No comments about Discoverers And Pioneers Of America (1860).

No comments about Pioneer stories of Linn County, Oregon: W.P.A. interviews.

No comments about Big Mike and Little Boomer.

3 comments about Conquest -- Hernando de Soto and the Indians: 1539-1543.

1. Rarely do we get history from more than one point of view. Here, William Sanders (Cherokee) chronicles the journey of Hernando de Soto from "Florida" (as the Spanish denominated all of the north American continent they knew about) to the Mississippi River,and the continuation of the remnants of his command to their rescue in what we now call Texas. Sanders examines the mindset of the Spanish, explaining how they justified their behavior to the natives they encountered--the first such explanation I have seen that really sets the context for cruelty--and also relates some of the natives' belief systems that interpret their reactions to the Spaniards.
   In particular, Sanders interprets the natives' reactions to the horse, which usually comes out as "wow, they were simply baffled by an animal they had never seen before" in a thoroughly believable way. These people had encountered many large and interesting animals in their lives, and seeing one more would not surprise them. Having an animal apparently allowing a human to sit on his back--and then, who was managing which?--was indeed not only surprising but a violation of their world view. Another item largely overlooked in history is the introduction of the pig to the Americas, quite as important as the horse (along with all the infectious diseases that the pig transmits, though this is not a major part of Sanders' tale).
   This work of history, with its careful research, its novelistic descriptions, and its fascinating insights (garnered in part through Sanders' connections with oral history) makes the book must-read for anyone who cares about the early days of our culture.



2. Conquest: Hernando De Soto And The Indians 1539-1543 is an absorbing account of the first major European invasion of the North American mainland. It is not intended as a scholarly dissertation, but rather a general introduction for the lay reader to these fascinating events. Documentation and evidence of what truly happened remains maddeningly incomplete to this day, yet Conquest assembles all it can from primary and secondary sources to present a plausible picture of an army of six hundred that lost nearly half its men during a four-year trek through inhospitable wilderness. A thorough, sometimes harsh or even grisly account, compelling in its raw rendition of history.



3. In 1539 Hernando de Soto invaded North America, looking for new civilizations to conquer. Instead, the trackless wilderness and the people of what would later be known as the southern United States conquered him.

   William Sanders is best known for his award winning alternate histories, but with CONQUEST he has turned his meticulous research and engaging narrative style to straight history. The result is a work detailed enough to satisfy the fussiest historian, but with enough of the storyteller's art to keep the average reader turning pages. Sanders approaches de Soto's invasion as a story to be told, not dry facts to be laid out, and he succeeds admirably, even managing to turn up something of an amusing surprise twist at the end.

   At 213 pages, not counting endnotes and appendices, CONQUEST is no ponderous historical tome. The narrative moves along briskly, sketching in just enough background for the reader to understand what the conquistadores were like, and the world they lived in, then on to the expedition itself. The Spaniards' meandering route across the American South, and the Indians they enslaved and robbed -- and eventually fled from -- are described in as much detail as has come down to us over the centuries, and with as much humor as can be found in an essentially tragic tale.

   CONQUEST is a worthwhile read for the history buff or anyone interested in a fascinating story of failed ambition.

3 comments about We.

1. For years I've wanted to read this book! I finely got to do it. Have the movie "Spirit of St. Louis" but the book puts you right in with the pilot. He flew this "mission" by the seat of his pants, and this was true flying. A must read!



2. Lindbergh certainly was the superstar of his day. Following his singlehanded flight from New York to Paris in May 1927, the public rapturously hung on his every word. In this memoir, written only days after the event and subtitled "the Famous Flier's Own Story of His Life and His Transatlantic Flight, Together With His Views on the Future of Aviation," the "Lone Eagle" tells about his childhood, how he acquired his first plane, his career as a stunt flier, his training in the Army Air Corps, and his work as an Air Mail pilot (including his four emergency parachute jumps). Then, in great detail, he describes the preparations for his epic flight, the flight itself, and the wild welcome that met him in Europe. The "spiritual meaning" of his flight also gets a lot of coverage.

   Maybe it's just the cynicism of the latter part of the 20th century, but all the modesty seems somehow self-serving. The timing of this book makes it important to anyone interested in Lindbergh, but his later "The Spirit of St. Louis" is a far better book.




3. Someone once said that nobody told his own story better than Lindbergh himself. When one considers the continuous flow of books written about him, this is an opinion to be seriously considered.

   Thoughts naturally leap to his Pulitzer prize-winning The Spirit of St. Louis, which still has lavish praise heaped upon it by even Lindbergh's most recent biographers. Published in 1952, more than 15 years after Lindbergh's historic transatlantic nonstop flight from New York to Paris, its intriguing flow is heightened by what is known in the world of English grammar as the historical present indicative tense, a seldom-used approach by writers because it is said to be so difficult to sustain, particularly over the long haul of an entire book's length. In short, the author describes what is happening at a particular moment, but zig-zags flashback style out of the present while the author recalls moments in his history past.

   Stay alert, Reader, for anyone writing in this manner must perform near-perfect writing artistry to maintain interest. Of course, The Spirit of St. Louis falls into that elegant category.

   All but vanished into the shelves of juvenile literature in some libraries - or the collections of those who treasure its merits (or collect Lindberghiana) - is the long-forgotten Lindbergh memoir simply entitled "We."

   Here comes the inevitable momentary comparison with The Spirit of St. Louis, which Lindbergh worked on for close to 13 years and sent to numerous critics and friends for review during the long writing process. This is not a criticism of Lindbergh, for he was a perfectionist; the book he then produced was worth its wait in spades.

   But "We" is the one and only fresh-from-the-flight retelling of our newly crowned hero's lifetime adventures. Rushed to publication just three weeks later, making it the converse of its younger brother, this is precisely where the book's real value counts.

   Consider the times: it was 1927 - those topsy-turvey twenties. Much as we know that they were famous for the Charleston, fashion, fun, and freedom, despite what Mom thought, they were dark times, nonetheless, for many veterans returning from World War I found their jobs had vanished. It was not long before sound waves coming from Europe were troubling. And - there was no hero in the White House, for Coolidge neither aroused enthusiasm nor had any sense that he should try. However, technology was being harnessed to an untold degree. Radio, telephone and Henry Ford's Model T were opening up linkages across America in unprecedented fashion. Aviation was being heralded as a form of communication where, unimaginably, it might even become possible to carry passengers from one destination to another.

   Lindbergh's feat was not only a large miracle, but placed in his times, there comes the realization that he also had the benefit of a press and pubic longing to break the rules, see the world, and hoist a hero into history. His natural good looks and demeanor only added to the package; he was irresistible!

   Written in straightforwaard, unvarnished prose, in "We," Lindbergh not only takes the reader into the fledgling wings of aviation, but recalls his early life, progressing from boyhood through planehood and on into herohood. How could anyone not be caught up in this real-life hero-in-the-making myth? Here we have simple language telling of a golden dream. Plainly told in boy next store sentences, the book is more than a dress rehearsal for the prize winner which succeeded it.

   Beginning with the conventional, "I was born in... . My father was... .", of Lindbergh's still pristine memories, he wrote: "On several more occasions it was necessary to fly by instrument for short periods; then the fog broke into patches. These patches took on forms of every description. Numerous shorelines appeared, with trees perfectly outlined against the horizon. In fact, the mirages were so natural that, had I not been in the mid-Atlantic and known that no land existed along my route, I would have taken them to be actual islands."

   Could anyone else have written this you-are-there recounting, told as only a young Lindbergh - not a seasoned, even embattled Lindbergh, could tell it? "We" is a near-instant, first person replay which history would be a little number without, and without which, THIS Lindbergh could not have been known.

   And that almost happened, except our hero wouldn't allow it. Originally assigned to ghostwriter Carlyle MacDonald's pen by G. P. Putnam, Lindbergh was aghast to see what he considered either mistakes or misinterpretations in MacDonald's version. No one but he would write his book - which had been promised for publication in a matter of weeks. The hapless MacDonald did make one major contribution, for it was he who named "We" "We," having noted Lindbergh's overt use of the "first person plural" when referring to his plane and himself. One of the few rounds Lindbergh ever lost, "We" stuck! Perhaps it would not have mattered an iota aabout the title; it sold a riotous 190,000 copies in just two months and earned its author more than a hundred thousand dollars in the first six months, quite an achievement for that time or any other.

   "We" still graces library shelves, albeit, you may have to look in the young readers' section. Or maybe, now that you are aware of it, you might try mentioning it to Aunt Isabel, because she just may have a copy sitting on her own oak library shelf!

No comments about The Life and Career of Sir Henry M. Stanley: The African Explorer.

No comments about A Century Of Discovery: Biographical Sketches Of The Portuguese And Spanish Navigators From Prince Henry To Pizarro.

No comments about Our pioneer heroes and their daring deeds: The lives and famous exploits of De Soto ... and other hero explorers, renowned frontier fighters, and celebrated ... from the earliest times to the present.

1 comments about Bill and Lily.

1. Bill and Lily have opened their wonderful lives for the reader to enjoy and respect. Many of the stories reflect the typical Alaskan family doing the exceptional things we do. But consider the span of nearly 100 years for both Bill and Lily, and what a great blend of traditional values and modern day growth and adaptation!

   And the best of all... How Honest!!

5 comments about Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do.

1. I think the author really is a good writer and researcher, and enjoy the book where it is telling the story which is promises to tell. The book shows evidence that Tougias didn't want to take the time to rewrite the plot progression as he discovered critical new details after the book was half written. Also, there are not enough "interesting" details of the story to fill a book which can be sold for a standard book price, so the author and editors saw fit to fill it up with digressions, side stories, and over-the-top speculation.
   
   Side stories: No problem with a side story or two with a close association to the primary story, but many of the stories have no relation to the Can Do at all. These stories are interesting in themselves and I'd like to read them in an anthology of nautical disasters. But when story-after-story like this are inserted between chapters of a chronological story, it massacres the suspense and the flow. For those side stories which are justified, instead of setting them up chronologically so you learn to love the characters, they are thrown in where the author happened to be at when writing the book (author says that he had already written the first two chapters when he found out about... )
   
   Digressions: Lessons about nautical history, emergency survival, survival psychology, and any many other topics would be fine if they were short enough to not stop the flow--- but they are very distracting here because they are very long and very frequent. If I want to learn all about emergency survival for mountain climbing, I would much rather find an "expert" on that topic on the web or in a dedicated book than reading the haphazard and distracting summaries here.
   
   Speculations: A little speculation may be necessary when covering an event with no surviving witnesses, but some of the late chapters are 95% fanciful speculation about what each crew member may have been thinking, and even how they looked at each other. One egregious speculation which totally conflicts with the other speculations, which praise the determination and pertinacity of the principals, is that they may have discussed the cowardly option of killing themselves with Frank's hand gun.
   
   Subjectivity: It's apparent to anybody who reads this book that the author lost all objectivity by the time he wrote the later chapters, probably from the close and emotional relationships he had formed with surviving family members by then. Every single incident discussed attributes the most noble sentiments and impulses to the primary characters, and to the author's friends. It's funny that at the time of the accident, each character with a family had a perfect family life. Frank was the perfect family man, though he slept on his boat instead of at home most of the time. A suicide occurs late in the book, but it somehow happened in spite of the perfect family environment, with no influence of drugs, loneliness, or romances... of course it was the inevitable outcome of a death in the Can Do 4 years earlier.
   
   Childish mysticism: I put this last, because most people in the US do prefer to pretend that guardian angles protect people, that dead people visit and help survivors, that the dead float around in heaven chit-chatting with people who died years earlier, and that ghosts serve as muses for writers. However, it annoys educated people when adult writers start with the assumption that these fictions are true, and apply no skepticism when, for example, an alcoholic reports waking up in the middle of the night to a visitation, then goes back to sleep. A responsible adult must at least consider the possibility that in the middle of the night people may dream about what they wish for. Suggestion for Tougias: Grow up.



2. This is a compelling story about real people doing what most wouldn't think of doing. It's infuriating that the captain of the freighter was so thoughtless. If he had been anything but a complete waste of time, Can Do would still be here. Read this book carefully and learn what is happening out there. The media ignores fishing and the ocean unless something bad happens. Your life is affected by the ocean and you should know how.



3. A very well researched and documented story. As a member of the USCG and having been stationed at Gloucester Station and having been born and brought up in the area of the story I found the book extremely interesting. Highly recommend this book to any persons interested in the true story of the men and women of the Coast Guard.



4. As a former active Coast Guard sailor (Korean War) I found this book reading at it's best. Tells the life Coast Guard people, along with the harbor pilots, fishermen and others that "Go Down To The Sea in Ships" can encounter.



5. Michael J. Tougias, Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do (St. Martin's, 2005) ***
   
   After the runaway success of The Perfect Storm and In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, I rather expected there to be a flood, pardon the pun, of nonfictional tales of derring-do on the high seas. It never happened; Sebastian Junger turned his attention landward, Nathaniel Philbrick has only released a single book since, and the rest of the literary world seems to have met this possible developing trend with a thundering silence. Until, that is, Mike Tougias released Ten Hours Until Dawn, set in the same basic space of The Perfect Storm, but a number of years in the past, during the Blizzard of 1978, a storm that will long be remembered by anyone who happened to be living in the northeast at the time.
   
   Ten Hours Until Dawn was written by a journalist, which is not normally a bad thing. The downside to it is that journalism makes for great half-pagers, but across two hundred-odd pages, it can get a little dry. Tougias has a very worthwhile story here, and tells it competently; however, it could have been told a bit better.
   
   It's the story of Frank Quirk and his pilot boat Can Do, based out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. When the Global Hope, an oil taker, runs aground a few miles south of Gloucester, the harbor patrol sends a couple of boats out after it, and those two boats get caught in the Blizzard of '78, which roars out of nowhere. One gets lost, and the Can Do goes out after it. Eight hours later, the Can Do, also lost, makes its final radio transmission. From the radio transcripts and the aftermath of the storm, Tougias weaves the tale of what may have happened aboard the Can Do that night, as well as the tales of what happened to those two Coast Guard ships (both of which made it back to port) and the Global Hope. There are a number of times during this narrative where Tougias' journalist style serves it well; the simple just-the-facts-ma'am delivery adds a depth to the action. It stumbles, however, when the subject is the humans themselves; even when Tougias is relating the worlds of the survivors, the prose seems oddly wooden in spots, as if the goal is to check in, get a quote, and get back to the action.
   
   Don't get me wrong, it's a good book, and an incident that certainly deserved to be enshrined in the national consciousness. Pick it up, give it a go. ***