Booklist

Proving that Wikipedia is never a good substitute for real research, these titles in the Understanding World History series offer more thorough introductions to their topics. With an opening time line and guided questions, the books immediately encourage students to ponder each era’s place in history. The Digital Age starts with Charles Babbage’s designs for the world’s first automatic computing engines and continues with the influence of WWII and the Cold War on computer development, advances in mainframe and personal computers, and lasting global connections through the World Wide Web. Elizabethan England relates Queen Elizabeth I’s advance to power and considers the hardships of life in London, the rise of the arts during the Renaissance, and Elizabeth’s role as “pirate queen,” endorsing privateering, slave trading, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Using quotes from primary sources, Pearl Harbor addresses the long buildup of events leading up to Japan’s infamous surprise assault, preparations and details of the attack itself, and the aftermath as the U.S. entered the war. Complemented with archival photos and reproductions, the books conclude with a look at each era’s legacy, from workhouses for the poor to the atomic bomb to digital media as a tool for social activism. Extensive back matter provides avenues for further research.