The book offers a comprehensive exploration of civility from 1200 to the present, delving into the social and psychological aspects of human interactions. It presents a nuanced analysis that redefines the study of civility and civil society, aiming to enhance understanding of these concepts in contemporary contexts.
Davetian’s starkly moving stories take the reader into some of the world’s darkest corners—Somalia, Bosnia, Russia, Turkish-Armenia—and allow us to see and feel what it is to be an individual in the midst of genocide and ethnic warfare. Whether he is writing of Solzhenitsyn going into exile or of an unknown Somali peasant facing starvation alone, Davetian portrays characters struggling to find meaning and dignity. Also included is a witty and ironic story about the 1995 Quebec referendum.