Latvia: The Sun Rises over a Nation: A Brief History

by Vilis Inde

This is the first stop in learning about Latvian people and their culture and history. The Latvians survived centuries of oppression under foreign rule, yet gained independence in 1918 and again in 1990. This history focuses on factors that played a role in maintaining the language and culture through difficult circumstances, as well as regional and global movements that influenced Latvians. The book also includes a brief section of one of Latvia's spiritual and political leaders of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Rainis. He inspired people to act in the quest for freedom and independence.

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 18, 2021

Reviews

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy history but I hate being bogged down with an overflow of information.
This book was short and sweet. This is how every history book should be written. It gives you enough to understand but it doesn't overload you to the point of extreme boredom and if you are further interested in something you read and want to learn more. Well, you can go ahead and do that on your own. Love it!

Love Latvia! Love its history! Love learning about it! Love being Latvian!

[Morgan O'neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it presented a high level overview of the country as it experienced world events. I found items easier to retain because it was not packed with too many details. Good quick read if you want to get a little smarter on Latvia.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly as described... A brief history.

No major details but rather a simple overview of many major events. A quick one evening read that helped me gain more perspective of the people and culture prior to a trip to Latvia.

[Calum Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short and punchy cover-all for Latvian history

[Vitaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise but oversimplified primer

[Chauncey Seeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very accessible and compact national history

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was BRIEF: ‘the text purposely omits the mention of many important historic figures because understanding the events is far more important than the persons associated with them’ so it’s my bad for not taking that literally… I got the cliffs notes on a country’s origins from the Ice Age to present day and also a lesson in proofreading your work (my copy was littered with spelling mistake it was pretty ridiculous). It was just ok. I did like the patterns that separated the different parts of the book, like my granddads bookmark he gave me - a nice nod.