What on Earth is Going On?: A Crash Course in Current Affairs

by Tom Baird, Arthur House

"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." Gertrude Stein The world's a complex and bewildering place. Every day we are bombarded with far information than we can possibly hope to absorb. We don't have the time, energy or patience to process it all and select what's important, and sometimes it's tempting to drop the news section straight in the bin and curl up on the sofa with the colour supplements instead. But there are a lot of things happening in the world that we simply can't afford to ignore. What On Earth Is Going On? fills in the background to the key issues of our times -- from Climate Change to the Credit Crunch, Darfur to Devolution -- taking the form of an alphabetical glossary that can be consulted at convenient moments. This is a book for the bedside table, the morning commute or the downstairs loo. A rich hotchpotch of world events, current affairs, historical background and amusing trivia, it is a gentle survival guide for people of all ages who wish they knew a little bit more about what on earth is going on.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Rand · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crap for people who don't know how to parse Wikipedia or perform a cursory Google search.

Sorely outdated by now ('twas published in 2009) and really not worth anyone's time, not even for the sake of conversation. The "facts" presented herein are provided without sources and contain a definite bias. Said slant was most evident in the section on "Organic Food", which stated rather boldly that there is no real difference between "Organic Food" and the conventional variety, be it produce or animal or mac n' cheese.

If you want argue in support of the status quo (that annoying part of the status quo that pretends to care enough to change) then read this fluff as fodder for the next cocktail party. Overall, a waste of a perfectly good Gertrude Stein quote.

[Tony Lawrence]

This is a brilliantly conceived and written guide to 'stuff' in the news, current affairs and popular culture (albeit a few years ago), that aren't properly explained or contextualised. It is made up of short essays on hot-spots, religions, political systems, and a raft of interesting topics from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Free Trade to Blogging, Devolution to Nuclear Power. I read it from cover to cover, which is probably not the intended way, but I still enjoyed it :)

[Rakesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outdated 2009 vintage but gives background of major events. Ideal for people out of date with current events.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outdated, naturally (has much changed in the world since 2009?) but nevertheless a helpful decoder for some of the names and phrases that continue to pop-up in headlines.

[yamiyoghurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer on understanding current affairs in the world. I read it to see what the author has curated as important to know.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book provides a great overview of world issues up to mid-2009 and is a fairly easy read on the whole, sometimes the explanations are too brief or go off on irrelevant and not particularly entertaining tangents (like the aside about Northern Ireland parliament as Smellfast). Having said that, it's great reading for general knowledge on global affairs from a distinctly UK point of view and I did learn a lot from it.

[Farheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

And succinct book with current global information. A summary format but organized by issue based. Recommended for college and university students who wish to understand the facets of global issues. Also for teachers for effective background info.

[Cat Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the "for dummies" approach of this book. It gives you enough info to at least know what people are talking about when in polite conversation!

[Kellog Mcpussy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reference material for debating #1