Our school history book successfully chronicles the glories of the Western world. But, what about the game changing occurrences in the eastern history?

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World written by Peter Frankopan opens up minds to the monumental events transpired in the history of East that have laid an impact on the workings of the world today.

Through the 600 page novel the author gives an unbiased insight in the creation of the silk roads, the origins of faith, the rise and the fall of empires.

In between journeying through the enthralling history of the Roman Empire and knowing the bygone trade between the China and Persia the reader’s mind slowly starts reorienting itself from the eastern stance.

Being an Indian, we are very particular about our mythology, it has been ingrained in our minds. One such point in the book that pleasantly surprised me was the inspirations drawn in Ramayana (Indian mythology) were from Odyssey and Iliad.

And yet, despite the horror it caused, the plague turned out to be the catalyst for social and economic change that was so profound that far from marking the death of Europe, it served as its making.

Peter Frankopan does a brilliant job to enlighten us about the era when the east looked like the west, and the west like the east.