Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsPick a different history book.
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2022
Heroes of History was the most aggravating book experience I’ve had in a while. History, no matter how objective, is always written from one side’s perspective, but Will Durant’s book, Heroes of History, crosses over from appropriately opinionated to wildly dogmatic.
The book unconscionably picks and chooses facts that ultimately paints an unrecognizable picture of great people. In one such offensive example, the book attributes the greatness of Gandhi to his “three formative years in England” and, unforgivably, miseducates readers to believe that Gandhi’s world-renowned stance of non-violence and national self-sufficiency in the face of brutal colonizers was nothing more than a weak and failed attempt at moving the colonized Indian people towards a more rural way of life.
In the name of brevity and succinctness, each chapter leaves the reader unsatisfied to have learnt not much beyond the names of these heroes of history. And, as a cherry on top, the book’s writing has a sexist undertone that really, really enhanced the overall experience for me.