Others say...

"Reading with a strong normative, leftisit and feminist perspective"
The value of this book is high if it is taken as just one of many and varied books to be consulted on the same subject. We all have limited time and need guidance in choosing a lifetime reading program.

Systematic reading and thinking will add to the depth of our individual thought, public discourse and personal fulfillment. However, each such book we consider has to be recognized for its limitations and biases. Knowing the biases, we can either further or diversify the pattern of thinking.

This book has special limitations compared to the kind of lists you would expect, for example, from Daniel Boorstin or Will Durant. Rather than claiming to be a general guide to a "Well Educated Mind," this book should be titled something like "A Socialist's Guide to a Modern Left-Leaning Mind." We also know, of course, of such lists from Bloom and others which are right leaning. So the focus here is not to judge the viewpoint, but to understand and identify the genre of the book at hand.

The perspective of historians such as Boorstin, Durant and Toynbee tend to involve a "positive theory" of history and culture. By such a standard, the present book is much more normative and reflects the writer's contemporary political and ideological biases perhaps more than is helpful -- if the reader's goal is to gain a comprehensive and balanced intellectual perspective.

Based on a cumulative understanding of the composition of our actual world today and reflections on how we arrived here from the Paleolithic Age, this particular reader's guide has at least four over-arching biases.

Namely:

1. The list is "god challenged" as it pays too little attention to the cultural basis of religion;

2. The list is feminist and reflects a modern feminist viewpoint;

3. The list is politically left leaning; and

4. The list is racially political as it reflects more of the left leaning Black Liberation Theology than is historically and culturally relevant.

Because of these biases, the books listed in this guide do not comport well with the reality of the development of Western Civilization. In some cases the selections are simply not the best in breed. In general, the portfolio of selections ignores the actual impact of the works which produce the most leverage in understanding the world we live in. Topics such as the Bible, Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte are ignored. Some works, meanwhile, are indicated as histories which are little more than modern political polemics.

More universally defined, a well educated mind will subscribe to a positive theory of history. In other words, the goal will be to understand Western/World culture it as it was -- and as it is -- with as little normative thinking as possible.

A reading program supporting a positive theory needs to be a kind of market portfolio. Positive theories produce a cultivated and balanced mind. The only reading list that can accurately have the broad label of "Well Educated" is the list which balances a comprehensive time-series of civilization with emphasis on Western culture and the cross-section of political views.

There are other specific weaknesses in the emphasis of this book. It for example, ignores Tolstoy's War and Peace. Accordingly, what is broadly thought to be the greatest work of historical fiction ever produced does not get any emphasis. Consequently, the list places too little weight on Russian Literature and the role of Napoleon Bonaparte in history. To put this in perspective it is worth observing that, of the ten or so volumes of Durant's study of civilization, as much as 25% is devoted to Bonaparte and the transition of Western culture from the Enlightenment to the era of Romanticism. Not having the time or incentive to cover all the background a reader will often find War and Peace a very efficient way to cover much of this historical ground -- while being entertained.

In addition to errors of omission, the list over-values questionable contemporary selections, such as the Woodward and Bernstein book on Watergate. We have to be circumspect and acknowledge that their book has little enduring value and simply promotes and/or excuses a hatred of Richard Nixon that will not likely last beyond the current generation. A list that incorporates Woodward and Bernstein and ignores Gibbons cannot be completely trusted for enduring political perspective.

Readers seeking an unbiased non-normative view can develop their own list from a portfolio of lists. Such a synthesis would tend to average over the ideological anomalies and yield an unbiased focus. See my List of Reading Lists as a basis for such choices.

"IQ"
Our grandson just finished "A History of the Ancient World" by this author and enjoyed it so much that he wanted to read more of her books. An excellent author.

"A great collection of spoilers"
This book doubtless has some good things in it, but it also includes a host of one-page synopses of great works---sort of a Cliff Notes of the Cliff Notes---which generally miss the point but never miss a spoiler. I feel bad for the person who stumbles across these and, in reading them, ruins the experience of reading the book synopsized for themselves for the first time. This is a terrible book.

"Great!"
I feel more educated after reading many of these books that SWB recommends. I know I have many more to read that were not included, but I'm on a good path. I think she put a lot of thought into her work, and I've read many books that she has suggested that I'd probably not read otherwise. Some have been terrific, some I could do without, but I thank her for the suggestions.

"A must-have for deciding on your must-haves"
As I went through the gambit of education all the way through my current PhD program, I read books to grasp the bare bones of what I would be tested on or what I would be required to reguritate into a scientific thesis.
Not only this book challenge and change the way I have been reading, it also gave me the tools to actually enjoy reading again.
I heartily recommend this book partnered with "1001 Books you Must Read Before You Die." If each book only takes you a week to read, then the entire list should only take you a little over 20 years.
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