Author: Saisudha Acharya
Illustrator: Rohit Bhasi
Publisher: Duckbill
I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Do you think reading History can be made fun?
Does history leave you scratching your head? Does the endless parade of
kings, battles and dates make you yawn? Well then, this is the book to change
that! It is full of amazing, often hilarious and sometimes baffling stories
from ancient India. From the Stone Age to the Golden Age, India's past is full
of interesting people, mad antics and unbelievable connections. From central
Asia to Kanyakumari and ancient Rome to southeast Asia―ancient India was linked
with the world in ways you wouldn't expect! With quizzes, timelines and maps,
and laugh-out-loud funny cartoons―the book truly unpacks ancient Indian history
and tells you what we know about names, places (as far as we can decipher
inscriptions), events and motives (as far as we can figure out!) and of course
the strange things that humans do, whether back then or now.
History Unpacked is a wonderfully written book that teaches you the History of our country in a fun and engaging manner. The book spans the Stone Age to the Golden Age, and covers the various people who ruled over this land. Saisudha’s writing is quite interesting and keeps you turning the pages. Most of us have felt sleepy while reading History in our classrooms, however this book does the opposite. Each section of the book is very well written and reads like a story. Aimed for a young audience, the storytelling method of the book would certainly garner attention from the target group. The 10 chapters in the book are clearly segregated in specific timelines and talk about very specific aspects of History. Apart from the facts and history, there are maps, quizzes, and activities. This part of the book is something I enjoyed (even being out of the target audience), specially because it helps you connect with the facts as well, at the same time have some fun, reliving history. I would like to specially mention about the last chapter where the book explores the history of the North East, and the fact that the author admits that there is not much facts to develop this part of our history.
Coming to another aspect of the book, the illustrations complement the
book wonderfully. The illustrations are not just some pictures. Each of the
illustrations is wonderfully thought out and equally fun-filled as the text.
Rohit has blended contemporary aspects with history with elements such as
hashtags, selfies etc., somethings that the target audience would be able to
relate as well. Each chapter is preceded with a timeline that summarizes the
chapter and its illustration adds a wonderful layer to the storytelling.
Overall, this is a book that tells our story in a fun manner, and a definite
pick if you are looking for a book to gift someone in the age group 10 years and
above. The book scores a 5/5 for me.
Grab a copy of the book from a bookstore near you or on Amazon India.
