Name: Jeremy Anderberg's review of Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson
Item: Enemy of All Mankind
Rating: 3
Author: Jeremy Anderberg

Steven Johnson

"How did a single manhunt spark the modern era of multinational capitalism? Henry Avery was the seventeenth century's most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular--and wildly inaccurate--reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Avery's most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a new model for the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event--the attack of an Indian treasure ship by Avery and his crew--and its surprising repercussions across time and space. Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Avery and his crimes to explore the emergence of the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. Like the bestselling How We Got To Now and The Ghost Map, Enemy of All Mankind crosses disciplinary boundaries to recount its history: the chemistry behind the invention of gunpowder; the innovations in navigation that enabled the age of exploration; the cultural history of pirates; the biographical history of Avery and his crew; the rise of the Moghul dynasty; and the commercial ambition of the East India Company. In this compelling work of history and ideas, Johnson deftly traces the path from a single struck match to a global conflagration"--

A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt

Enemy of All Mankind

Johannes Ecker

Jeremy Anderberg

“Few human beings had ever captured the imagination of so many strangers around the world without commanding an army, presiding over a major religious sect, or being born with royal blood.”

As I wrote back in April, after I read the spectacular Ghost Maps, Johnson writes with a storytelling flare that’s hard to beat in non-fiction writing. His books have been all over the place in terms of time period and subject matter, which speaks to his immense talent for research and narrative; in Enemy of All Mankind he ventures back to the late 17th century to tell the story of a ruthless treasure heist and the world’s first global manhunt.

While some pirate names are better known than Henry Every—Blackbeard and Captain Morgan come readily to mind—none were as notorious in their time period as him. In 1695, his crew raided an Indian convoy laden not only with gold but also royal princesses. Henry made off with nearly $100 million in treasure (today’s dollars), making it the most profitable pirate theft of all time. It was a brutal fight which included the sexual assault of numerous Indian women.

The royal family was, of course, outraged, and the world community came together to find the marauders. It was the first globally coordinated manhunt ever. Don’t google the ending—it’s surprising all the way through to the final page.

As Johnson does so well in all of his writing, he connects Henry Every’s tale to a number of broader themes—mass communication, true crime as a genre of storytelling, and terrorism. In fact, Johnson convincingly asserts that “the legal groundwork for the abuses of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib was first laid down to address the unique transgressions of pirates on the open seas.” 

Enemy of All Mankind isn’t my favorite of Johnson’s works, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy of your reading. Let’s call it a 3.5/5, rather than the 4-4.5 rating of his other books.

Johannes Ecker &
Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson

Reviews

Join the club

Johannes Ecker &Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson

Reviews

Join the club

Johannes Ecker &
Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson