Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall

I read Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics by Tim Marshall on a plane journey recently, and it's such a brilliant book for someone who, like me, didn't have a particularly rounded or extensive knowledge of world politics. I have been reading a lot of non-fiction recently, having opted almost solely for fiction modules whilst at university, and I'm really loving the knowledge and satisfaction it brings. Sapiens, Ten Types of Human, The Language of Kindness (review coming soon)... are all recent non-fiction reads that I've loved. I was always of the (pretty narrow-minded) opinion that non-fiction wouldn't be as gripping as fiction - I was so wrong!

This book is written by British journalist Tim Marshall, who is a leading authority on foreign affairs and has a background of over 25 years of reporting experience. He has one brilliantly impressive CV, having worked for Sky News, the BBC, The Times, The Guardian and The Independent publications, to name a few! It is clear when reading that this author is highly knowledgeable, yet despite this extensive knowledge of global affairs he writes in such a way that is readable, interesting and hard to pull yourself away from. 

The book is split into ten parts (Russia, China, USA, Western Europe, Africa, The Middle East, India & Pakistan, Korea & Japan, Latin America and The Arctic), each preceded by a map showing state borders, disputed borders, and administrative borders. The concept of the maps is so helpful to visualise where specifically the author is referring to as he explains the politics of each area of land, and you definitely find yourself flipping the pages back and forward for context. Marshall gives both an overview of each area, and zooms in on particular places of interest or conflict, drawing also on his own experiences travelling to some of these places and of people he has met. Reading this book enhances both your geographical and historical knowledge, and generally made me feel like my brain had gone up a dress size! 

I read one review on Goodreads which really resonated, and that is that I think the subtitle of the book could just be "Ten Maps That Tell You Everything". The use of the words 'global politics' is an accurate description of the book, but might put some people off if they think it sounds too heavy or, for lack of another word, dull! I found that the book focused on how the history and geography of each region intertwine, and although there is a lot of politics in there it is definitely not a dull book in any aspect. In short - read the book! It will make you feel like a more intelligent and worldly human, and you'll feel much more knowledgeable than you did before, I guarantee it!