There are some things that irked me about this book. Of course, with the tons of data that went into this, it can still be overwhelming at times if you have no prior knowledge of an event. Unlike certain other authors, White goes to great lengths to make his book understandable for people that don't know every dynasty in Europe and cannot pinpoint the exact borders of 17th century Bohemia on a map. For a book that looks like the worst of popular history, there's a lot of historical background information and surprisingly few descriptions of particularly brutal murders (fewer than in Death by Government). Even comparatively minor events, like the actions of John Rabe, have occasionally been mentioned. The scope of it is enormous, yet the descriptions feel complete. This is an excellent history book and a must-read for anyone seriously interested in democides. I was pleasantly surprised that the humor was snarky, but not in juvenile, and that the research was scholarly in the good sense of the term. After reading some other reviews, and considering the very sensational cover and title of this book, I was afraid it would be tasteless and of limited scientific value.
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