This is one of these books that while historical fiction, has a thread of historical fact running through it (and the author explains this in her authThis is one of these books that while historical fiction, has a thread of historical fact running through it (and the author explains this in her author's note) and left me interested and wanting to learn more about Caleb.
This book is told from the POV of the fictional character of Bethia Mayfield, who is the daughter of a minister and the granddaughter of the magistrate, so she enjoys a fair level of comfort and prosperity (as far as that went in mid-17th century North America where the English colonies in what would become the USA were still fairly new) and knows how to read and write, and has a bright mind that wants more. However, because of her sex, she is constrained in her pursuit of an education.
This is more her story than Caleb's, but she becomes friends with Caleb so he becomes a steady presence in this book even if he's not actually with her.
I found Bethia's story to be wrapped up in a satisfactory but not overly cliche manner. As for Caleb... poor Caleb. After finishing this book, I looked him up online to see what else I could learn. Unfortunately, there's not much info. Caleb died when he was just 21/22, much like Matoaka/Pocahontas/Rebecca Rolfe. But unlike Pocahontas, Caleb was a lot less famous. One can not help but wonder how much Caleb and his friend Joel could have accomplished for Native Americans, and Native American/European relations if they had both - or even just one of them - survived into at least middle age because damn, that was a lot of wasted potential.
Caleb graduated from Harvard just one year before he died, (1666) and was the first Native American to do so. His friend, the aforementioned Joel, died in a shipwreck a few months before graduation. What the fuck, man.
Good novel/work of fiction, but history can be so depressing sometimes :(
This is my fifth overall flash history book, and my second from this author. So far I have read the histories o84 pages (Kindle) publication June 2015
This is my fifth overall flash history book, and my second from this author. So far I have read the histories of China, Cuba, and the USA in 50 events from one author (Henry Freeman) and from this author (Stephan Weaver) I read his 50-event chronicle of Russian history and now this one.
This is... meh. I'm fairly knowledgeable about British history, and yes, it is impossible to encapsulate the entirety of British history in 50 events, but there were several mistakes and typos in here that I found to be quite jarring.
I think flash history can be a fun way to introduce someone to the basics of history regarding this subject or that, but this particular one was not that well-written. It could have really used some polishing. 2/5 stars....more
I've been reading a handful of these 'flash history' books because I wanted to see how they were compared to a regular history book.
After having read I've been reading a handful of these 'flash history' books because I wanted to see how they were compared to a regular history book.
After having read several such books, I can say that as a sub-genre, flash history has its place as an introduction to the history of one subject. It is impossible to make a comprehensive history in such a limited format, but when the writing is good and the information carefully selected, it can make for a informative and enlightening read.
I did learn a few new things from this particular book as I am by no means an expert on Russian history (though I do want to learn more... it's just there's so many darn countries out there!) It was not bad, but the writing did feel juvenile in some parts. This book was free on Amazon, so I can't be too mad about a piece of free flash history. 3/5 stars.
Publication date Sept 2015, 80 pages in Kindle....more
publication date for this series (american/chinese/cuban history) 2015-2016
For flash history, this isn't bad. It's a basic overview of the history of publication date for this series (american/chinese/cuban history) 2015-2016
For flash history, this isn't bad. It's a basic overview of the history of the USA condensed to 50 events. As a history buff I wanted to give these 'flash histories' a try and see how they compare to a standard history book.
Much of this stuff I recall learning at one point or another in school, it's a pretty basic intro to over 400 years of history. If you're not knowledgeable about USA history, this is a quick introduction that's a easy read at less than 60 pages. 3.5/5 stars....more
I read this after reading The History of China in 50 Events by the same author. I am less knowledgeable about Cuba, so this book provided a nice if brI read this after reading The History of China in 50 Events by the same author. I am less knowledgeable about Cuba, so this book provided a nice if brief crash course in Cuban history. For what this is advertised to be - a history of a country in 50 events - this is a decent enough read. The reading level is I might say middle or high school. Not that that's a bad thing - just a simple observation of this flash history book....more
So I came across this book on Amazon looking for free history books because you never know what you might find. The title caught my eye so I downloadeSo I came across this book on Amazon looking for free history books because you never know what you might find. The title caught my eye so I downloaded this. It's a relatively easy read if you enjoy history books, and at just 55 pages, it does a nice job of capturing the '50 events in history' idea.
Compared to a standard history book, this one is pretty brief, each of the 50 events gets about one page, so it's not for anyone looking for a long, deep history. But for someone who wants a quick history lesson, this is not a bad read. Much of this stuff I already did know, but I learned a few new things, so kudos for that....more
I'm trying to be as neutral as possible with this book because I am a major history buff, and this book barely scratches the surface. I kept thinking I'm trying to be as neutral as possible with this book because I am a major history buff, and this book barely scratches the surface. I kept thinking to myself, there needs to be more info!!!
I had to remind myself that this is a book for younger audiences (I'd say ages 8-12?) so each of the 8 biographies were quite brief. From a neutral perspective, I'd say that the information was presented at an age-appropriate level, but I can't say that this is a book to keep.
The biographies mainly focus on the lives of various princesses when they're young (childhood to 20's) and touch on the lives of Mary and Elizabeth Tudor (later known as Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I), Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria, Ka'iulani, the daughters of the last Tsar of Russia (including the infamous Anastasia) Gayatri Devi, and Elizabeth and Margaret Windsor (later Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret)
I would have liked to see more diversity in the princesses since it's mostly Eurocentric, and I think the author should have tried to add at least a few more princesses.
One thing I can positively say is that this would be a good read for girls who have the whole Disney-princess trope stuck in their heads. I've seen what the Disney Princess line can do to girls' fantasies, so a hard dose of reality (age-appropriate) is what this book provides to make it clear that to be a princess does not guarantee a charmed life, and often does the opposite, in fact.
The illustrations done by the artist are pretty nice to look at, though....more
I will say this, sausages certainly is better than nothing! A poor woodcutter is given the boon of three wishes, and when he gets home, his wife advisI will say this, sausages certainly is better than nothing! A poor woodcutter is given the boon of three wishes, and when he gets home, his wife advises him to not use the wishes till the next day, so that he can have some time to think and make the most of his wishes.
However, you know how we all have made wishes to ourselves here and there. Like, gee I wish it would stop raining, or gee, I wish I still fit in my pants, or I wish that guy would STFU. So when the guy is looking at the fire, feeling hungry, he inadvertently wishes for sausage.
This pisses off the wife, who nags him for having wasted a wish. And here we see that just as we will wish without thinking, we sometimes say angry or spiteful things without thinking, so the dude wishes the sausages were on his wife's nose.
Uh-oh.
So the third, and final wish, the guy wishes the sausages were off his wife's nose. They're as poor as they had been before, but hey, they got sausages for dinner which is more than they'd had that morning.
I suppose the lesson here is to think before you talk, but the story also illustrates human folly and the mistakes that everyone makes - yes, all us, including you, because to err is human. Or you can just look at it as a light, humorous story that pokes fun at human nature while gently reminding us to try, but in the end, we're not bad people for making mistakes....more
I gotta say, once I learned of the original version of this tale, I came to like it much better than the much lighter one that the little kids were toI gotta say, once I learned of the original version of this tale, I came to like it much better than the much lighter one that the little kids were told about/raised on, though it's also fun to read various author's take on this old tale in whatever genre....more
I read this author's Mars books and it was obvious he did a lot of research into what it could take to terraform Mars. HonActual rating - 3.5/5 stars.
I read this author's Mars books and it was obvious he did a lot of research into what it could take to terraform Mars. Honestly fascinating but the series was bogged down with politics.
Since Years of Rice and Salt was one book instead of a trilogy, I decided that if I was going to read more KSR, I should read this next although a couple of his other series looked pretty interesting to me. After all, as a history buff, I found the idea of this novel intriguing. Instead of wiping out anywhere between 1/4 to over half Europe's population (varied from location to location, with the overall estimate being about 1/3 of the total population), the famous plague of the 14th century wiped out 99 percent.
Such an intriguing premise! Only... sigh... KSR weighed this down with a bunch of spiritual stuff cobbled together from the civilizations that remained - Islam, Buddhism, etc. I don't have an issue with discussion of spiritual/religious matters in books, but there was too much of it here, where the book should have focused more on practical matters.
The British Isles managed to avoid being decimated by the plague, but KSR barely mentions them. This book would have benefited greatly if all the spiritual stuff had been replaced by the people on the Isles developing their own society without the influences from the Continent - what would England have been like if cut off from the rest of the world after the Plague? As the Muslims settled through the continent, there could have been intermarriage between the royalty and nobility of Britain and the Muslims that settled through Spain and France (for peace and political stability) And so on.
Then we have the Native Americans of North and South America... obviously without white Europeans coming to their shores and decimating these peoples and forcing their language/laws on the people that were left, the Native Americans have a different path in history. But KSR doesn't explore this enough.
I think this book had SOME good parts, and some food for thought. Research has been done, and it shows in certain parts of the book, but I feel KSR lost his way and this book becomes one meandering mess....more
This seems like an autobiography, but it's a combination of history, and historical fiction. This is a fictionalized autobiography of the emperor mentThis seems like an autobiography, but it's a combination of history, and historical fiction. This is a fictionalized autobiography of the emperor mentioned in the title, using various actual historical documents and sources to create what I found to be a surprisingly authentic portrait of a bygone time.
It's easy to imagine life in the Forbidden City from the writing inside of this book, and the privileges afforded to the narrator not merely as a male but as the son of the preceding Emperor, and one who became Emperor himself at a very young age.
Kang Hsi does come across as spoiled sometimes, but that's unavoidable considering the society he was raised in, and his exalted position among men. The author took on a difficult project, and I think he pulled it off decently, I enjoyed this book and the illustrations/diagrams that came with it, even if the Emperor's account itself might be a work of fiction, the background is very real, and this offers a rich perspective in a period of Chinese history I had not read much of before....more
I have mixed feelings about this book. I had to read this for school, and inevitably, the projects we had to do negatively impacted my reading experieI have mixed feelings about this book. I had to read this for school, and inevitably, the projects we had to do negatively impacted my reading experience. (even as a kid who LOVED to read, school readings were always a buzzkill because you had to do projects or whatever other shit the teachers came up with. I always half-assed these assignments, haha)
This is a classic, and a good study for the way people spoke back then compared to today. It was also a decent history lesson as a whole and made me glad I didn't live in that time period. However, I'm not sure if teaching pubescent kids a play about two lovers who kill themselves because they can't be together is the best idea... (especially as we also had to watch two damn movies about it. T_T )...more
This was a fun spin-off to the Sandman series, but the story was not as solid as it could have been. I liked the variety of art styles used across theThis was a fun spin-off to the Sandman series, but the story was not as solid as it could have been. I liked the variety of art styles used across the three issues of the volume....more
Sex-based discrimination and double-standards suck, but at least today, many parts of the world make this illegal. But back then, it was legal (and unSex-based discrimination and double-standards suck, but at least today, many parts of the world make this illegal. But back then, it was legal (and unfortunately still is in certain parts of the world today) to deny a woman so many opportunities taken for granted today just because of her sex. Education, land/property ownership, personal wealth, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc. Even if all that was couched in 'well, that's how things were back then and many men (and women) did not even question that because they had never heard of feminism' it's still pretty awful and I am glad I did not live back in these times.
The six women in this book were all born into wealth and royalty. And as for men, wealth put them in a better position that someone of the same age/sex in poverty. However, that did not protect them against sex-based discrimination, and they were judged more harshly for things that men would have been able to more easily get away with, or accomplish. Hell, being royal/wealthy could, and would make them targets for manipulations and machinations (poor Jane Grey is a sad example) However anyone might have felt about any of these particular women, it's not hard to sympathize with the difficulties they had to deal with.
Even Victoria and Elizabeth II, who had more rights and opportunities than their predecessors, had their own share of sex-based problems to deal with. This book is certainly a far cry from the princess ideal held by so many little girls today. Being a Disney Princess might be just fantasy, but considering the reality, I can see why some adults love Disney Princesses too. This is honestly a fascinating and interesting history book, but some parts can be pretty sobering and depressing AF....more
M.M. Strawberry
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Books:
17th-century
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