Italy Reborn: From Fascism to Democracy

” Though this is undoubtedly an important academic work, it doesn’t necessarily read like one. That is quite an achievement, given that it’s dealing with very dense material. Encompassing the various acronyms coming out of the post-war Italian left, distinguishing between them and conveying their shades of pink to the general reader, is a definite challenge. But Mark Gilbert really rises to it. He starts with a very lucid, clear, surprising, and counter-intuitive argument, and sticks to it throughout. Though his case pounds along with sustained force, it is never dull or repetitive or anything other than keenly coherent. Reading Italy Reborn is not like being stuck with an obsessive or a preacher. Rather this is an ideal tutorial, a lesson very well and entertainingly taught. I found it explained so much that I personally had never quite got to grips with about Italy before.” Read more...

The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2025 Duff Cooper Prize

Minoo Dinshaw, Biographer