"The Sugar Barons"

The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire, and War in the West Indies (Matthew Parker)

This history of the West Indies is excellent, and my only issue with it is the length - it feels a little weird saying a 464 page book is too short, but here we are. Parker covers from the initial settlements down to about the fourth generation of decedents, which is where things start really falling apart (don't feel bad for them, they all had a ton of slaves). I guess this makes sense as a stopping point, both because the West Indies' time as an important player on the world stage is coming to an end and the dynasties we've been following tumble towards the dustbin of history, but I did find myself wanting more all the same. I guess that's not really much of a complaint, really, so that should tell you how interesting I found the book. I guess I should also mention that I found some humor in the author's quotes of 400 year old written English (as when a general "very nobelly rune behind a tree"), all the more so when they're using modern-sounding swear words (some sick soldiers, we're told, are "nothing but Shiting, for thay wose in a uery sad condichon..."). So uh, recommended.

Grade: A-