Actually no. You know what? I’m done with this book. I’m not going to even go over all of the racist things this author said, other than to point out Actually no. You know what? I’m done with this book. I’m not going to even go over all of the racist things this author said, other than to point out that the author really wastes a lot of ink calling the Comanches savage and uncivilized because they had less stuff, hierarchy, law, etc.
As though you could measure civilization by the things people carry. ...more
**spoiler alert** It’s a pretty standard modern narrative of a tragic expedition. There are many of these. If you like them (and I do), it’s perfectly**spoiler alert** It’s a pretty standard modern narrative of a tragic expedition. There are many of these. If you like them (and I do), it’s perfectly serviceable. I will say that the narrative drive is weak when it comes to the rescue missions. There is as much detail about the final rescue mission as there is about the contemporaneous life at Cape Sabine. But a lot of that detail is extraneous and plodding.
I’m also a little irked by the way the author handles accusations of cannibalism. Once the remaining party is rescued, the suspicious conditions of the bodies are noted and yet none of this activity had been mentioned in the narrative of life in the tent.
Maybe the author knows what happened and maybe he doesn’t. I suspect that he wanted to include only confirmed events for which he had an explanation. Maybe simply having uncertainty would have undercut the narrative, but I still think it would be appropriate to acknowledge that SOMETHING happened in the narrative. A footnote could have worked in a pinch....more
Maybe more like a 2.5. The first two parts earn one star, and the rest three.
The author expends an enormous number of pages describing the opinion ofMaybe more like a 2.5. The first two parts earn one star, and the rest three.
The author expends an enormous number of pages describing the opinion of the weather service regarding Cuba, among other tedious topics. And while that may be important to understanding why no hurricane warning was provided, it’s not exactly riveting. He has a habit of adding adjectives to nearly every noun in an attempt to create atmosphere in this first ~130 pages.
When Larson gets to the point in Part III: Spectacle, the writing improves considerably, probably because the events themselves are interesting enough to stand alone. I almost wish there was MORE description here.
I had no, NO idea of how horrible the hurricane really was, and the variety of misery and death and terror it inflicted.
Worth reading, but go ahead and skim the first two parts; it’s really not important to read them too carefully. ...more
Extremely readable. Consider the epilogue required reading if you can't finish for some reason. I do wish there had been room to talk about Howard UniExtremely readable. Consider the epilogue required reading if you can't finish for some reason. I do wish there had been room to talk about Howard University and the leading liberal arts private universities. But, this is important reading for any American educator.
This really had an impact on my understanding of Du Bois, Washington, and the debate around the Hampton-Tuskeegee model. It is interesting, but perhaps not surprising, that in my Texas elementary education, we learned (a little) about the Tuskeegee Institute. And nothing about any others....more
Disturbing, perhaps because the narrator's internal life is so plausible. Probably most of us have had a moment when we lost control of ourselves. I kDisturbing, perhaps because the narrator's internal life is so plausible. Probably most of us have had a moment when we lost control of ourselves. I know I have certainly had moments where I was doing or saying something stupid at the very moment I was thinking "why am I doing this? This is just going to make things worse!"
It's alarming to read about a character entirely unable to resist the slightest impulse and at the same time, determined to protect his sense of personal dignity at any cost. And yet, despite his desperate attempts to save face, he doesn't take into account his personal welfare at all. In fact, he seems to take pleasure in effacing his own desperate needs.
I think it's really this combination of id and superego without any moderation from the ego which makes it such a terrifying combination....more
I feel like this book could have been about 250 pages and been great. I don't really need to read 20 pages on the history of the Paris sewer and how iI feel like this book could have been about 250 pages and been great. I don't really need to read 20 pages on the history of the Paris sewer and how it's a shame that all of that poop isn't used to fertilize fields. I feel like Hugo just did not know when to shut up.
It's not that I'm impatient--I love Moby Dick, and am happy reading him talk about rope or the whiteness of the whale. But those chapters had something more symbolic in them and were at least clearly related to the content of the book. But these aren't. Hugo just spews out anything vaguely related to whatever plot element has occurred most recently. He's like your weird uncle who has a problem with drinking and who interrupts your funny story about your dog in order to babble on for 30 minutes about every dog he's ever had and then the plot of a few dog movies, like Marley and Me and Air Bud. And you're like...jeez just shut up Bob! I was in the middle of a story!
But Bob doesn't listen and now he's talking about the Battle of Waterloo for 80 minutes....more
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