The Crest of the Peacock

The first thing that made me stop was the line about mathematical activity outside Europe being ignored, devalued, or distorted. This line really hooked me, making me curious about why this was the case. How will learning about this mathematical activity help me? What can be done to ensure that contributions outside Europe come to light? The second thing that made me stop was Figure 1.1, The 'classical' Eurocentric trajectory, and the paragraph showing how math in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, pre-Columbian America, India, and the Arab world has been ignored. It made me reflect on my own knowledge and realize I hadn’t known how many civilizations contributed to math. The last thing that made me pause was Figure 1.4, The spread of mathematical ideas down the ages. As a visual learner, I felt it was a helpful way to explain the history of math. It was simple and easy to follow, and with so much history, a guide like this really helps the reader stay on track.