Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
4 out of 5 stars
Read in July 2013
Large,
thick books do not scare me. If you've delved into my blog here at
all, you'll quickly learn that I read constantly and I read epic fantasy
for fun. The longer, the better. The more characters and plot lines,
even better. With one exception, or wait, two exceptions. I tried but
didn't like G.R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series and Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. Not my cup of tea.
So when July rolled around and saddled me with the 521 page Undaunted Courage by Ambrose, I barely batted an eye. I even took a stab at actually reading the print edition our Stranger Than Fiction discussion leader handed out to us last month when we turned in our Unbroken
copies. I think I made it a couple of hundred pages before I decided
listening to the audiobook would be faster (and less painful on the eyes
grammatically). I checked out the audiobook on CD from the Kansas City Public Library. One thick 521 page paperback translates roughly to
twenty-one hours and twenty-seven minutes (21 hr 27 mins) of narration.
While technically, I could have completed listening to this audiobook
in less than one day, practically and physically, I can only handle
about two to three hours a day of listening, with long breaks between to
give my poor eardrums a rest. The disadvantages to listening include
the absence of 1) maps, 2) illustrations and photographs, 3) footnotes,
4) end notes and 5) the bibliography. The greatest advantage to
listening to the audiobook was not having to learn how to properly
pronounce the names of less commonly known objects, tools and places.
Luckily, I had the best of both worlds at my fingertips.
I learned
an incredible amount about Lewis, Clark, Thomas Jefferson, the
Louisiana Purchase and the Corps of Discovery Expedition to find a water
route to the Pacific Ocean via the Missouri River. Since I grew up
within twenty miles of that river, I also grew up with the names "Lewis
& Clark" plastered on various road signs and parks. While I had
some idea of the adventures of those early trailblazing frontiersmen,
Ambrose provided me with an incredible wealth of detail and anecdotal
gems to keep me forging ahead. One of my favorite moments involved a
nearly indestructible grizzly bear and four members of the Expedition.
I
finished listening to the audiobook edition with just 26 hours to
spare. After a full day of work in the same building, I arrived just a
few minutes past seven o'clock to a nearly full meeting room. A couple
of the usual suspects were missing, but I thought nothing of it since
it's summer time and many normal people take vacations. I arrived in
the middle of a conversation involving the August 2013 edition of Car
& Driver, specifically the review of the 2013 supercharged Land Rover Range Rover, which was tested in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana and specifically mentioned the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Our discussion leader soon roped us back into discussing Undaunted Courage
by relating a hand-written note he received from one disgruntled
Stranger Than Fiction reader. That person only made it to page 28,
where they couldn't stomach the 'run on sentences' and 'sixteen
adjectives for the same word' or the fact that it appeared the author
was being 'paid by the word' to write. 'Life was too short and there
are too many good books to waste time with such poor writing.' I made
the comment that long sentences were the norm for early 19th century
writing, but apparently Ambrose was being accused of this egregious
error. Our leader did confirm that he found a sentence written by
Ambrose that surpassed one and a half pages.
We moved on from that dead-end when one of the readers mentioned that they watched all four hours of the Ken Burns' documentary of Lewis & Clark, which our local PBS station, KCPT, conveniently re-aired in mid-July.
At
least one reader struggled with this book, commenting it felt too much
like being in a history class. She half-expected to see questions at
the end of each chapter.
Our leader began posing questions to
spark discussion, one of the first being on our definition of
"discovery." Only to the Western World (aka Europeans) could any of
these plants, animals, rivers, mountains, etc. be considered
"discoveries." To the Native Americans, none of it was new or unknown.
He also asked or mentioned a scenario wherein Native Americans hopped
on a boat and visited Europe, is it still considered a "discovery"
because all of that would be new to them?
We also discussed
Sacagawea and the plight of Native American women. Are they just
footnotes in history? Were most of them little better off than slaves,
doing the majority of hard labor for their communities?
And
speaking of slaves, how about poor old York? He had a good sense of
humor, but was mistreated and not freed upon his return.
With respect to Manifest Destiny,
the Corp of Discovery Expedition was just the first phase (and the
origin of the phrase). There was a religious aspect - God deemed
Europeans should have the North American Continent from short to shore.
Our leader asked us if this was similar to eminent domain today? Or was it just theft?
We
discussed Jefferson, and by extension, Lewis' policy towards the Native
Americans. Their vision of an American Trade empire and the
integration of the Native Americans proved an impossible mountain to
scale. The 'civilizing' of the Indian Nations by forcing them to become
peaceful among themselves and then ultimately wholly dependent upon
America was either naiveté or hubris or both. With the exception of the
Mandans and the Nez Perce, the Expeditions' interactions with the
Indian Nations were strained at best and left a legacy of lies and
distrust that resulted in even worse relations for generations to come.
Does man ever progress without harm?
At this point, our leader recommended another book by Ambrose entitled Nothing Like It In The World about the transcontinental railroad.
On a lighter note, one of the readers related that her favorite story from Undaunted Courage involved the collapsible boat. Recently, some archeologists believe they have found it near Great Falls, Montana.
I
related that my favorite story involved the grizzly bear that refused
to die and jumped after two of the Expedition's men from a twenty-foot
high bluff into the Missouri after being shot eight times.
We
returned to the more depressing tale of Lewis' death. Our leader asked
us if we believed it was murder? We all agreed it was not murder,
unless you consider suicide self-murder. Some contributing factors
could have included the amount of mercury consumed by Lewis (and the
rest of the Expedition). One of the readers noted that archeologists
today have no trouble tracing the Lewis and Clark expedition because of
the incredible amounts of mercury still present at their campsites.
Other contributing factors includes Lewis' alcoholism, use of opiates,
lead poisoning (from being shot), he could have been bipolar and/or
recurrence of malaria.
Suggested field trips included the Lewis & Clark museum in Nebraska City and Ft. Osage in Missouri.
After
some more tangential and heated discussions on right and wrong, good
and evil, our leader brought us back down to Earth and distributed next
month's book of a much lighter fair: A Walk in the Woods by Billy Bryson
Looks like next month I may get to encounter bears ... again.
Mossy Musings
Blogging about the books I read, and the Rotts I feed.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Neglecting My Blog
My apologies. I've been neglecting my Blogger blog in favor of my WordPress one. I have to admit that I much prefer the interface, options and features provided at WP compared to what I have here at Blogger. Still no excuse to completely abandon it. I will make an effort to check in here at least weekly.
I am way behind on my book reviews, but I have done a couple of movie reviews that I may import here as well.
Again, I apologize for appearing to abandon my Blogger blog.
I am way behind on my book reviews, but I have done a couple of movie reviews that I may import here as well.
Again, I apologize for appearing to abandon my Blogger blog.
Rembering Roxy Posts
In Memory of Roxy
Roxy (c. 2008) |
2004-2012
- Circling the Wagons
- Bear-Pig
- First Trip to Dog Park
- Dog Toy Extreme Destruction
- Ditz-Weiler
- Mutilated Mouse Trap
- Snack Dispensers
Friday, March 23, 2012
Remembering Roxy: Bear-Pig
Derek Teasing Roxy (Aug 2005) |
Derek and Roxy in a Stand Off (Aug 2005) |
That explains the first part of the nickname 'Bear-Pig.' The second half has more to do with Roxy's typical Rottweiler appetite and the fact that when she sniffed around the house for anything remotely resembling a snack, she sort of looked like a wild pig. At least she didn't 'oink oink' while she was rooting around for treats.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Book Review: The Terror by Simmons
The Terror by Dan Simmons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read The Terror as part of a group read at the Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club at GoodReads during the month of February. I participated in the discussion, as did many others. To review those threads, please follow this link.
I started reading this the evening of February 13th, with snowfall predicted to commence after midnight. I sat shivering at the kitchen table while I read the first few chapters, even though the furnace kept my house a toasty 78 degrees Fahrenheit. I even dug out a blanket to put on the bed before I went to sleep (still shivering). Brrrr..... Great writing by Dan Simmons, atmospherically speaking.
And I restrained my insatiable desire to research the quest for the Northwest Passage and specifically the final voyage of the HMS Terror until after I finished reading the novel. Simmons kept me riveted until the last few chapters, when he decided to take an extreme detour into arctic supernatural spirituality that left me, well, cold.
Still, a great read by an outstanding author. I recommend lots of warm tea or cocoa and abstinence from long pork.
View all my reviews
Book Review: Archangel by Shinn
Archangel by Sharon Shinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beyond Reality February 2012 Science Fiction Selection
The protagonist, Rachel, grabbed me immediately. Not only was she a superb vocalist, she reminded me in so many ways of my own daughter, also named Rachelle, and who is also a superb vocalist (mezzo soprano, though, instead of Rachel's coloratura soprano). As soon as I finished the book, I sent a recommendation off to my Rachelle, hoping she'd read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
The religious references intrigued me (and sometimes made me laugh - did anyone else think that the name of Semorrah was a mashed-up condensation of Sodom and Gemorrah?) and the musical elements fascinated me. I play piano, attempt to sing (not as well trained as my daughter, so I gave it up as a lost cause at this point in my life) and I know basic music theory. My husband has years of training (jazz trumpet and guitar), composes music and has perfect relative pitch; all of which he passed on to our daughter.
On the question of whether this novel is science fiction or fantasy, I leaned towards the former early on. Once introduced to the oracle Josiah in Archangel, I began to believe I was reading a science fiction story (perhaps along the lines of Pern?). But the rest of the novel revealed little beyond that scene with the Oracle. Another clue could also be derived from the 'smallness' of their 'planet' in area and scope.
I interpreted the singing as magical. The story is mostly a romance, which I normally avoid like the plague, but in this case it worked well.
I have not decided yet if I will continue this series. I'll have to research my friends' reviews of it and see if it gets better or if this installment is as good as it gets.
All in all, I really enjoyed Archangel, even if it seemed to be a romance masquerading as a fantasy with hints of science fiction sprinkled throughout.
View all my reviews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beyond Reality February 2012 Science Fiction Selection
The protagonist, Rachel, grabbed me immediately. Not only was she a superb vocalist, she reminded me in so many ways of my own daughter, also named Rachelle, and who is also a superb vocalist (mezzo soprano, though, instead of Rachel's coloratura soprano). As soon as I finished the book, I sent a recommendation off to my Rachelle, hoping she'd read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
The religious references intrigued me (and sometimes made me laugh - did anyone else think that the name of Semorrah was a mashed-up condensation of Sodom and Gemorrah?) and the musical elements fascinated me. I play piano, attempt to sing (not as well trained as my daughter, so I gave it up as a lost cause at this point in my life) and I know basic music theory. My husband has years of training (jazz trumpet and guitar), composes music and has perfect relative pitch; all of which he passed on to our daughter.
On the question of whether this novel is science fiction or fantasy, I leaned towards the former early on. Once introduced to the oracle Josiah in Archangel, I began to believe I was reading a science fiction story (perhaps along the lines of Pern?). But the rest of the novel revealed little beyond that scene with the Oracle. Another clue could also be derived from the 'smallness' of their 'planet' in area and scope.
I interpreted the singing as magical. The story is mostly a romance, which I normally avoid like the plague, but in this case it worked well.
I have not decided yet if I will continue this series. I'll have to research my friends' reviews of it and see if it gets better or if this installment is as good as it gets.
All in all, I really enjoyed Archangel, even if it seemed to be a romance masquerading as a fantasy with hints of science fiction sprinkled throughout.
View all my reviews
Friday, March 16, 2012
Remembering Roxy: Circling the Wagons
Roxy with one of her indestructible ring toys (May 2007) |
I dreaded walking up the fronts steps these last five days. Apollo met me at the door, but his tail didn't thump-thump-thump against the dividing rail between the entryway and the dining area. He wagged his tail at the sight of me, but he wasn't crowded out of the way by Roxy. She usually stood front and center, eagerly gripping her ring toy in her mouth, dancing back and forth in front of Apollo. I usually had to order them both to back up so I could squeeze through the screen door.
I would carefully thread the needle of swirling Rottweilers and unburden myself of my purse and laptop case in the great room. Once my hands were free, I could pet each of them, although Roxy would continually circle around me in an effort to head Apollo off from getting too much attention.
If I decided to sit down, Roxy would either approach me and plop herself down on my feet, facing away from me, or continue circling the great room with her ring toy. We affectionately called this parading around 'circling the wagons.' Sometimes Apollo would stealthily attempt to snatch the toy from her jaws and then the fun really began.
Roxy, being the nearly full blooded Rottweiler, could easily keep Apollo, the half-breed, from her toy. Her jaw strength and stubbornness exceeded his. But Apollo never played fair and used stealth and guile to trick Roxy into dropping it. Sometimes, he would even go so far as to lay on the ring toy, which drove Roxy into a fit of apoplexy. Eventually she would start circling him faster and faster and even go so far as to bark repeatedly at him. Unless Terry or I told Apollo to get up, he would ignore Roxy's tantrum.
Roxy's ring toys sit idle in the great room. I've tried a couple of times this week, as has Terry, to get Apollo to play catch and fetch, but Apollo only made half-hearted attempts. Apollo would much prefer to play tug-of-war with Roxy. He still doesn't understand why she's gone. If only I spoke better dog, then I might be able to tell him what happened. Perhaps it's a blessing for him that I can't.
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