Book Description
The definitive history of the cigarette, the product that shaped twentieth-century America--from modern advertising to science, from regulatory politics to our sense of glamour and style.
The industrial manufacture of cigarettes began in the late nineteenth century, but it wasn't until the invention of the modern consumer, advertising campaign--pioneered by cigarette brands--that the product really took off at the turn of the century. The cigarette became an indispensable accessory of glamour and sex appeal: from Marlene Dietrich to Humphrey Bogart to Anne Bancroft, we have imagined stars with cigarettes in their mouths, and imitated them.
The cigarette--the ultimate icon of our consumer culture--serves as a vehicle for historian Allan Brandt to explore critical aspects of American life. From agriculture to big business, from medicine to politics, The Cigarette Century shows how smoking came to be so deeply implicated in our culture, science, policy, and law. In this magisterial book, Brandt demonstrates how the cigarette reflects the most powerful debates of our time about risk, responsibility, and human health. The Cigarette Century reaches across many disciplines to form a broad and compelling synthesis, showing how one humble (and largely useless) product came to play such a dominant role in our lives and deaths.
Customer Reviews:
An Ominous Precursor.......2007-09-08
Given the size of the book, I was sure I was going to be perusing it only. However, the similarity to what I have seen with the wireless industry made me go back and read it in detail...disturbingly familiar detail. Read this to get a preview of its inevitable sequel...The Cell Phone Century.
death by smoking.......2007-08-19
This is the story of how smoking, once a socially acceptable, pleasurable behavior, became a disgusting habit for the smoker, a danger to non-smokers, a crime for cigarette makers and a financial windfall for some smokers, lawyers, and state governments. The book is well written, well documented and very readable but we know where the author stands. He tells us that 400,000 or 500,000 people are "killed" every year from smoking. Death by gunshot is instant and violent. This happens to about 30,000 people a year and no manufacturer is criminally responsible. Death by smoking can occur 20 to 45 years after smoking begins during which time the smoker could have abused his body in other ways but if not, aging and genetics contribute to death. Even though smokers choose cigarettes for pleasure with full knowledge of long term health consequences, the author concludes that abusive smoking that leads to disease is the criminal responsibility of tobacco companies.
A consequence of education, litigation, and the high cost of cigarettes is that fewer people smoke today. However, there has been a surge in obesity and obesity related health costs and shortened life spans. Mr. Brandt, if people are addicted to fatty foods and feed fatty foods to their children should Krispe Kreme and McDonalds be held criminally responsible as more and more people are diagnosed with diabetes and other diseases related to abusive eating? I wonder how many people are "killed" every year from abusive eating?
Completely unbiased masterpiece! Five stars.......2007-08-08
This book provided a completely unbiased look at this demon weed that has been plaguing this evil nation from its advent! Tobacco! This may seem strange to hear a liberal bashing a narcotic and crying for it to be made illegal, especially since they are so desperately pushing for legalization of marijuana, the products evil twin, but trust me it all makes sense when Mr. Brandt breaks it down for us.
Brandt begins with the first use of tobacco by our pilgrim ancestors. Brandt informs us that they got the Indians hooked on tobacco as kind of a way to enslave them and get land from them. They got them addicted so they would have to keep buying it.
How did America get those huge land grabs, like the Louisiana purchase, at such little money? They offered this deadly hallucinogenic tobacco weed to them and had them sign the papers under the influence!
They tried to get the hippies to smoke it, but the hippies had the very pure and healthy marijuana weed which made them smarter so they knew not to smoke it.
In short, I now realize that we have to, I mean it is imperative, that we get tobacco illegal and marijuana legal.
Excellent, readable, and more widely applicable beyond tobacco.......2007-06-20
This is an excellent book, and not just about cigarettes. As evidence of the "persistence" part of the title, candy-flavored cigarettes have a clear target market (
<18 year-old). RJ Reynolds agreed in 2006 *not* to call them luscious names like "Twista Lime", "Mandarin Mint" ... but they can still *sell* them.
So, 40+ years after "The Surgeon General has determined..." in 1964, this is still an issue. SG Luther Terry's political skillfulness in getting that report to happen added him to my list of heroes.
This book is much more widely applicable, because it ably chronicles distortion and obfuscation of science by economic and political interests.
Some kinds of scientific proof depend on long efforts to accumulate evidence, need good statistical analysis. Such are not amenable to simple lab experiments, and even when they are, may well not be ethical. ("Here: try this: we want to see if you get cancer" is properly not done.) Topics whose science is of this sort can be prone to long, drawn-out fights, especially when the scientific results threaten strong interests whose best approach is controversy and confusion.
The conflicts over sulfates:acid rain and CFCs:ozone depletion resemble smoking:disease, but the clearest parallel with the latter is the battle over CO2: human-induced global warming.
In both cases, there were:
A) people who believed something (and sometimes exaggerated) well in advance of the science (anti-tobacco moralists, global warming alarmists), and sometimes irritated others by their stridency.
B) people who had economic interests (tobacco companies, oil companies), who took very strong (but opposing) positions. These were sometimes joined by people with ideological reasons for minimizing government regulation.
C) Scientists, who take years to collect good evidence, are careful in their conclusions, but who struggle to be heard though masses of disinformation generated by B), and sometimes wince at exaggerations from A), even as scientific results starts to approach A)'s views.
In both cases, industry funded think-tanks, lobbyists, and a tiny handful of scientists to cast doubt on the science, using similar tactics, and often, employed by the same organizations and people.
As a result Brandt's book is a dandy case study on the twisty interactions of science, economics, and politics, and its lessons may help us analyze other contentious issues as well.
One of the best books of the year.......2007-06-17
Allan Brandt's new book, "The Cigarette Century", is as comprehensive a study on one subject as I've seen in a long time. Written crisply and authoritatively, Brandt covers the tobacco industry from the end of the nineteenth century through today with cigarettes as his main focus. What he has researched, uncovered and passed onto the reader in an expansive (yet truly condensed) form is terrific. His book is a blockbuster.
Cigarettes have been around for a long while in the United States but not until James Bonsack's rolling machine came into play in 1881 (churning out 200 cigarettes per minute) could they be distributed on a wide-scale basis. It wasn't until World War I, however, that the national demand for the product really took off, and did it ever! Brandt's book is a parallel study of American sociological history of the twentieth century as cigarettes have been at the center of so much of our cultural life. Women began smoking in earnest in the 1920s and Hollywood added its own weight with countless movie stars puffing away in countless films to remind the public of the "joys" of smoking. Advertisements abounded and cigarettes were here to stay.
Along came the 1950s and things began to change. This is where Brandt's book really takes off as he begins to shape the "controversy" between the industry and those determined to warn Americans of the risks of smoking. The Surgeon General's report of 1964 declaring smoking to be hazardous to one's health (later packaging warnings reminded the smoker of the same) was a big first step as the public was beginning to question the safety of cigarettes. While more and more research on the dangers of cigarette smoking was made public, the tobacco companies fought tooth and nail to assure Americans that all was well. Lawsuits began to be filed on an increasing level yet the industry was always one step ahead of its detractors. Tobacco companies insisted that safety was a primary concern, but being "remarkably effective in resisting serious health initiatives", they were not. Brandt concludes "we now know a good deal about how this goal was achieved: a careful mixture of reassurance, half-truths, innovative public relations, disinformation, and deception." Calling their actions "the crime of the century", (the title of his epilogue) the author has, by this point, made a careful and compelling argument for that chapter's title.
In my lifetime there have been three major social changes that I've noticed, one being that there are many fewer smokers today in the United States than when I was being raised. Yet, as Brandt points out, tobacco companies learned that if they can't sell as many cigarettes at home they'll export them...with no regard to the health of other nations' citizens. The industry seems to be winning again at the expense of those whose health fails after using their product, creating a pandemic just under the radar screen.
I highly recommend Allan Brandt's "The Cigarette Century". It's an eye-opener, extremely well-written and well-paced, and will either give you a new angle at which to look at cigarettes or reinforce the thoughts you may have had already. I think it is one of the best books of the year.
Book Description
David Brion Davis has long been recognized as the leading authority on slavery in the Western World. His books have won every major history award--including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award--and he has been universally praised for his prodigious research, his brilliant analytical skill, and his rich and powerful prose. Now, in Inhuman Bondage, Davis sums up a lifetime of insight in what Stanley L. Engerman calls "a monumental and magisterial book, the essential work on New World slavery for several decades to come." Davis begins with the dramatic Amistad case, which vividly highlights the international character of the Atlantic slave trade and the roles of the American judiciary, the presidency, the media, and of both black and white abolitionists. The heart of the book looks at slavery in the American South, describing black slaveholding planters, the rise of the Cotton Kingdom, the daily life of ordinary slaves, the highly destructive internal, long-distance slave trade, the sexual exploitation of slaves, the emergence of an African-American culture, and much more. But though centered on the United States, the book offers a global perspective spanning four continents. It is the only study of American slavery that reaches back to ancient foundations (discussing the classical and biblical justifications for chattel bondage) and also traces the long evolution of anti-black racism (as in the writings of David Hume and Immanuel Kant, among many others). Equally important, it combines the subjects of slavery and abolitionism as very few books do, and it illuminates the meaning of nineteenth-century slave conspiracies and revolts, with a detailed comparison with 3 major revolts in the British Caribbean. It connects the actual life of slaves with the crucial place of slavery in American politics and stresses that slavery was integral to America's success as a nation--not a marginal enterprise. A definitive history by a writer deeply immersed in the subject, Inhuman Bondage offers a compelling narrative that links together the profits of slavery, the pain of the enslaved, and the legacy of racism. It is the ultimate portrait of the dark side of the American dream. Yet it offers an inspiring example as well--the story of how abolitionists, barely a fringe group in the 1770s, successfully fought, in the space of a hundred years, to defeat one of human history's greatest evils.
Customer Reviews:
WHAT YOU NEVER LEARNED IN SCHOOL IN THE SOUTH.......2007-05-09
If you are over 60 and did not self-educate on slavery,you need to read this book. Believe me, slavery was a barely mentioned topic in elementary school through college. I know this is true for Blacks in the South and probably is true for other races as well.
This book is a must read for those non-academics who want to have a better understanding of slavery in America and the Americas. The sexual exploitation and psychological impact of slavery is generally known. This book, however, allows one to get the full picture of slavery from a global, economic and political perspective. There is nothing better for a painful subject like this than finding a reliable (well documented) and easy to read source by a respected author.
A great gift for your friends, no matter what race!
Dr. Davis' Opus.......2007-03-24
Readers of "Inhuman Bondage" have the privilege of entering the mind of one of the greatest living scholars of American slavery. In what truly may be his opus, Dr. David Brion Davis writes not simply a book, but composes a symphony. Like all great composers, Davis blends seemingly disparate notes into beautiful harmony.
Wide-ranging, even sprawling in coverage, Davis tells the epic story of the inhuman bondage of human enslavement. Laying the foundation with a captivating and accurate portrayal of the history and philosophy of ancient slavery, the author then moves into the modern era of slavery, first in the "New World" then in America more specifically.
"Inhuman Bondage" masterfully weaves together these larger socio-political realities with the very specific psychological realities of groups (such as the Amistad) and individuals. The clear message resonates: even inhuman treatment cannot dehumanize the human soul. In their rebellion (sometimes overt, other times, by necessity, covert and even internal), enslaved African Americans displayed their full humanity.
For a brilliantly written, in-depth, comprehensive, captivating narrative of new world slavery, look no further than "Inhuman Bondage."
Reviewer: Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction.
Great Research, Bulky Read.......2006-08-12
In under 350 pages, David Brion Davis presents a wealth of information for those exploring the history of slavery for the first time or for readers seeking additional information to supplement past books and articles.
Unfortunately, it reads like a choppy college lecture, with the flow of material marred oftentimes by the circular exploration of material. A topic may be introduced, then discussed in depth later and then reintroduced for concluding remarks many pages later.
Davis utilizes numerous resources from contemporary historians and it is appreciated that he introduces the author and the work to the reader while quoting from the material.
Inhuman Bondage is an important work in the growing number of books covering the sordid past that has been "conveniently" ignored or flippantly tossed aside in past historical writings.
By coming to terms with the past and acknowledging the damage it has done is the only way the words from Davis and others will truly have full meaning.
Read and Enjoy.......2006-06-12
This is an altogether splendid book. It is skillfully written such that it is difficult to put down; the notes are voluminous, the maps helpful, the range of information brought together and organized successfully impressive, the opinions of the author clearly expressed, and acknowledgement and credit to other historians generous. Despite this, one does wonder for whom the book was written, surely not the hypothetical general reader. Much more information than the lawyerly standard of what everyone knows is frequently called for. To give just one example, on pp. 265-66, a free black is shown worrying about the effects on him of the Fugitive Slave Law. One drops immediately to how Anthony Burns was hauled through the streets of Boston on his way to Virginia. Is one to infer that Burns was a free black erroneously seized or an escaped slave? And although Davis details how important the religious motivation was in abolitionist thought, nowhere was there any explanation of how this Biblically based thinking, which at this time was largely literal, coped with or was able to get around the clear Biblical acceptance of slavery. And one could wish, particularly in view of their extent and comprehension of various aspects of the subject, that the citations in the notes had been compiled into a bibliography. Nevertheless, I would recommend to anyone who is at all interested in slavery, the Civil War, racism, and a host of associated topics, that they do themselves a favour and read Inhuman Bondage.
Interesting.......2006-04-29
This book contributes to recent studies on slavery in Brazil and the French west indies, a wide study ot Slavery in the new world, explainings its origins, terrors, history and final liberations and conflicts. One wonders however how much the subjects needs a companion on Slavery in the Old World, and why there is no discussion of how pre-European enslavement of Africans by Arabs led to the formation of slave empires in Zanzibar and west africa that fueled the European slave trade. Imainge if these scholars dared to prick the bubble and reveal the fact that Slavery did not originate among Europeans and tha tin fact a study must be done on the rise and fall of slavery in the old world.
Seth J. Frantzman
Book Description
The fascinating portrayal of the Cherokee nation, filled with Native American legend, lore, and religion -- a gripping American drama of power, politics, betrayal, and ambition.
B & W photographs
Customer Reviews:
Unevenly written but an enjoyable read.......2007-07-24
Ehle's writing style can be entertaining, but is also uneven and at times downright confusing. The strengths are his telling of the Major Ridge story, which is really what this book is about, i.e. The life of Major Ridge and his son, John Ridge, and nephews, Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie. This was the first book I had read about the events leading up to the Trail of Tears, and I came away with the distinct impression that Ridge was a tragic hero who was treacherously murdered by the anti-treaty party of John Ross. Ross is portrayed as basically an inept leader who spends his life on a wild-goose chase to hold on to the Eastern Cherokee lands.
Imagine my surprise when I did some more research and learned that that is not at all how the Cherokee view these two men. On the contrary, Ross is seen as the hero and Ridge as a traitor, and in hindsight I see why that is.
Read this book for some info into the life of Major Ridge, but to find out how the Cherokee see the Trail of Tears, read something else.
Not all shame belongs to the white man.......2007-07-09
No one can doubt that the Native Americans were robbed of their land and wealth in the white mans rapid expansion and desire for land. What this book brings to light are the other culprits in this tragedy. It is difficult to picture a leader of the Cherokee people being a lobbyist in Washington while securing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contracts for him self, family and friends. This is a story of two migrations of the Cherokee people to the new Indian Territory one with little or no suffering along the way and the other the Trail of Tears.
trail of tears.......2007-06-13
The book was great. It had all the information I needed.
Counterpoint to the whitewash.......2006-10-19
Darwin might suggest that the exodus of the Cherokees from their native land to new territories was an example of a uniquely human ability to decide to survive. To remain in areas near an invading population with superior technology and ever growing numbers could easily result in annihilation. History had already proven this could be the case. What makes the Trail of Tears a segment of history that every American should be aware of is the uniquely inhuman reasons why the Indians were faced with a decision at all.
The book takes a cursory tour of history up to the time of the Trail of Tears then makes a more illustrative turn as it settles into describing the rift created within the Cherokee tribe surrounding their dilemma. John Ross and his followers preferred to stay, while Major Ridge and his son organized to leave.
This rift set in motion a number of well described events that not only tore the tribe apart in waves that echo to this day, it laid waste to many lives and much property along the way. Although the book starts with a plodding pace, it gradually builds into a complex weave of politics and a tragic drama.
The Trail of Tears certainly leaves one to question why are so proud of Andrew Jackson that he must be printed on every $20 bill and why we insist on calling the football team from Washington the "Redskins". We should recognize a derogatory attitude for what it is and have more respect for a civilization that held the original title to this land.
Woefully inomplete and biased.......2006-09-28
The "Rise" of the Cherokee nation is nowhere to be found in this book. In fact the "Fall" is well underway before chapter one, and continues to this day with the publication of tripe like this.
Any fair depiction of a clash of cultures needs to see each culture in it's context. Ehle doesn't seem to attempt this. His descriptions of Cherokee and settler life make no attempt to relate to their specific histories, but merely poke at them with a judgemental 20th century stick.
Two stars are simply because he has thrown out many names that anyone with a serious interest in the subject can use as tools for research.
Book Description
"All American is riveting and grand-that rare pairing of exquisite writing and unassailable research. Crawford delivers you to an age when iconic titans like Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner marched across the planet, and he is the perfect guide to their enormous triumphs and tragedies. This is epic American history at its page-turning finest."
-Bill Minutaglio, author of City on Fire and First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty
He was the greatest football running back of his era, leading his Carlisle Indian Industrial School team to victory over all the great college powerhouses. King Gustav of Sweden called him "the greatest athlete in the world" after he won gold medals for the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games. Yet Jim Thorpe was also at the center of the greatest sports scandal of the twentieth century-a scandal that took away his Olympic medals and banned him forever from intercollegiate sports.
Now, in this revealing new biography, Bill Crawford captures Jim Thorpe's remarkable rise and fall. From his youth on Oklahoma's Sac and Fox Indian reservation to his astounding feats on the gridiron, from his Olympic triumphs to his complex relationship with coach "Pop" Warner, who mentored, exploited, and ultimately betrayed him, All American brings you up close and personal with the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read Book for Many .......2005-02-18
This book provides the most detailed history yet of America's greatest athlete. In an era where athletes could not enhance their performance with drugs, Jim Thorpe was clearly, naturally the best. Bill Crawford's detailed account of Thorpe's life leaves no doubt in my mind. I am amazed by the amount of information Crawford provides on Thorpe as well as other athletes of the time. The history he provides of Carlisle and the Indian school system in general illustrates how poorly the BIA and the US government treated Indians. "All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe" should be required reading for all BIA officials as well as strongly recommended reading for others in government. Certainly student athletes and athletic officials would enjoy and learn from it.
The candid portrayal of a courageous and dedicated athlete.......2005-01-11
All American: The Rise And Fall Of Jim Thorpe is the biography of one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century - who was also at the center of one of the greatest scandals. Jim Thorpe was a grand football running back, a proud Native American, a college player who led his Carlisle Indian Industrial School team to victory, and the winner of gold medals for the decathlon and the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games. Yet a scandal ensued over whether he was truly worthy of "amateur" sports status, whether playing in certain professional ball games required that he be stripped of his titles. The scandal dragged his reputation through the mud and left a black mark on his life, even though he would go on to play professional baseball and become president of what would one day be the National Football League. All American is the candid portrayal of a courageous and dedicated athlete, and one who was essentially used as a guinea pig to determine the rules - who is an amateur, and who is a pro, and what amateurs and pros are allowed to do or not do. Enjoyable in its own right, All American is a welcome addition to prominent Native American biography collections, and highly recommended for American sports history shelves.
A Book for Our Times.......2004-12-24
Bill Crawford's "All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe" is a well crafted, insightful and poignant portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest athletes. That alone would be sufficient to give it all-star status among the scores of sports books published in recent years. "All American," however, is far more than that because paints a unique and compelling picture of "amateur" intercollegiate athletics in its infancy and thereby helps us to understand behemoth that it has become today.
Jim Thorpe's story has been told in other biographies as well as in a grade B movie. Crawford's contribution is its investigation of the complex relationship between Thorpe and his legendary coach, Glenn "Pop" Warner - the same Pop Warner who is the namesake of the youth football leagues that are supposed to instill in young men the spirit and ideals of honest and fair competition. Yet, as early as the first decade of the century, Warner, the football coach at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was earning more than his school's president, was recruiting "student athletes" who were far more athlete than student and was disbursing under the table cash. Although Warner won the trust and loyalty of Thorpe, he ultimately betrayed him by denying that he knew that he had played semi-pro baseball for petty cash. As a consequence, the Amateur Athletic Union and the American Olympic Committee ruled that Thorpe had compromised his amateur status and stripped him of his 1912 Olympic medals. In fact, Crawford makes clear, Warner not only was aware of what Thorpe had been doing in football's off-season, he most likely made the arrangements.
"All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe" should be required reading for anyone wishing to gain a perspective on the sports scandals du jour. It's an important book and a great compliment to the daily sports section.
All American The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe.......2004-12-16
As the youngest son of Jim Thorpe, I want to thank Bill Crawford for finally bringing out the truth in writing as to what happened to our father. For years our family and others have tried to clear his name. Much still needs to be done. Although his Gold Medals from the 1912 Olympics have been returned, dad is only named co-winner. His trophys from the games are still held by the IOC.
Mr. Crawford writes a wonderfull book. But,there is still a lack of understanding of the Indian culture,and what took place in the Indian School System during the early years of the last century, the Indian were not citizens of the United States and held on legal status. Dad did what he was told to do and suffered for his lack of knowledge and having no legal support.
As a family, we still want his name fully cleared and his full honors returned. Then the day would come when he can be put to rest.
Book Description
Arthur Demarest brings the lost civilization of Maya to life by applying a holistic view to the most recently discovered archaeological evidence. His theoretical interpretation simultaneously emphasizes the brilliant rain forest adaptations of the ancient Maya and the Native American spirituality that permeated all aspects of their daily life. Drawing on data from the latest significant archaeological research in Central America, this new study appeals to those interested in the ecological bases of civilization, the function of the state and the causes of the collapse of civilizations.
Customer Reviews:
Mayan Royal Rock Stars.......2005-03-05
This is a must read for anyone interested in the ancient Maya and why their advanced civilization that had achieved so much under such harsh conditions suddenly collapsed and disappeared for parts unknown. Demarest argues that the collapse was political rather than the most widely accepted paradigm that it was ecological. He concludes that the collapse was due to a proliferation of royal elites competing for power, similar to the present situation in Saudi Arabia. Warfare between these competing elites caused a collapse during a 100 year period that resulted in a depopulation of major cities and a drastic reduction of palace and temple construction. The book is worth reading if only for Demarest's description of the Wizard of Oz type power structure where Mayan royal elites held power through fantastic ritualistic displays that captivated the masses. He describes the Mayan royal elites as a combination of rock stars, evangelical preachers, and circus performers that dressed in elaborate costumes with feathered head dresses, lit fires with pyrite mirrors, and engaged in public displays of blood letting. Demarest even relates the Mayan architecture to theater with temples high above plazas where the masses could observe rituals. The book is easy to read for layman.
Book Description
THE UNPARALLELED HISTORY OF THE FALL OF OLD MEXICO
Drawing on newly discovered sources and writing with brilliance, drama, and profound historical insight, Hugh Thomas presents an engrossing narrative of one of the most significant events of Western history.
Ringing with the fury of two great empires locked in an epic battle, Conquest captures in extraordinary detail the Mexican and Spanish civilizations and offers unprecedented in-depth portraits of the legendary opponents, Montezuma and Cortés. Conquest is an essential work of history from one of our most gifted historians.
Customer Reviews:
Even Without Cortes The Indian Empires Would Have Been Doomed.......2007-03-02
This outstanding book, which gives a detailed description of the
amazing story of Hernan Cortes' conquest of the Mexica (Aztec) Empire
with a few hundred men, along with some horses and cannons, forces
us to look realistically at the encounter between the Europeans and
the Indian cultures of the New World. Thomas avoids political-correctness
by pointing out that the Aztecs had an aggressive, imperialistic political
system that was resented by their neighbors whom they oppressed. He also points out that the effect of disease, although certainly horrific, were
not of the scale recent studies have claimed. Although they were bad enough, Europe itself experienced major depopulations such as that due to the Black
Plague in the 14th century or the Thirty Years War in Germany in the 17th, and yet there was a recovery and civilization continued. Thus, this by itself, can not explain the complete upheavals the Indian population suffered in the hundred years following the European arrival.
Reading this book brought me to the conclusion that the Indian civilization that existed could not continue, even if the encounter with the Europeans had been less intrusive or brutal. Even if the Europeans had totally pacific intentions, satsifying themselves with localized
settlement and trade, and had not forcibly conquered the existing Indian
cultures, those cultures still would have been irrevocably changed.
For example, the introduction of new plants and animals from Europe would
have changed the ecology of the New World and disrupted the existing
agricultural patterns of the Indians (e.g. pigs who escaped from the European settlements on the island of Hispaniola ruined the agricultural
plots of the local indians). We know that the taming of wild horses by the Plains Indians in the US radically changed their culture and made their wars against their White AND Indian neighbors more efficient. There is no way the existing religious cult system based on idol worship
and human sacrifices could have continued to exist for very long, just as slavery would have ended in the Confederacy within 20 years even if the South had won the Civil War...the outside world would just not have tolerated such practices and no doubt internal pressures would have also occurred as Indians became exposed to the message of Christianity.
In addition, even without the military force of the Europeans, the encounter between the Europeans and Indians would have exposed the Indians to the European's diseases ravaging the Indians, although as I stated above, it is unclear how much effect this would have had by itself.
Thus, by giving an unsentimental view of the titanic clash of civilizations
personified by Montezuma and Cortes, we get a better view of the true
nature of that clash and the values they represented.
The best analysis of the invasion of Mexico.......2006-12-28
This is probably the best book on the Fall of Old Mexico and the rise of Spanish power. This book tracks Cortez illegal mission and the dealings he has with the Indians when he arrives. It also details his encounters with Montezuma and other aspects of the invasion. Overall it is very well written and provides a through account of what happened. Thomas is an expert in this area and his dedication to his field show through this book.
Irrelevant rubbish.......2006-12-18
It does not often happen that a book is rendered useless by a single sentence. This is one of them. Apparently in an attempt to legitimize the hideous cruelty of the inhabitants of old Mexico the author makes the following statement:
Every people, it is now generally supposed, has its own right to conduct itself as its national customs provide.
This is so incredibly stupid that it makes the author a self-professed idiot and therefore irrelevant. Fortunately it comes early in the book, so that no discerning reader need waste too much time on this garbage.
Extremely fascinating true story.......2006-07-28
Ask a friend or an average person this:"Regarding empires of the past, what countries come to your mind?" His most likely answer would be Rome,Greece,Egypt,China or Persia. He may or may not go further to include Turkey(Ottoman),Mongolia, Japan or Britain. Ask him where the Pyramid of the Sun (which is in Mexico) is and his reply would probably be Egypt or somewhere there. Yet how many AVERAGE person would give an answer of the Aztec Empire in Mexico or Inca Empire in Peru? None to not many,I'll bet.
Yet these empires created by North and South American Indians, completely isolated from the Western and Eastern worlds,were discovered in their magnificent splendor beyond the wildest imagination of the first Europeans(the Spanish)who witnessed them! HughThomas'"CONQUEST" describes in detail those feelings of the Spanish Conquistadors when they entered Tenochtitlan,the Aztec capital,an incredible city beyond their imagination of any city in Spain or Europe that they had ever seen. In fact,many of the Conquistadors and accompanying friars themselves were wondering if they were dreaming,as recorded in their diaries,
chronicles, letters to Spain and their documentss called codices!
Hugh Thomas did a splendid job in his exhaustively researched
"CONQUEST", written like a fantasy trip to the unkown yet so remarkable in the authenticity and undisputability of its existence in America. The reader of the book will share with both conquerors and conquered their feelings,their hardships,
their sorrow,fears of the unknown,blood curdling human sacrifices,their battles,victories and defeats,death and destinies.Made more incredible by the FACT of how a "handful" of Spaniards(300 to 400)led by Hernan Cortes strategically managed to conquer a million or more fierce Aztec warriors ruled by the Aztec Emperor Montezuma.These events were recorded by the Spanish conquistadors corroborated by records(codices) of the Aztec Indians themselves.
What is Hollywood and Steven Spielberg waiting for? Are we not too saturated with movies of the Roman Empire,Greece,Troy,Alexander the Great, Egypt,etc? Why not let the AVERAGE American,North and South,be more aware of the existence of fantastic huge empires in their own continent (the NEW WORLD)? C'mon Spielberg and Hollywood! The conquest of Mexico, and even that of Peru,would be fabulous colorful,and not to say the least, DRAMATIC blockbusters! In the meantime, we can just read Hugh Thomas' outstanding book,"CONQUEST".
must read.......2006-07-17
Buy it, dont hesitate. It feels like "being there". Just the introduction to the culture of the beginning is a bit dry and sometimes disturbing (kids tortured) but a must be to understand what you are getting into with the conquistadores.
Book Description
This title deals with many prophetic and well as historical aspects of Elijah Muhammad's teaching. It's prophetic insight makes one think they always have the latest daily newspaper.
Customer Reviews:
The Q'uran according to Eliah Muhammed.......2007-10-06
A dark tome that pretends to prophesy an end to the United States, presenting that country as the focus of all evil; the domain of satan and sin, the modern Babylon. The argument is given an appropriate support from the writings of the Islamic Q'uran holy book, in view of the history of Muhammad, its founder, as a raider of caravans and killer of assorted Jews and infidels. The entire book is studded with exaggerations, baseless assumptions and misperceptions of reality, not to mention numerous actual falsehoods.
I have given this book two stars, one because I believe that persons of education should read it and recognize the potential problems this type of writers and their followers can cause, and a second to call attention to its siren song of hatred and fear.
The sorry aspect of the book is that this black god-shouter will (and does) have a following and an audience for his ignorant rant, much as an earlier white man, Jim Jones did.
A Necessity!.......2003-06-30
This book is a necessity to possess due to the fact that the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad lays out the history and destiny of America that is unfolding right before our eyes. This book was/is a wakeup call to America, a saving grace if you will, to correct its ills and atone for her sins. Otherwise, she will experience a most terrible fall and destruction. Subjects include the decline of the dollar, degeneracy of the American culture, educational system etc. The basis of the Messenger's teachings is Biblical and Quranic scripture. He ends the book by describing how America will be destroyed. This book is a must have by a prophetic voice, The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Book Description
Customer Reviews:
Masterpiece.......2001-07-22
This is an excellent academic account--and, at the same time, most enjoyable reading for a scholarly work--on ethnic succession in organized crime. Italian and Jewish gangsters supplanted German and Irish hoods during Prohibition. The Italians outlasted the Jews and are now being supplanted by other ethnic groups. Working largely from FBI files and contemporary news accounts, Fried examines the why and how of it all, tracing Jewish organized crime from the early New York street gangs through such powerhouse mobsters as Waxey Gordon, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, the "Cleveland Four," headed by Moe Dalitz who later migrated to Las Vegas, and the legendary "Chairman of the Board," Meyer Lansky. One wishes there had been more emphasis on other Jewish mobsters such as Dutch Schultz, Jake Guzik, Charlie Birger, Kid Cann, and the Purple Gang but the rise and fall of the Jewish gangster seems to have been much the same story anyway throughout America and I don't think it's been told better anywhere.
The real New York Counter-culture.......1999-06-29
Anyone who has looked into American 20th century "Leftist" urban politics has undoubtedly run across Albert Fried's name before. In this wonderful history, he expertly tells the story of emerging urban Jewish culture at the turn of the century and of how one segment of this culture then quickly evolved to succeed in the wilderness of the Lower East Side, Manhattan. All of the major gangster figures are covered in detail and a number of "lesser known" gangsters (to those who are not as expert in this subject) are revealed to have been important local figures in their day, as well as meaningful players in a larger coherent socio-political story. I emphasize "story" because to me that is what this book really is: Fried clearly has a passion for his subject and his city and as a result, the book reads like a wise Jewish grandfather passing down his legends. Anyone with an interest in gangster culture, its relationship to local, state and national politics, the history of New York City, and/or the history of American Judaism as developed through the New York Secular movement MUST read this book!
Gripping, elegantly written........1999-04-19
This is a gripping, elegantly written account of some of the most colorfully horrible people in our nation's history.
Book Description
Using many never-reported facts, award-winning writer Anne Hagedorn Auerbach chronicles the compelling and tragic story behind the downfall of Thoroughbred racing's crown jewel.
Customer Reviews:
Astonishing Story..........2007-05-16
By far and away, this is the best book I have ever read. It is enthralling, astounding in its detail, it is meticulously researched, beautifully and stylishly written. Auerbach's book is the classiest piece of reading I have completed. I couldn't put it down, and it will lead you along the road from awe to woe. I could read anything about the Bluegrass and the thoroughbred industry, but this book will cross genres from horse fans to general public.
But be advised, it is an involving read and you need to concentrate. But I found my emotions building with every chapter and a sure void when I discovered that the book ends before the completion of the Calumet story which, by my own research, continues long after the close of pages in 1995...
Financial shenanigans and excess destroy a racing dynasty.......2007-03-04
At last a detailed explanation as to what caused the implosion of the seemingly solid Calumet Farms throughbred racing dynasty. How could things go so wrong, so fast? An interesting mix of human pettiness, ignorance and weakness, greed, and then the Farm was lost to greater and greater accelerating debt. Detailed portraits of many of the Calumet favorites, especially Alydar, who's accidental death stopped the cash machine that was keeping the farm afloat in a sea of debt. Interesting crosscurrents of bad feduciary management by the trust's bank managers, criminal activity, gangland ties, possible drug peddling for cash, contracts that were fast and loose and pledged the same assets over and over again. If you like racing and remember the Calumet lock on winning and its great horses, this is a fascinating book. If you are looking for just a "horse" book you should look elsewhere, but this is a great story from the get-go.
Ripping The Veneer Off The Sport Of Kings.......2006-09-01
I vividly remember the reports in the sports section concerning the death of Alydar and then the financial collapse of Calumet Farm. Little did I know then that it was as criminal as anything found on the front page of a major daily.
Ann Hagedorn Auerbach does an outstanding job of piecing together the jagged financial picture of the crumbled puzzle pieces left by J.T. Lundy. The book also poses poignant questions - many remaining unanswered today - concerning the death of a great champion who seemingly was worth more in death because of the huge insurance windfall gained by Lundy.
And please don't be fooled by the pomp on major race days covered on national TV/cable; the Thoroughbred industry is driven by racers graduating to the stud farm and commanding oftentimes six figures per mating.
Though the book is about 10 years old, you will wonder if there are more Lundy's cooking up schemes to defraud others while striding nonchalantly under the backdrop of beautiful turf, colorful silks and million-dollar runners.
Depressing But True.......2006-06-27
This is the story of the downfall of the premier horse racing & breeding farm as well as the death of the legendary racehorse stallion Alydar, due to, of course, greed. Rest in peace Alydar.
The author follows the money trail expertly, & as a horse person, I have seen this scenario in a smaller scale before (downfall of a stable etc) due to greed.
It is a shame that real horsepeople do not own these farms/stables. Money is still directing what is happening to all horse breeds to this day. Witness the "Dubai" (Doobie) Brothers are still buying up the best bloodstock of the USA, & they are not just limiting themselves to Thoroughbreds (also Arabians, Saddlebreds).
I gave the book only 4 stars as it is depressing. However, it is very well written.
This is Not a Horse Racing Book.......2006-06-12
There may be a horse on the cover, but this is not a horse racing book. If you want a book that covers the entire history of Calumet - you'll have to keep waiting. This book is primarily about J.T. Lundy and the investments he made that ultimately led to the Alydar tragedy.
Citation - one of the greatest racehorses of all time and easily the greatest horse ever bred at Calumet (no offense to Whirlaway) - gets a whopping paragraph mention.
Many portions of this book get bogged down with discussions of trust funds, banks, liens, etc. If you want to know how not to run a business, this is for you. If you want to know how not to run a horse farm, this is for you. If you are just plain curious in how Calumet went so downhill so fast, this is for you.
If you want to read about horse racing - this book is not for you.
Auerbach seems to grasp the basics of horse racing...but she apparently never actually visited the farm...several times referring to Keeneland (which is directly next door to Calumet) as several miles away...Since she's a Wall Street Journal writer, obviously the business side of everything is extremely sound.
Book Description
COP: “Buddy, I think this is a whorehouse.”
BUDDY CIANCI: “Now I know why they made you a detective.”
Welcome to Providence, Rhode Island, where corruption is entertainment and Mayor Buddy Cianci presided over the longest-running lounge act in American politics. In The Prince of Providence, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mike Stanton tells a classic story of wiseguys, feds, and politicians on a carousel of crime and redemption.
Buddy Cianci was part urban visionary, part Tony Soprano—a flawed political genius in the mold of Huey Long and James Michael Curley. His lust for power cost him his marriage, his family, and close friendships. Yet he also revitalized the city of Providence, where ethnic factions jostle with old-moneyed New Englanders and black-clad artists from the Rhode Island School of Design rub shoulders with scam artists from City Hall.
For nearly a quarter of a century, Cianci dominated this uneasy melting pot. During his first administration, twenty-two political insiders were convicted of corruption. In 1984, Cianci resigned after pleading guilty to felony assault, for torturing a man he suspected of sleeping with his estranged wife. In 1990, in a remarkable comeback, Cianci was elected mayor once again; he went on to win national acclaim for transforming a dying industrial city into a trendy arts and tourism mecca.
But in 2001, a federal corruption probe dubbed Operation Plunder Dome threatened to bring the curtain down on Cianci once and for all.
Mike Stanton takes readers on a remarkable journey through the underside of city life, into the bizarre world of the mayor and his supporting cast, including:
• “Buckles” Melise, the city official in charge of vermin control, who bought Providence twice as much rat poison as the city of Cleveland, which was at the time four times as large, and wound up increasing Providence’s rat population. During a garbage strike, Buckles sledgehammered one city employee and stuck his thumb in another’s eye. Cianci would later describe this as “great public policy.”
• Anthony “the Saint” St. Laurent, a major Rhode Island bookmaker and loan shark, who tried to avoid prison by citing his medical need for forty bowel irrigations a day, thus earning himself the nickname “Public Enema Number One.”
• Dennis Aiken, a celebrated FBI agent and public corruption expert, who asked to be sent to “the Louisiana of the North,” where he enlisted an undercover businessman to expose the corrupt secrets of Cianci’s City Hall.
The Prince of Providence is a colorful and engrossing account of one of the most tragicomic figures in modern American life—and the city he transformed.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Classic Rhode Island.......2006-06-28
RI is such a secular little world where everyone DOES know everyone else. Buddy played those connections to the hilt, rebuilding a city and lining his own pockets at the same time. This is a great study of a guy who, had he not been so affable, would have been regarded as the nastiest of crooks. But instead while he wallows in the Federal Pen, his legions of fans and supporters remain steadfast. Stanton does a superb job of capturing the uniqueness of Rhode Island; the Italianness, the corruption, the general air of "fuhgheddaboudit, they're all crooks". Don't rule out Buddy Part III, this is but the first installment of a very interesting man.
The Jekyll and Hyde Mayor.......2005-11-19
I know very little about New England or Rhode Island. I'm not terribly interested in politics. I came to this book in a roundabout way. I had never been aware of Buddy Cianci until I happened to see a musical at the New York International Fringe Theatre Festival in 2003 titled BUDDY CIANCI. While the musical wasn't very good, I thought the story was fascinating and that in Buddy Cianci the authors certainly had a character who was big enough to sing. Here was a guy who was a scary crook that everyone loved. Here was a mayor whose popularity was never higher than just after he was indicted a second time. He had been indicted previously, pleaded guilty to assault (he bound and tortured a man he claimed was his ex-wife's lover) and had to step down as mayor, only to run again and be re-elected! So of course I pounced when I saw this book in the bookstore. I was not disappointed. Mike Stanton's THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE is jaw-dropping reading as it traces Cianci's rise to power and his outrageous machinations to keep his power. Stanton's book is very detailed and objective. This is not a hatchet job. He gives equal time to all sides. In one chapter I would be rooting for Buddy and in the following chapter rooting for his enemies. This is that kind of book. Buddy Cianci is that kind of guy. The book has been sold to the movies and should make a terrific film. (But what actor could possibly do justice to the title character?) There are times when the book seems on the verge of becoming a Yankee MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (which I consider a compliment). THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE is consistently entertaining and has a lot to say about America and the times we live in. Four stars.
Fascinating.......2005-09-04
A fascinating view of a Mayor who engaged in boosterism to sell his city, and himself. Very helpful to those interested in studying styles of government and a great read.
Jim Fiorentini Mayor, Haverhill, MA
A renaissance man .......2005-05-21
This book is a fascinating look at politics, corruption and the enigma of Buddy Cianci. Thoughtful and balanced, it shows both sides of a bright, funny, and charismatic mayor whose impact reaches beyond his city. It's all about good and evil in the same person. Charm, power, and political realities. A great read.
We miss Buddy!.......2005-03-18
Well, perhaps not everyone does. But as this book outlines in great detail, Buddy was quite a character. He was the huge push (or battering ram?) behind the proverbial renaissance of Providence. PVD has a long way to go, but some would argue that it is definitely better off after Buddy's term in office. Besides, how many cities have had a convicted felon with his own marinara sauce in City Hall? Stanton has written a meticulously researched and engaging book about one of the most interesting mayors to come along in quite a while. Whether you're from Providence or just passing through (ahem college kids), pick this one up and learn about the man behind the myth.
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