Bloody History of Paris: Riots, Revolution and Rat Pie

Paris has had a long and often violent history, from the early days when it was conquered by the Romans to the French Revolution and the Terror that it inspired, to the chaotic days of the various communes and rebellions and World War II. In a way, you can tell the story of the city through its violence, and that is what this book set out to do. Ben Hubbard does a decent job of covering thousands of years of history in what is, after you take out all the pictures, a short book. He focuses on the high points and major players, not getting down to the nitty-gritty details. Think of this as a quick overview, a way to get the larger picture to decide where you want to dig deeper yourself. Also, this feels like it was written for high school students, something to keep them interested in history and to help them to learn something. Mr. Hubbard does a good marshaling all that information and presenting it in a concise and clear manner, though you move quickly through time.