Dear Great Book Guru,  This weekend celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King and I feel inspired to learn more about world events. The problem is that  I have a short attention span and the world is so, so complicated. Can you think of a book that will help me understand it all…? Weary of Wondering

Dear Weary,  I just finished a  very enlightening book with a bold title: PRISONERS OF GEOGRAPHY- Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World- by Tim Marshall.  Marshall carefully lays out his thesis that all past history and present  politics can be explained by studying the geography of the world powers. Each chapter is preceded by a detailed map that shows how each of  ten regions-  Russia, China, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Western Europe, India and Pakistan, Japan and Korea,  and the Arctic- is subject to the vagaries of geography.   For example, he strongly links  Putin’s annexation of Crimea  to his lack of a warm water port, while the United States’ coastal borders  make it an impenetrable paradise .  Mountain ranges and waterways are far more important in Marshall’s view than leaders and ideologies when it comes to having a lasting effect on history.  This is a short (265 pages), highly readable, very informative take on the world….highly recommended!