The book was published in 2023 but seems as relevant as ever today, from both a general and personal perspective. This is the week of the European electio n, where there is a high risk of forming a centre/far-right coalition, and it's the 80th anniversary of D-day . Personally, I registered my home address in Norway, marking the first time I've had an address outside of the EU since 2008, which feels odd and a bit out of touch with who I am. The narrative in this book is truly compelling from a pro-EU perspective, but it can sometimes be difficult to fully connect with if you've been living in peaceful parts of Europe or other places in the world for your entire lifetime. The personal story that is tied to large historical events provides a perspective that is both representative and niche, as it shows his perspective of Europe from a British perspective and provides a pathway for how to ensure that other countries don't follow the UK’s footsteps of leaving the union.

A Personal History of Europe is structured around the family history of Timothy Garton Ash, from his father landing in Normandy on D-Day, and his own life as a foreign correspondent in the old Europe of the GDR and Soviet Union, to the modern Europe of today. The combined story of historical and modern Europe, how the EU was formed, and how fragile the union is today illustrates that what my generation thinks of as a solid foundation for a pluralistic democracy and freedom of movement in Europe can disappear if we don’t fight for it. The book has a good balance between history and political opinions, with a narrative focused on illustrating that what we consider peacetime in Europe post-WWII is false, as we have had ongoing conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Georgia, Ukraine, and many more . This brings up ideas and thoughts about what Europe might become in the future and how important it is to build on the foundations in place, rather than breaking down every institution that keeps this diverse union together.

Timothy highlights that Europe and the EU are far from perfect places. He discusses the ongoing construction of an outer border wall and the lack of cohesive politics that not only protect the residents inside the union but also provide a path for migrants who want to enter. For the concept of Europe to represent freedom, there is a need to think bigger and more inclusively than the current attitudes and politics. The narrative that free inbound borders require stricter outer borders is an argument I understand but do not necessarily agree with, as it has moved nationalist politics from nation to union and created a false narrative that protectionism is the future. The book lacks some argumentation and depth in this area, as it highlights the risks of the future but doesn’t provide a good direction for how to move forward and support a more plural debate on the topic. However, it does bring some very strong learnings and warnings from the BREXIT campaign, and how misinformation and manipulation of the public was achieved by Boris Johnson and Neil Farage. The combined narrative of the EU's struggle to maintain stability, but also its strength in being able to overcome huge challenges such as implementing and stabilising the euro currency policy, which was tested to its limits in the 2008 financial crisis, tells a story that many people know, but with his personal experience from reporting and writing about the subjects, Timothy is able to give a balanced argument about a long-term view of how a collective Europe can be stronger, more progressive and inclusive, than any single state is able to construct. I am also very curious to see how this argument enables Europe to be more competitive within technology sectors, as the legislation that the EU is implementing with GDPR , the legal framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI Act ), and other privacy and market policies that are there to protect businesses and individuals. The risk is that too much protection will make it difficult to sustain competitiveness towards actors such as the US and China, but it could also be a large gain, as the policies in place have the potential to act as new constitutions for a future that is primarily digital.

The current affairs of the war in Ukraine are the most concrete example of the fragility of not just the EU but also of Europe as a concept. The arms race that we are now seeing across the continent is a direct response to this conflict and requirements from the USA that Europe needs to be self-reliant. I recently watched 20 Days in Mariupol by Mstyslav Chernov and the New York Times visualisation of the scale of property damage. The footage and illustration are shocking in terms of cruelty and scale, and I would recommend exposing yourself to this content in parallel with reading the book, as you get a further understanding of the horror that is ongoing and see that history has an unfortunate way of repeating itself.

The book is in many ways a serious book on the history of Europe post-1945, however, the personal journey that Timothy tells through these and many more events are also exciting and jaw-dropping, in terms that it just shows that Europe is a place that always changes, and that it moves in waves between the centuries of prosperity, war, new borders and the darkest hours of humanity. It’s a highly factual book, that provides a high-level overview of the history of Europe from 1945 - 2023. I would recommend people to read it if they have an interest in understanding some of the undercurrent challenges that Europe is facing today, and to get a better understanding of how the continent has been shaped since WWII, the fall of the GDR and Soviet Union, and how the union is flawed in many ways, but it is also the most stable thing that has been constructed to maintain peace and prosperity. The book was recently awarded the Lionel Gelber Prize for English non-fiction books on foreign policy. Which illustrates the robustness of it, but also that it might be a bit dry for people that are not that interested in foreign policy.

This was my first attempt at reviewing and synthesising a book that has been shared publicly. I tried to mix some additional references and my personal perspective on certain topics that the book covers. I am sure there are plenty of flaws in this article, but as it is my first I would really appreciate feedback or opinions about what can be improved and what was interesting to read.

Book Title: Homelands - A Personal History of Europe

Author: Timothy Garton Ash

Publication Date: March 2, 2023

Publisher: Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781529925074

Amazon (not affiliated) : Homelands - A Personal History of Europe