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 What You Don't Know! Oct 19, 2009
This book is a fantastic way of learning what your were not taught in school! Mr. Horwitz has created a journal of his own travels that wonderfully relates his attempts to find history! This should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in Colonial American History!
Wonderful Reading Aug 15, 2009
A most enjoyable book.
History I should have known and never did. I suspect I am not alone in that state and encourage others to read this book. Horwitz entertains and painlessly educates the reader. I could scarcely stop talking about the new knowledge I found in this book.
A perfect gift for the history buff with a sense of wonder.
 Travels with Tony Jul 31, 2009
Tony Horwtiz's style really appeals to me - I like his "gung ho" approach of reporting. It totally worked in Confederates in the Attic and in Blue Latitudes.
I heard about this book before its release in 2007. I was visiting the Jamestown settlement in Virginia and overheard a conversation about how Horwitz had been there doing some research for his new book. I knew he was living in Virginia at the time, so it didn't come as a big surprise, and the timing was right, since Jamestown celebrated its 400th anniverary in 2007.
When this book hit the market, I immediately added it to the queue and picked it up at the bookstore a few weeks later.
The premise of the book is a little jab at the American education system - the misinformation and the general laziness of historical education at the primary and secondary levels. Of course the educators alone are not at fault, but a general public who believe that Columbus landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, or that the pilgrims were at Jamestown. Dates and geography forgotten so easily... and Horwitz wants to fill in those gaps.
He sets out on this quest first by researching the *many* explorations through North America and the Caribbean by the host of imperial European powers. He starts with Columbus, and travels to the Dominican Republic and searches for signs of the explorer in the modern day country. This is his modus operandi for the book: go to the modern country/region/state, and look for signs of the past. He relies on several archival resources, but he really just likes to talk to people. So, he goes into museums, into bars, into public parks, and just talks to people. It's a kind of guerilla approach, but he shares some interesting anecdotes and meets many unique characters.
There were a few dry spells in the book, and I freely admit to skipping over some portions and starting on the next chapter/region. The chapters on the Southwest took me back to my New Mexico history class in middle school - we did learn many of the same things, so it was good to revisit. My favorite chapters in the book were the stories of the explorations in the southeast by the Spanish and the French - perhaps it is because I knew the least about that region's history, or because the stories were so enticing.
Horwitz does not cover completely unexplored territory here (to keep with the theme!) but he does it in a fun and readable way. The general idea is similar to Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me (Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong). One criticism that I had while reading this book - and I understand that we just don't have the documentation to truly "back up" the other party's experience - it all seemed so Euro-centric. I couldn't help but think that the book needed a little dose of Zinn'sA People's History of the United States: 1492-Present (Perennial Classics)... added to the mix for more palpability.
That being said, I enjoyed it and learned some great little tidbits. While reading, I felt the need to share said tidbits with family and friends :)
Finders and Keepers Jul 30, 2009
Part of this book is a history of Europeans in America before 1620. More of it is a travelogue of visits to the places those early invaders came to and interviews with the present-day residents of those places. The history is often very bloodstained and tragic, the travelogue is often very funny. Yet in a way the travelogue has a serious purpose. Tony Horwitz uses it to point out how many different versions there are of the same history. Historians, teachers, politicians, storytellers and the general public believe different things about the same events.
I think Horwitz has his priorities right in attaching as much importance to what people think happened in history as to what actually happened. It's what people think happened in history that they fight and die for. The myths grow up quicker than the scholars can refute them, especially myths that tell you that a chunk of real estate rightfully belongs to you because of something the present owner's ancestors did to your ancestors.
A Great Journey Jul 07, 2009
Horwitz once again does an excellent job at taking his reader through his journey of discovery. I became a fan of his after reading "Confederates in the Attic" and when I saw this book I immediately purchased it. I was not disappointed. Unlike Horowitz I was familiar with the history of the the "discovery" of the new world, especially the Spanish side of it, but I was impressed with many bits of history that have escaped me in my studies that Horwitz add's to his book. These bits of history come from his discussions and hands on experiences, which many of us are unable to do. His interviews with decedents of both Europeans and Native Americans are facinating and at times very humerous. His exploration of America's forgotten history is a must read for any student of the subject. He escapes from taking sides on the issues and instead gives well documented and entertaining aspects of both sides and allows the reader to come to their own conclusions.
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