achievement for a brit writing about the balkans) he uses a similar type of humor throughout the book which i thought would become gimmicky, but was pleasantly surprised when that wasn't the case. certainly others might disagree, but i felt as though he always managed to pull back just before it became tiresome. as he says himself, this is no academic tome, so if that's what you are looking for, you should look elsewhere. however if you are interested in reading some accessible material about an undervalued part of europe, then i very much recommend it. the author's love for the regions he's talking about is very obvious, and i for one find it charming.

[Víctor · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as the subject of the book is loable, and I enjoyed the premise of history with a fun touch, silly joke after silly joke made this unbearable at times. Which is unfortunate, because it made me, I feel, miss on part of the story (and history) when a slightly more straightforward (not necessarily more serious) writing could have aced its intention.

I do now know, surely, a bit more about the people who made the Slavic countries what they are today. But that was inevitable with 600 pages of text, wasn't it?