The West Audiobook By Naoíse Mac Sweeney cover art

The West

A New History of an Old Idea

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The West

By: Naoíse Mac Sweeney
Narrated by: Shaheen Khan
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Brought to you by Penguin.

*A BBC RADIO 4 Book of the Week*

A radical new account of how the idea of the West has shaped our history, told through the stories of fourteen fascinating lives.

We tend to imagine Western Civilisation as a golden thread stretching from classical antiquity to the countries of the modern Western world. But what if this is wrong?

Told through the lives of fourteen fascinating historical figures - including a formidable Roman matriarch, an unconventional Islamic scholar, an enslaved African American poetess and a British prime minister with Homeric aspirations – archaeologist and historian Naoíse Mac Sweeney charts how the idea of the West was invented, how it has been used to justify imperialism and racism, and why it is no longer ideologically fit for purpose today.

The result is a bold and empowering new story of the people and ideas who made us who we are today.

'A fantastic achievement' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
'Bright, expansive, and iconoclastic, this deliciously witty book has the potential to upset the applecart of "Western Civilisation" itself... Magnificent' Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb

©2023 Naoíse Mac Sweeney (P)2023 Penguin Audio Civilization Comparative Modern Philosophy Political Science Politics & Government Sociology World Ancient History Imperialism Middle Ages Middle East Social justice Latin America Ancient Greece Founding Fathers Africa
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Easy the worst book in my collection of 100+ books.

For good measure, I enjoy Sweeney's articles on archaeology and follow her on Twitter, so when I read the book review in the Guardian, ending in "people will enjoy this clever and thought provoking account" it prompted me to purchase the book straight away.

*What a disappointment*

I somehow managed to listen all the way through this angry, moralistic disquisition, hoping for that thought provoking finale that never was.

The book did leave me feeling embarrassed on behalf of the author.

I tried to understand why Sweeney would write a book like this and the only thing I could think of (assumption) is that she has some serious beef with western culture and that she started writing before she was ready.

To me it's just another author who feels a need to bite the hand that feeds it.

I honestly tried to find the cleverness in the book or even a hint of a deeper meaning anywhere (other than an aggressive dislike for Europe and everything it stands for)

Would definitely not recommend. I'll stick to her Twitter feeds from now on

feeling embarrassed on behalf of the author

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The book's stated aim is to challenge the current narrative of Western civilization: a linear transmission from Ancient Greece to the Romans to Christian medieval Europe to the Renaissance and modernity. To this end, the author considers 14 characters ordered chronologically to illustrate through them that the above narrative is faulty. My assessment of the book is the following: most of the chapters are plagued with lengthy digressions that bring no added value to the argument, and gives a sense of loss of focus. The analysis - if any - is superficial, nothing like you would find in Edward Said's book "Orientalism". My overall assessment of Sweeney's book: dispensable.

Not deep, not focused, promises more than it gives

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