pstrongThe beauty and levity that Perry and Gabriele have captured in this book are what I think will help it to become a standard text for general audiences for years to come....emThe Bright Agesem is a rare thing--a nuanced historical work that almost anyone can enjoy reading.--emSlateemstrongppstrongIncandescent and ultimately intoxicating. --emThe Boston GlobeemstrongppstrongA lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality--a brilliant reflection of humanity itself.strongppThe word medieval conjures images of the Dark Ages--centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both