Proboscis Colossus
On the subject of upcoming releases from some of our favorite authors—Erik Larson has a new one coming in April called The Demon of Unrest. It covers the 5 months between Lincoln’s election and the start of the Civil War. I’ve already got it on hold on Libby.
So, all about States’ Rights, then?
"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people
LOL exactly. I had a middle school social studies teacher who emphatically stated “the Civil War was not about slavery, it was about differences between the North and South.” He drilled that into our heads and I believed it to be the case for decades following. And this was not in the South, it was in the Chicago suburbs.
Not sure how many of you watched the Ken Burns Civil War documentary. One of the main talking heads was Shelby Foote, a Civil War historian and author from the South. He’s incredibly knowledgeable on the subject, but would always talk glowingly about the heroism of Southern generals and soldiers. The doc kind of made a minor celebrity out of him. Turns out he’s a big “lost cause” guy, and in recent years his work has come under some heavy criticism for that. I had no idea till very recently. (Around the time I learned what the “lost cause” movement was all about.)
Dave
Heh, same.
Tangentially related...how much did you learn about Native American relations, the Trail Of Tears, Five Civilized Tribes, etc.? Until the 8th grade, I was in rural Oklahoma, in Choctaw County, and we learned very early on about all that, and how horrendous it was for the Native Americans. Was it the same in other states that aren't so steeped in Native American heritage (BTW, we called them "Indians" back then in Oklahoma, and I still have to conscientiously avoid using that term)?
Not too much, to my recollection. Certainly none of that really awful stuff. Did you have a lot of Native kids in your class? Since it’s the book thread—hear are two that are all about what America was like before the Europeans arrived:
Heh, same. Tangentially related...how much did you learn about Native American relations, the Trail Of Tears, Five Civilized Tribes, etc.? Until the 8th grade, I was in rural Oklahoma, in Choctaw County, and we learned very early on about all that, and how horrendous it was for the Native Americans. Was it the same in other states that aren't so steeped in Native American heritage (BTW, we called them "Indians" back then in Oklahoma, and I still have to conscientiously avoid using that term)?
We learned a lot about the wars with the Plains tribes, including an annual field trip to an event at the fort (now a state park) where Crazy Horse was imprisoned and killed. Then, too, we lived less than 100 miles from the site of the Wounded Knee massacre and the 1978 (?) American Indian Movement standoff at the same location.
We knew less about the tribes outside of the Plains, including Eastern tribes who were relocated via the Trail of Tears or those who simply vanished in the years between 1620 and the westward expansion of the United States via the Louisiana Purchase. And even less about the tribes of the western coast.
20,000 miles behind me, the world still to see.
kind of a big deal
I lived in Vegas from 6th grade through high school, and the only Native American content I remember is having to learn the names of certain tribes, where they lived, and what their "business" was for lack of a better term - great warriors, hunters, crafters, etc. Just rote memorization, not a lot of depth.
I do not remember much about the Civil War content I was taught, though I've always believed it was about slavery, so I suppose I was taught that at some point.
I started The River of Doubt. I think this was your recommendation, Dave? I'm not very far in, but I went in knowing very little about Teddy Roosevelt, so it's already been interesting to learn about his youth, struggles, and interests. He didn't do anything halfway.
I’m pretty sure Dave recommended the book. I read it based on his recommendation and I thought it was a good read.
Yep. That was one of my favorite books of last year. It’s amazing how many stories there are like this, where right at the beginning you go “oh shit, this will not go well.” If disastrous expeditions are a genre, it’s probably my top one. Candice Millard has a few others books, one I’ve read and is also very good, and the other two that are on my list. If you like this one, you might look into the others.
start of the Civil War.
The war of northern aggression?
"Famous last words" ~Bhearn
Tangentially related...how much did you learn about Native American relations, the Trail Of Tears, Five Civilized Tribes, etc.?
Not much in school, but I've read quite a bit through the years
I did live through and witnessed the PNW's Indian movement of the 60's-70's
The fishing wars and Boldt decision
Cigarette smuggling and the federal and state raids
My dad worked in construction and one of his co-workers worked part time as a bodyguard for the tribal chief
Marlon Brando even visited shown above with the tribal chief
I lived in Vegas from 6th grade through high school, and the only Native American content I remember is having to learn the names of certain tribes, where they lived, and what their "business" was for lack of a better term - great warriors, hunters, crafters, etc. Just rote memorization, not a lot of depth. I do not remember much about the Civil War content I was taught, though I've always believed it was about slavery, so I suppose I was taught that at some point.
Yeah, it’s kind of funny…as I recall, I went in assuming it was about slavery, then was taught that no, most people think that, but it was really about States’ Rights, slavery being one of them. Then decades later, I go back and read some of the articles of secession, and um, no one’s talking about public education or road maintenance.
And now for something completely different…
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide for Taking Back the English Languageby Amanda Montell
This was very interesting and eye-opening. I’ve read a number of more general language-related books; this one was quite different. It covers the sexism that’s built into language and how it’s evolved; the focus is English but includes numerous references to other languages. It highlights a variety of features of how we speak, that are a result of a male-dominated society. In each case it describes the history of how these things came about, why we do them, and how it could change in the future. Some of these things are widely known and discussed, but some I’d never noticed or thought about, coming from a male perspective. I imagine any women reading it will be doing a lot of head-nodding, but also probably find some surprises.
Montell also wrote Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism. I enjoyed that as well—also very informative and eye-opening.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wikerson - I assume you may have read this because it was so huge; if not, I’d put it at the top of your list. Also by her, Caste is on my list.
Started Caste…in honor of Black history month I guess. Early into it, but I can tell it’s gonna be a heavy lift. It’s also been made into a movie that’s out now, Origin. I have no idea how this book becomes a movie though. MTA: OK, watched the trailer, looks like the story behind her writing the book.
Dave, I realized I never answered your question about Native Americans in my school...the answer is, there were a lot of kids with "Indian blood," but I doubt that many of them would identify as Native American, and you wouldn't necessarily know that was the case to look at them.
Every so often, there would be some sort of meeting or event at school for "just the kids with Indian blood," which wasn't me. I never did find out what exactly they were doing, my guess would be some program related to Tribal reparation or education.
At my last school, there was a family that had significant NA heritage - Cherokee, IIRC. Every year they made a pilgrimage to Oklahoma for some kind of ceremony or festival. Pretty cool.
Anyway, popped in to report I've been listening to Masters Of The Air, recommended to me by FIL. Started reading before I learned about the AppleTV+ series. Pretty good, though it's a little dry, three chapters in. Interesting, but I'm having trouble envisioning it as a character-driven narrative - so far, it's just going through the founding and history of the 8th, with a few anecdotes here and there. Anyone watched the series? Is it just a bunch of insular stories about different crews' exploits during the War?