The Shortest History of India

The Shortest History of India, perfect for an overview of the distant and recent past of a fascinating country. I think that the most interesting part of the book is how John Zubrzycki’s narrative seems to at times challenge the reader to reconsider the legacy of some significant figures in Indian history. Some will see it as a dismissal but I feel it is in a way along the lines of giving the reader an opportunity to do their own research and form their own conclusions.

Zubrzycki's History of India was concise and in-depth overview of the wondrous history of India. Each chapter gave an overview of a certain time period, providing fascinating analyses of different rulers, interesting anecdotes, and never bogging down the reader in too many details. With some of the controversial or touchy subjects of Indian history, I felt he was respectful, giving context from other historians (it was very telling that he utilized a number of Indian historians rather than historians on India, underlying his acknowledgment of Indian historiography being written by a number of Europeans and not enough emphasis on writers from India).

This book is specific to general readers as well as historians who want a solid overview of Indian history. The Further Reading section gives a variety of other works on each topic, proving the author's vast knowledge of each chapter in his work. I learned quite a bit from this book and when it comes to brief and concise histories of an entire nation, this should be the template other historians should follow!

I really enjoyed this nonfiction.
It is a concise history of India including cultural and religious aspects. Maps, photos, and other illustrations are included that allow the reader to better place the events into context.
I know something about India, its culture and language; but chose this book in an effort to fill some of the blanks in my knowledge. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a short but thorough presentation of this topic.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading this book. I liked the non-flowery writing style with its clarity and conversational tone. Considering the time span and magnitude of the subject matter, there is an astonishing depth of information in what is actually a relatively concise book. The maps and visuals helped with this. John Zubrzycki opted to explain why things happened as opposed to just offering a collection of dates, places, and names. Obviously Zubrzycki couldn’t go into a lot of details, but I feel like he covered all the major ones. The book is fast-paced and impossible to put down, yet it doesn’t feel rushed. This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of India. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.

It took me two months to finish this, but don’t take that to mean the title is false or the book not worthy—it is, on both counts. This is a great book to savor and take in pieces, as I did while reading it alongside other books. Though I’ve studied history for years, my knowledge of Indian history was extremely limited and focused only on certain eras—this book was a great way to remedy that.

Despite its short length, Zubrzycki manages to be surprisingly detailed; he not only gives an overview of major dynasties and empires/forces in each time period, but he also takes care to highlight important figures—many of whom I learned about only for the first time. His focus employs a narrative approach which further humanizes these ancient or sometimes mythic figures; it’s hard not to be engaged.

Throughout each chapter, I always several things to highlight or mark for further study, in the nostalgic manner of an enthusiastic student. At times, my attention started waning as we approached more recent history, which is no fault of the book but of my own biases. I did appreciate how Zubrzycki, though he somewhat equivocates on contemporary hot-button political issues in the country, gives detailed insights into various perspectives. Being a historian is a tricky balance, since we tend to reward the victors only in hindsight—but the present is rather messy when it comes to this sort of polarization.

Overall, the author’s passion for India certainly comes through, as well as the sense that this was a sort of culminating project for him—all of which enriches the book and makes it a worthy choice for a skillful introduction to India’s long and rich history. Thank you to The Experiment and the author!