This is a pretty accessible take on a pretty complex topic. The history of the 20th century is fascinating, and this book brings some very disparate elements together to illustrate some themes that end up being quite pervasive. Perhaps the one word that can be found through all chapters (each of which explores a Big Idea) is Individualism. The rise of the individual is what characterizes most of the developments of the 20th century, what has created the world we live in today (for better or for worse). Parts of this book are dreadfully pessimistic (though sadly realistic) but for the most part it is a celebration of the achievements of humankind. I only hope that in positioning ourselves so, we have not also doomed ourselves for inevitable catastrophe.