I was right in my assumption that I would learn stuff from this book; I did learn a lot. So many aspects of history - both large scale things and small details - are associated with borders. A profound observation is how few borders are “natural” - like rivers or shorelines; a very large majority are totally man-made, often by people just looking at a map and drawing a line.
The book is very detailed, so it took me a time to read. However, it is well-written and easy to read, with comfortable length chapters and a very relaxed writing style - no pompous academic language!
At the end, I am left with the feeling that so many of the world’s problems were [and are] caused by borders that result at least in a sense of “other” and at worst conflict. We would be so much better off if we could all just be citizens of Planet Earth.
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