Customer Reviews:
Interesting primary source account.......2005-11-08
I was assigned this book as part of a class on the Old West. This is a collection of writings by Native Americans of their experiences of "how the west was lost". More than that, though, it gives an idea, from the Native Americans' experience, of how they felt about white people coming, treaties, their changing way of life, and more. An interesting read and certainly gives a new perspective to the history of the West.
Amazon.com
It may seem surprising that a lengthy exploration of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians could be entertaining. But Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Ben Cramer manages to pull off just such a feat while sacrificing neither the gravity of the situation nor the intricacies of a political and religious war that seems to grow perpetually more bloody and intractable. He argues that Israel is being slowly destroyed by their continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, which is in turn destroying the Palestinians' hopes for a homeland of their own. Cramer's book is divided into four questions about the conflict ("Why do we care about Israel?", "Why don't the Palestinians have a state?", "What is a Jewish state?", and "Why is there no peace?") modeled after the questions asked at a Passover seder. It's tricky to bring fresh insight to the situation in the Middle East since the cycle of attacks and subsequent retaliations is so depressingly perpetual. But Cramer ! strikes just the right tone to spark reader interest: irreverent without being inappropriate, blunt and direct without oversimplifying, and passionate without being biased. He's at his best in the book's final chapter, offering advice for hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ("Give back the land - the West Bank and Gaza") and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ("bring one actual lawyer and someone to talk English on TV"). And while the history lessons provided in How Israel Lost are worthwhile, particularly to those whose knowledge of the conflict doesn't reach past the morning papers, it's Cramer's personal anecdotes of the human beings in the middle of the crisis and his own experiences covering it, combined with his lively writing, that make this such a compelling read. --John Moe
Book Description
Once in a great while, a book comes along that not only discusses a topic of interest, it changes the boundaries of that discussion forever. This is such a book. In How Israel Lost Richard Ben Cramer analyzes the four questions that have bedeviled Israel and Palestine for almost forty years:
I. Why Do We Care About Israel?
II. Why Don't the Palestinians Have a State?
III. What Is a Jewish State?
IV. Why Is There No Peace?
With personal observation and sharp and challenging argument, Cramer insists that Israel is losing her soul by maintaining her occupation of the lands conquered in the Six Day War. Israel has become a victim of that occupation no less than the Palestinians, who must have a nation of their own. Cramer makes clear for the first time why the occupation endures and how it corrupts and corrodes the societies of both Arab and Jew.
Cramer's portrait of those societies is both up to the minute and timeless, enlivened at every step by his trademark humor, by humane understanding of the people caught in the conflict, and by his astonishing gift for language, theirs and ours. Both his observations and arguments are drawn with startling clarity, informed by the fierce and fearless reporting that won him the Pulitzer Prize for Middle East coverage twenty-five years ago.
The result is a book destined to produce both heat and light -- it is both shocking and a delight to read. This is journalism so sharp that it will change the story it set out to tell.
Download Description
"Once in a great while, a book comes along that not only discusses a topic of interest, it changes the boundaries of that discussion forever. This is such a book. In How Israel Lost Richard Ben Cramer analyzes the four questions that have bedeviled Israel and Palestine for almost forty years: I. Why Do We Care About Israel? II. Why Don't the Palestinians Have a State? III. What Is a Jewish State? IV. Why Is There No Peace? With personal observation and sharp and challenging argument, Cramer insists that Israel is losing her soul by maintaining her occupation of the lands conquered in the Six Day War. Israel has become a victim of that occupation no less than the Palestinians, who must have a nation of their own. Cramer makes clear for the first time why the occupation endures and how it corrupts and corrodes the societies of both Arab and Jew. Cramer's portrait of those societies is both up to the minute and timeless, enlivened at every step by his trademark humor, by humane understanding of the people caught in the conflict, and by his astonishing gift for language, theirs and ours. Both his observations and arguments are drawn with startling clarity, informed by the fierce and fearless reporting that won him the Pulitzer Prize for Middle East coverage twenty-five years ago. The result is a book destined to produce both heat and light -- it is both shocking and a delight to read. This is journalism so sharp that it will change the story it set out to tell. "
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-03-05
If you're curious but uninformed and want to understand the Israel-Palestinian conflict, this is a good book for you. Along the way to understanding what drives some of the issues in the West Bank and Gaza, Ben Cramer will have you laughing out loud (and crying sometimes) with some wonderful little stories that help illustrate his points. In fact, given the seriousness of the topic, you may be caught offguard early in the book by some of his offhandedness. I found myself rereading passages, thinking "does he really mean what he's saying". But once I realized he intended to inject some lightheartedness into the subject, then I relaxed and really enjoyed the book.
I borrowed this book first from the library and liked it so much, I bought one on Amazon.
Good Book.......2006-12-31
I purcahsed this book for my father. He is very into Zionism and the history of Israel. He said that the book was very well written and that he really enjoyed it!
How to hate the situation - but love people on all sides.......2006-08-25
For everyone who is tired of the polarised
nature of the Middle East question this book
(written by a Jewish American) is a superb antidote.
--a) Its very easy to read - nice style and "un-put-downable".
--b) It takes the discussion up to the level of human beings
- their issues, their lives, their wants. He humanises
the whole debate like no other text on the issue.
--c) Outlining his thesis via the narrative of individual
lives is an innovative and highly successful technique.
He does a great job of weaving those stories together
to come up with a coherent work.
--d) You end up liking people on both sides - wow!
--e) He is very realistic and straight talking - something
that is missing from the debate. Makes his work have a
real razor sharp cut. No BS.
--f) He introduces new insight and ideas not seen
else where (the Secular Russification of the Israeli
Population).
--g) The quality of the paper and the interesting ribbed
effect created by the paper edges gives it quite an unusual
touch. A good one for you book anoraks.
An outstanding human artefact that will take you through the
depths of human depravity and its most honourable moments.
Ultimately it will leave you with a wider perspective on the
subject and fill you with hope.
Ben Cramer - we honour you for this service to humanity.
A perfect read in 2006.......2006-04-08
This book is entertaining even on such a somber subject. In light of the recent PBS Frontline special on the recent election in Israel and on the stunning reversal of the newly elected leader with even Sharon (before his coma)on returning occupied territories the book is right on for understanding today. This book explains it all from an insider of sorts. Cramer gives us examples from his own reporter type interviews. He is Jewish yet seems to empathize with both the Palestinian and Jewish sides. It is not meant to be a scholarly history(although he does document who he is talking to) it is like a conversation with a friendly knowledgeable insider and has answered "what were they thinking and why?" on the sometimes, to me, unexplainable positions and actions of today. It was a fast and interesting very interesting read.
I was expecting something more academic & less anecdotal.......2006-01-13
The author makes good points and appears to know of which he speaks. He is unbiased and concludes largely that the difference between the jews and palestinians is (largely) a factor of ... P.R. I was, however, expecting a more academic approach to the issue instead of the author's own personal observations and reflections on history. The text read as if you were talking to the author ... which leads me to my next point ...
I have a background in editing and proof reading and was really, really, (really) distracted by the author's writing style. He never met a hyphen, elipses, or parenthetical that he didn't like. I would give him more stars if the publisher provided a refund for the time I lost due to the (extreme) overuse of punctuation.
(Sorry ... but I could not find a place in my review for a ... hyphen).
Book Description
"A first-rate piece of work and a fine read." -- Alan Taylor, University of California, Davis
"This excellent history of early Kentucky resonates with the most important questions in the history of the early republic, frontier, and economic development. One of the book's great strengths is its 'genre-busting' quality, taking up ethnohistory and settlement history in the same narrative." -- John Mack Faragher, Yale University
Eighteenth-century Kentucky was a place where Indian and European cultures collided -- and, surprisingly, coincided. But this mixed world did not last, and it eventually gave way to nineteenth-century commercial and industrial development. How the West Was Lost tracks the overlapping conquest, colonization, and consolidation of the trans-Appalachian frontier. Not a story of paradise lost, this is a book about possibilities lost. It focuses on the common ground between Indians and backcountry settlers which was not found, the frontier customs that were not perpetuated, the lands that were not distributed equally, the slaves who were not emancipated, the agrarian democracy that was not achieved, and the millennium that did not arrive. Seeking to explain why these dreams were not realized, Stephen Aron shows us what did happen during Kentucky's tumultuous passage from Daniel Boone's world to Henry Clay's.
Customer Reviews:
Single best book on early Kentucky.......2006-01-29
Stephen Aron's "How the West Was Lost" is the standard work on Kentucky in the frontier and early-statehood eras. He provides cultural, social, political, and economic aspects of the settlement of the state and its transformation from a "good poor man's country" to the slave-holding, aristocratic-led state of Henry Clay in the early nineteenth century. "How the West Was Lost" combines sound analysis and comprehensive research to create a work that will influence scholars for years to come and that provides a road map for future researchers interested in almost any topic in that era of Kentucky history. Complementing the amazing amount of information on early Kentucky, Johns Hopkins Press allowed Aron to include fifty pages of footnotes, which address the historiography and identify key works in addition to providing citations for sources quoted.
Aron is one of the best scholars of western/frontier history currently in the field. He presents an even-handed view of America's westward expansion that lies somewhere between Frederick Jackson Turner's triumphalism and the New Western History's demonizing of white settlement.
The Forgotten Kentuckies.......2003-09-10
This was assigned reading in my Kentucky History class. It covers the founding and settlement of Kentucky. What makes the book is the brief glimpses it gives of the Forgotten Kentuckies:
-- Free Kentucky. When the land was a giant game reserve for Native Americans, full of trees and animals, but devoid of people. Where the buffalo literally roamed until white hunters brought about their extinction in just a matter of a few years.
-- Pioneer Kentucky. When small families lived in the middle of nowhere, battling Mother Nature and Indians. A world where some Native American tribes tried to assimilate captured white settlers, and some missionaries tried to lead converted Indians.
-- Chaotic Kentucky. When the lawyers and land speculators showed up, driving free-thinking spirits such as Daniel Boone away.
-- the Bluegrass Era of Henry Clay. When wild Kentucky transformed into a mini version of the Old Dominion with its slavery and aristocratic living.
-- Outlaw Kentucky. When the Green River and other parts of the state tried and failed to rebel against the establishment.
-- The Great Revival. When evengelical religious fervor swept the state, bringing the Shakers among others.
All in all, there's a little something here for everybody. It can be read on many levels. As an account of early Kentucky, a look at the worlds of Daniel Boone and Henry Clay, a case study on frontier expansion, or for just pure enjoyment.
Two views of Kentucky.......2000-03-26
Stephen Aron's book depicts the two conflicting ideals of how Kentucky is to go down into history by pioneer Daniel Boone and then, the powerful Henry Clay. A very good book answering all the questions of historical Trans-Appalacha. I feel as if Aron could have shortened the book and still be able to get the point across of the two opposing sides.
Book Description
What made the West ‘western’? And has Western civilisation found modernity but lost itself? This provocative and stimulating polemic argues that the modern world has destroyed western culture and civilisation without gaining anything in return, leaving contemporary man with a spiritual and cultural gap that no amount of material wealth can fill. This is a brave and challenging attempt to explain how and why this has happened and present a new concept of modern history for our complacent times.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful, well-written historical reflection.......2007-02-23
It is obvious to many observers that today's societies are experiencing a breakdown of what many would call "traditional Western social and cultural values." Boot takes this argument one step further, contending that Western man, or "Westman," is already dead. He defines Westman as a socio-cultural type that emerged from the blending of Hellenic logic and Christian values. Boot argues that traditional Westman values were besieged by Enlightenment ideals, suffered a crippling blow in the Industrial Revolution, and were finally demolished by the wars of the 20th century. Dancing on the ashes of Westman's tomb is a new socio-cultural type--Modern man, or "Modman."
According to Boot, two subspecies of Modmen exist, the Nihilists (exemplified by Russia) and the Philistines (led by America). Both forms rule by "glossocracy," that is, distorting the true meaning of words to preserve political power. The only substantive difference between the two subspecies is the Nihilist's willingness to add mass murder into the power equation as well. Cast in these terms, Boot analyzes the wars and political murders characteristic of the 20th century, using the millions of dead to argue strongly that Modman governments are deeply flawed because they deny the existence of the soul -- a human dimension that was supremely important in Westman's world.
This is an outstanding book that challenged me to re-evaluate my personal interpretation of recent history. Boot has a very strong, opinionated voice, and though one may not agree with all of his opinions, his ideas will provoke personal reflection. To truly enjoy this work, at least a basic knowledge of Greek philosophy, Christianity, European culture from 1200 - 1850, and the events of the 20th century is requisite. This work is a commentary on history and culture, and as such, it is geared for people who are knowledgable in these areas.
Ignorant.......2007-01-17
This book is full of chauvinism, prejudice and ignorance. The writer does not even posess an elementary knowledge on the subject he pretends to be talking about, yet he makes confident proclamations. E.g. at one point he claims that Aristotle was a disciple of Socrates. In fact, the former was born 15 years after the death of the latter. Ignorance of such basic facts on behalf of the author renders this book unworthy of reading.
Our Beloved, Dead Western Civilization.......2006-11-04
A sublime eulogy to the greatness of what was Western civilization and its beautiful culture..... now, of course, long dead.
Book Description
This volume is the most detailed case study of land tenure in Hawai'i. Focusing on kuleana (homestead land) in Kahana, O'ahu, from 1846 to 1920, the author challenges commonly held views concerning the Great Mahele (Division) of 1846-1855 and its aftermath. There can be no argument that in the fifty years prior to the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, ninety percent of all land in the Islands passed into the control or ownership of non-Hawaiians. This land grab is often thought to have begun with the Great Mahele and to have been quickly accomplished because of Hawaiians' ignorance of Western law and the sharp practices of Haole (white) capitalists. What the Great Mahele did create were separate land titles for two types of land (kuleana and ahupua'a) that were traditionally thought of as indivisible and interconnected, thus undermining an entire social system. With the introduction of land titles and ownership, Hawaiian land could now be bought, sold, mortgaged, and foreclosed. The new concept of land, coupled with a foreign-controlled government indifferent to native land rights and a steady decline in the native population, proved disastrous for Hawaiians.
Using land-tenure documents recently made available in the Hawai'i State Archives' Foster Collection, the author presents the most complete picture of land transfer to date. The Kahana database reveals that after the 1846 division, large-scale losses did not occur until a hitherto forgotten mortgage and foreclosure law was passed in 1874. Hawaiians fought to keep their land and livelihoods, using legal and other, more innovative, means, including the creation of hui shares. Contrary to popular belief, many of the investors and speculators who benefited from the sale of absentee-owned lands awarded to ali'i (rulers) were not Haole but Pake (Chinese).
Kahana: How the Land Was Lost explains how Hawaiians of a century ago were divested of their land--and how the past continues to shape the Island's present as Hawaiians today debate the structure of land-claim settlements.
Average customer rating:
|
How the West Was Lost
Gene Shelton
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Westerns
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0425155447 |
Average customer rating:
- An irreverant account of famous -- and infamous -- events
- Not well edited, so is it truthfully written?
- Witty, Irreverent Style Does not Make Up for other Weakness
- Fact Errors vs. spelling Errors
- Zebulon Pike was not a traitor
|
Jefferson and the Gun-Men: How the West Was Almost Lost (It Happened in)
M.R. Montgomery
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Old West
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0609807102
Release Date: 2001-10-16 |
Book Description
Contrary to popular opinion, the opening of the American frontier was not a simple land purchase; it was actually a hardscrabble fight. Even as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on their legendary journey to the Pacific Ocean, other forces were taking the measure of the land with far darker ambitions.
Aaron Burr, the charming and treacherous former vice president, determined that if he could not be master of his nation, he would instead become emperor of the next best thing: the Louisiana Territory. Slyly working with the powerful and ambitious commander of the U.S. Army, General James Wilkinson, Burr instigated a plot to seize not only Louisiana, but all of Mexico as well. Told from a time when the wildest plots and the most grandiose dreams thrived, as schemers and revolutionaries conspired to create a new country,
Jefferson and the Gun-Men is the riveting tale of this unlikely story
Customer Reviews:
An irreverant account of famous -- and infamous -- events.......2005-07-03
The prinicple narrative thread in Montgomery's "Jefferson and the Gun-Men" is an irreverant account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Do not expect "Heroic Explorers Contend Against the Wilderness"; rather, it is more like "Laurel and Hardy Go West". Although I would hesitate to take everything Montgomery states at face value -- I cannot but help think he was looking for drama, treachery, and sheer idiocy instead of straight history -- I do find his account useful in one primary regard: he interweaves in a chronologically straightforward manner the activities of not only Lewis and Clark but also of Zebulon Pike (if Lewis and Clark were Laurel and Hardy, then Pike in his view was something of a singlehanded Keystone Kop), Tom Jeffeson, Aaron Burr, and James Wilkinson (commanding general of the US Army and secretly a paid agent of Spain and a conspirator with Aaron Burr to invade Mexico or to set up the western US territories as a separate country or something -- in the end, Wilkinson betrayed Burr and became the chief witness against him in Burr's treason trial). Lewis and Clark's explorations, Pike's wanderings up the Mississippi and in the Southwest, Burr's schemes ... they are all intertwined. So, at a minimum Montgomery's book establishes a common timescale for events usually treated in isolation. But I would urge the reader to go beyond Montgomery's book to read other viewpoints about these men and their activities.
Not well edited, so is it truthfully written?.......2004-06-26
The basic story is intriguing and very gripping, but is it the truth? The book could have been wonderful, but is seriously flawed. Snippets of tales appear haphazardly, making the reading of it less flowing - and on two instances the facts were contrary to basic knowledge of any 6th grade student in history:
1.) Andrew Jackson was not destined to be President in 1820. (He took office in 1829, I recall without looking it up.)
2.) Thomas Jefferson was not the 2nd President. (What ever happened to John Adams?)
When these obvious errors appeared, I thought perhaps the rest of the book was junk too, so why bother reading this.
Witty, Irreverent Style Does not Make Up for other Weakness.......2003-10-05
The first thing that grabs you about Montgomery's tome is his style -- his passages are witty, bordering on glib, and he is not burdened by a reverence for his subject matter that makes so many other histories rather dull. He has an obvious affection for some of his characters (such as Clark and Sacagawea), to be sure, but he also sees them as real people rather than demigods. Montgomery's savaging of other characters is a particular delight. This style is a plus, and makes for fun reading.
But the book is fraught with errors, as other reviewers have observed. I'll content myself with only one, which should have also been caught by Montgomery's editor -- on more than one occasion, Montgomery refers to the duel between Burr and Madison, incorrectly substituting Madison for Hamilton. While this mistake is so obvious that nobody is mis-led by it, it says little for the care that went into the writing and editing of the book and undermines its credibility.
Is the book entertaining? Sure. But it's got the same historical value as "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," and that's sad, because it could have been so much more.
Fact Errors vs. spelling Errors.......2002-10-14
Quite frankly I wish I had read the many other reviews before I invested in this book. The author makes much of correcting Clark's spelling errors, but his own errors reveal he did not go much beyond the spelling. Especially egregious is the one where he tells us that we cannot know from the jouurnals how many canoes were made by Lewis and Clark at the top of Great Falls. The number is given explicitly in the journal entries for three days: July 9, 10, and 14. Because of this I will try to find other books about Burr, wilkinson and Pike.
Zebulon Pike was not a traitor.......2002-06-30
I claim no special knowldge of Jefferson or General Wilkinson but I do when it comes to Zebulon Montgomery Pike. This book bristles with factual errors concerning this great American. The author apparently never visited Colorado or he would not claim that Pike never even saw the massif that was named for him. Pikes Peak can be seen for a hundred miles or more from the eastern prarie which was Pike's route along the Arkansas River. Pike wrote from South Park that he had continually seen what he called Grand Peak every day (except when he was in the valleys) for the past two months. The author claims that Pike only ascended some foothill when he attempted to climb what would become Pikes Peak, when the truth is he climbned Mt. Rosa, 11,499' which was the first recorded ascent of any mountain in the American West. Moreover, he was the first American, in the United States, to reach the Alpine Zone (11,400' in Colorado). Some foothill.
Pike was made a captain in November of 1806 while the author claims it happened in 1808.
Pike died a hero's death for his country in the Battle of York. The author all but calls him a traitor. He apparently thinks that this young man came to Colorado to start a war with Spain. He asks us to believe that he and his men knew the location of Sante Fe and ignores the fact that Pike did not turn south at Canon City Colorado which would take them there in a few weeks. Instead Pike led his men into the Rocky Mountain Winter to the north-west, away from Sante Fe.
The author insults such noted historians Steven Harding Hart and Archer B. Hulbert, Harvey Carter,Eugene Hollon, and Donald D. Jackson by claiming Pike has 'slipped beneath the notice of professional histonians.' He implies nothing but juvenile historians should deal with him further.
Zebulon Pike is the Viet-Nam Vet of our early explorers. He starved, and froze, and became exhaused for our country as a matter of course. He led his men in the field of battle and won the first victory in the War of 1812. He made a marine type landing in the face of well armed and alerted Brittish Regulars, malitia and pro-Brit Indians. The author says he had an easy victory over a few 'Canadians' who difended Fort York. Authors like Montgomery have given Pike scant credit for his many acompolishments. He even claims Pike was never within 100 miles of the Sante Fe Trail. Pike followed the Arkansas River from Great Bend Kansas to Canon City. The Sante Fe Trail follows the Arkansas River from Great Bend, Kansas all the way to Bent's Fort, near Las Animas, Colorado where it turns south to Raton Pass. Why not give him his due?
Pike's greatest accompolishment was not even mentioned in the book. Pike opened the eyes of America to what was going on in New Spain. Pike told America how the people were slaves to either Cross or Crown. He said their lives were regulated by the peal of the church bell or the rattle of the drum. He told how anxious the people of Mexico (northern New Spain) yearned for freedom and trade with America. Pike predicted the revolution of 1810 and said not one officer in a hundred was loyal to Madrid. Pike was the revealer who lived and died for his country and none of this is even mentioned. So many errors of fact and such a broad conclusion. As far as Pike is concerned much of this book should be in a novel, as it is not non-fiction.
Average customer rating:
- A laugh on every page!
- Movie, movie, movie....
- A humorous look at the old west!
|
How the West Was Lost
George Elkin Albitz
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Westerns
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 159129195X |
Book Description
A Mopache warrior lives the saga of the Old West with a humorous twist. Early life is good. Then the white people come?life is not so good. His people are shocked and react with clever logic. Soon more come?It gets crowded. Tension grows. In an effort to avoid war, Chief Konk, journeys to Fort Malarkey, only to be confronted by bureaucratic red tape. War is declared. A young military man, fresh out of West Point, ventures to the frontier to gain glory. He gets lost. He does something embarrassing that the Mopache brave and his sidekick use to taunt him. They are instant adversaries. War goes well, but they soon realize an air of futility. They surrender and move to a reservation. The Rez is not for them. A clever escape plan allows them to head for Canada. They meet Crazy Horse and the Sioux. A fateful meeting takes place at the Little Big Horn.
Customer Reviews:
A laugh on every page!.......2003-04-08
This is an extremely funny book about the Old West as told from the point of view of the Indians. Reminds me so much of "F Troop" in the old days, or any of Mel Brooks' hilarious movies.
At times I was laughing so hard tears ran down my face. This is highly recommended for anyone who would like a lighter look at the old west. Pick up a copy soon... you'll be glad you did. Believe me; you will see much more of this talented and humorous writer in the future.
Movie, movie, movie...........2003-03-12
The entire time I was reading "How the West was Lost" I was imagining it as a movie. The writing is top knotch and could easily be adapted to script form. Author Albitz has created a humorously clever spoof that sends subtle messages disguised in belly laughs about the Old West. Even the title, "How the West was Lost" sets the reader up for the red man vs white man, buffalo chasing, laughfest they are in for with this delightful book. Albitz not only writes well, he writes for all audiences; not an easy thing to do if you want all readers to be equally entertained. I have every confidence all readers will...will what? Thoroughly enjoy, "How the West was Lost."
A humorous look at the old west!.......2003-01-16
George Albitz's unique writing style and sense of humor comes through brillantly in How The West Was Lost. The reader is given the opportunity to view the old west from an Indian's perspective. Truely a witty point of view of the whiteman. A must read for anyone who enjoys reading about the old west!
Book Description
His premise is that civilizations have "life spans," and the Western civilization that produced America and Europe has been replaced, in our lifetime, and before our very eyes. To people whose minds were made by the West, the civilization we now find ourselves in often feels wrong, evil even, but we also find ourselves feeling oddly affectionate toward this strange new world. And the more time that passes, the more "normal" the New Civ gets to feel. We sometimes have to "pinch" ourselves to remember that society once had roots in a universe that knew something of moral absolutes, where the horrible behaviors we now read about in every morning newspaper were so rare that one such event in a year would have felt like the world is just about to end. But these things are what passes for "normalcy" today. We are still able to be reminded of what we know in our bones, although it gets harder all the time: something has gone terribly wrong. That's what this book is about.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding.......2006-02-22
This was the best analysis of the current world I've ever read (and I read a lot). It is actually often quite poetic. It had more actual new ideas than any other book I can remember
Amazing and sobering.......2005-07-14
If you wish to embrace this misguided notion that your government is looking out for your best interest, please do not read this book.
If you believe that there is something terribly wrong with our world, and that these problems are only accumulating at a quickening pace, then this book will answer your questions.
By the time I finished reading the book, I could not help but think that this entire cage that we are built in is just that... a cage.
He speaks from a Christian perspective, but even agnostics can understand his points. It was well articulated and easy to read, which is difficult to do, given the complexity of the topic.
A must read.
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- Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide, Second Edition
- Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together
- Southern Grace: Recipes and Remembrances from The W
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