by Will Durant (Get the Book)Asked by a journalist what his field of specialization was, the great historian Durant supposedly replied, Humanity. The story is, perhaps, apocryphal, but it does reflect a truth about the body of Durant's work. In more than 60 years of writing, Durant (sometimes in partnership with his wife, Ariel) covered the civilization of humans on every inhabited continent, including history, philosophy, religion, art, and science as part of his tableau. This last, compact work, now discovered and published 32 years after his death, is a deeply personal work containing a series of ruminations on the human condition. Why do people lose the fire of rebellion as they age? How can we explain the persistence of racism? Why do we need religion? Some of his musings are provocative, even outrageous, such as his rejection of the inherent right to produce children and his antiquated views on female characteristics. Still, this is a work that demands we think, and it is a worthy conclusion to a long and distinguished career. --Booklist
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