Despite the intense heat that we have been experiencing here in Toronto over the last couple of weeks, which in turn makes my brain feel rather foggy, I did managed to finish, and enjoy Roger Atwood's "Stealing History."

If I was allowed to use only one word to describe my feelings after reading this book it would hands-down be outrage.

Mr Atwood writes a compelling expose on the world's antiquities market, and the rape of world heritage in a fast paced, thought provocative style. It is engrossing much like a good detective novel, but unnerving as you realise the smuggling of everything from ancient gold, to ceramics, and even human remains is in no way fictional, and still occurring as I type this. In fact many parallels between the antiquities market, and illicit drug trade can be found within this book.

Shortly after finishing "Stealing History," which primarily deals with the looting of the Sipan site in Peru, we visited the Royal Ontario Museum's Peruvian exhibit, which is currently running until Sept. 3rd I believe. It is on loan to the R.O.M. and for the past couple of months I had eagerly anticipated visiting it. However, in large part because of this book as I entered the gallery that houses this exhibit I started to choke up.....and yes this thought kept screaming in my head:

"How many of these pieces were looted by grave robbers?"

I highly recommend "Stealing History" Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of The Ancient World, but I will caution you gentle readers, upon completion of this book you may never be able to look at a museum exhibit the same way again .... and for that I do thank the author.