Book: The Century

Overview
Peter Jennings' The Century, co-written with Todd Brewster and published in 1998, is a sweeping illustrated history of the twentieth century that aims to make a complex era readable and immediate. It moves beyond dry chronology to connect political and military events with cultural, technological, and social changes, presenting the century as a series of human dramas shaped by mass movements, ideologies, and innovations. Richly illustrated with photographs, timelines, and documentary material, the book frames major events through narrative vignettes and contextual essays that emphasize connections across time and place.

Structure and Narrative Approach
The book unfolds largely chronologically, organizing the century into thematic decades and major turning points while repeatedly returning to human-scale stories that bring events to life. Each chapter blends reportage-style prose with archival images, eyewitness testimony, and concise analytical passages, producing a texture that alternates between broad synthesis and intimate detail. The editorial design privileges immediacy: sidebars and profiles of individuals, soldiers, political leaders, scientists, artists, and ordinary citizens, serve as entry points into larger historical patterns.

Themes and Subject Matter
Recurring themes include the rise and fall of empires, the ideological clash between fascism, communism, and liberal democracy, the transformative power of technology, the reshaping of social norms, and the spread of globalization. The narrative tracks world wars, decolonization, the Cold War, civil rights movements, and the economic and cultural shifts that accompanied industrialization and mass media. Attention to scientific breakthroughs, from antibiotics to nuclear energy, is set alongside examinations of cultural transformations: the expansion of popular culture, changing gender roles, and the emergence of a consumer-oriented global society.

Use of Personal Accounts and Imagery
A defining feature is the heavy reliance on personal accounts and interviews to provide a human perspective on sweeping events. Firsthand recollections, letters, and oral histories are interwoven with journalism-style reporting to create a mosaic of voices that illuminate the emotions behind major decisions and the lived experience of upheaval. Photographs and visual documents are used not merely as illustrations but as evidence and storytelling devices, allowing readers to see the century's changes as they unfolded and to feel the immediacy of moments such as battlefronts, mass protests, and everyday life in rapidly changing cities.

Balance of Global and American Perspectives
While the book aims for a global sweep, it often reflects an Anglo-American journalistic lens, paying particular attention to events in Europe and the United States and to moments that directly influenced Western institutions. At the same time, it makes sustained efforts to include stories from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, especially in chapters on decolonization, economic development, and geopolitical realignments. That balance yields a narrative that is broadly international in ambition while retaining the clarity and narrative drive characteristic of mainstream news storytelling.

Legacy and Readership
Accessible and visually engaging, The Century serves as an entry point for general readers seeking a panoramic yet readable account of the twentieth century. It functions well as a companion to documentary treatments of the era, offering both a chronological framework and human-scale portraits that prompt reflection on continuity and change. The book's strength lies in its combination of journalistic clarity, visual documentation, and empathetic storytelling, making complex historical forces understandable without oversimplifying their consequences.