Prisoners of Geography

LoveReading4Kids Says

Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2021

Maps are endlessly fascinating to children but this book will really open up the world to them. In Prisoners of Geography Tim Marshall reveals how geography has affected civilisations and how countries’ histories – and the lives of their people – have been shaped by the position of mountain ranges, valleys, rivers and coastlines.

Take Russia for example: even as it grew bigger and more powerful over the centuries, it’s always been exposed to attack from the west because of the North European Plain, and still is. In another chapter he explains why it’s so important to China that it controls Tibet, and the islands in the South China Seas.

By showing the ways geography, history and politics converge he makes complicated stuff – the situation in the Middle East for example – accessible and fascinating. It’s a book to get readers of any age thinking and seeing things differently.

Reviewed by Andrea Reece
Andrea Reece has spent almost her entire working life in children’s books, first as publisher, latterly as consultant, project manager and critic.
More reviews by Andrea Reece

About Prisoners of Geography

"For curious children ages 7-15, Prisoners of Geography has lots to fascinate."-The Wall Street JournalThe secret world history written in the mountains, rivers, and seas that shape every country's politics, economy, and international relations-and our own lives-is revealed in this illustrated young readers edition of Prisoners of Geography, the million-copy international bestseller. History is a story-and it's impossible to tell the whole tale without understanding the setting. In this eye-opening illustrated edition of the international bestseller Prisoners of Geography, you'll learn to spot connections between geography and world affairs in ways you never noticed before. How did the US's rivers help it become a superpower? Why are harsh, cold and swampy Siberia and the Russian Far East two of that country's most prized regions? How come Japan prefers to trade along the coasts instead of across its land? What do the Himalayas have to do with war? With colorful maps that capture every continent and region, plus hundreds of illustrations that illuminate how our surroundings shape us, this one-of-a-kind atlas will inspire curious minds of all ages!

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