Awfully Ancient: Banished,
Beheaded, or Boiled in Oil
Author: Neil Tonge
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise Z.
Summary: The history of punishing criminals is a long
and gruesome one. In 620 BC, a Greek named Draco wrote a legal code that
punished almost every crime with death, except murder! For that, criminals were
exiled. Odd facts about crime and punishment like this abound in history.
Readers encounter many places and periods, from ancient China to the Victorian
era, to learn all about the terrible, gross, and strange ways crimes were
punished in the past. A colorful layout full of amusing and informative
illustrations reinforce the main content, providing historical context and
detail that will keep readers turning pages.
Review: This is an interesting read about history
that will captivate the curious while informing the reader about punishment
practices throughout time. The author is very sarcastic when he explains about
each punishment, which will entertain the young reader. The book is mostly
divided by punishment practices in certain countries, but there are also parts
of the book that talk about animal and child punishment throughout time. The
morbid practices explained in this book leads to more questioning and critical
thinking about history and compares punishments then to the punishments of
today.
This book sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing the review!
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