I was not a fan of history in school. Memorizing names and dates really wasn't my passion or my strong suit. However, I've found that lately I have a change of heart.
I feel like there is so much to be gained from an understanding of history, life lessons already discovered in someone else's lifetime. So I've taken it upon myself to try to go back and learn about history.
However, I've chosen to learn history on my own terms. For one, I'm reading it. Books are cool. (Yeah, I'm one of those nerds.) And secondly I'm not starting from the dawn of time and working my way forward. I'm choosing things I find interesting and actually want to learn more about.
I just finished reading "The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall" by Christopher Hibbert. Shockingly enough it is about the Medici. (...) I chose this book to be my first official foray back into history because, the time frame is around the Renaissance, a time period I find fascinating ... obviously. The other interesting part of this book is the family and the way in which they ruled. Previously, the people in power got there using brute force. The Medici both got into a position of power in Florence and (to some extent) defended their place using political tactics. A revolutionary change that exemplifies the Renaissance.
It was interesting reading about a family dynasty. Each generation there was turmoil as the citizens of Florence doubted that the new Medici would be able to live up to the generation before. This family had a hand in building almost every single important building in Florence and were the patrons of some of the most famous Renaissance artists: Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo. They had two Popes in their ranks. They gave Galileo a safe place to retire to. (Isn't it weird that we refer to Galileo by his first name, when most other historical figures are called by there last names?) This family was ALL over the Renaissance.
Anyway, the book is a good read, but dense. Any good recommendations for histories or biographies out there?
~Claire Out.
3 comments:
Dear Claire,
Thanks for your great writing. This comment is posted here, but it's also about the whole rest of your blog.
I can't believe life is happening so quickly. I remember Evan fondly, too. I was sorry to hear the news. Congratulations on attempting to banish stress!
Checking out the Medici story in more detail sounds really cool! I will have to try it. Do you remember The Renaissance Reader?
My recommendation for a biography is "Eleanor Roosevelt" by Blanche Wiesen Cooke.
It's a wonderful book that I found during undergrad research and still think about almost weekly. It goes way beyond the details of Roosevelt's life and gets into how personality influences historical roles, and what "greatness" might mean in an individual.
I didn't read every chapter -- it's huge -- but I can especially recommend the parts that deal with her childhood, early marriage, and the end of her life.
I will absolutely check that book out. I've been meaning to look into Eleanor for a while now. So many interesting quotes of hers seem to pop up that I enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation.
I love John McCullough, but I'm an American history junkie. His biography, John Adams, was fantastic though. And that was my stance even before the fabulous HBO miniseries. ;)
Hope all is well! Love reading your blog!
- Marissa
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