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Review Of Tom Standage 's Book ' A History Of The World '

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Reading Summary

Over the summer I read Tom Standage’s nonfiction novel, A History of the World in Six Glasses. Standage analyzed and depicted the tremendous impact these fluids had on the development of our present day society. The discovery of beer caused a change in the lifestyle of mankind as hunter gatherers settled down in larger villages and began farming wheat and barley. Starting in 10,000 BCE, beer was an everyday staple in Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations. It was safer to drink than water and soon became a form of payment. Beer was even used in religious ceremonies, fertility rites and funerals by the Sumerians and Egyptians. The next drink discussed by the author, wine, was a symbol of sophistication and was directly …show more content…

Tea, which eventually became England 's national drink because of it 's immense popularity, started off in Europe as a luxury beverage only consumed by the wealthy. A small shipment of green tea was first brought to Europe in 1610 by a Dutch ship. By the end of the eighteenth century everyone in Britain drank tea. This was mainly due to the East India Company, as they made it accessible for all of Britain. The next drink discussed in this novel, Coca Cola, was originally invented by John Pemberton as a medicinal drink. It first became bottled in 1899 where it had previously only been available at soda fountains. During World War Two soldiers were supplied with this popular beverage. To them, and the rest of our country, Coke had become something more than just a fizzy soft drink; it was a symbol of our nation even as the company globalized. Coca-Cola to this day still remains one of America 's favorite drinks. Before reading The History of the World in Six Glasses I have never stopped to consider the tremendous impact something as simple as a beverage can have on the course of world history. It is truly remarkable how much of an impact these drinks have had and continue to have on the entire world.

Reading Analysis
The first APWH Theme that was covered was the interaction between humans and the environment. The author talked about patterns of settlement multiple times, specifically when discussing hunter gathers. Originally, hunter gatherers moved

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