THE WISDOM OF HISTORY

Professor Fears ranges from the period of Sumer to current times, taking a frequently idiosyncratic view of history to come up with "laws" applicable to our own time and lives. His diction is clear and his Southern voice pleasant enough, but his insistent tone in the delivery of ideas such as "The Great Man Theory of History" seems condescending. Sound editing is problematic; more care should have been taken to remove extraneous noises. Fears's program is more opinion than history, and while he makes some astute points, he sometimes contradicts himself. He conflates legend with "real history" and relates historical incidents with an impending "thrill" when recounting dramatic parts, which seems out of place. Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good here. W.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]