Probably the best history lesson I’ve ever had. This covers so many aspects of the great powers in the last 500 years: economic, social, geographic, military, political, etc. I’ve never seen the cause and effect of economic change and warfare between countries broken down so thoroughly. The buildup and aftermath of major events is the focus.

The first 1/3 is roughly 1500-1850, with the last 2/3 covering roughly 1850-1987 and the author’s future speculations for the new powers. I wanted nothing more than an expanded edition when finishing—it would be great to hear Kennedy talk at length on all of the change and rapid advancement since.

If you’re like me and not at all a history buff, the con of the book is that the author will sometimes gloss over important events or reference them as “The [nationality] actions in [another country] in the [season] of [year]” and will expect you to know what he’s talking about. By pausing to look up people, places, and historic events I was able to keep up and enjoy this book.