Becoming Charlemagne; Europe, Baghdad, And The Empires Of A.d. 800

The book develops Charlemagne’s rise and fall and documents all the rulers that follow after him. The effects of Charlemagne’s reign are explored through the history of many different countries across world. Charlemagne and his legacy are truly a great example of history that affects so many. As a student studying European history, Becoming Charlemagne was a fairly interesting book for me to read. However, its contents are very dense and oftentimes, not the easiest to comprehend. The technique Sypeck uses in his book channel that of an actual story. Being one who’s accustomed to reading history from a textbook, I found this new style of recalling history very different. The material is quite fascinating, but unless the reader has a true heart for history, I wouldn’t suggest it to them. Becoming Charlemagne isn’t a pleasure reading book, but it definitely would serve great use as a reference material. This isn’t the sort of book I would purchase for myself, but as a library book, it’s definitely a great option.

The author has provided the reader with a panoramic setting of Europe in 800 A.D. while at the same time, accurately and interestingly portraying everyday life in medieval Europe. I taught European history for many years, and would rate this a 9 out of 10!