The West

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful overview of the Western Expansion
Review: I have read this title in Hardback and it was wonderful. The personal stories of fate, tradegy and triumph as the European immigrants settle on Native American lands are excellently written.

The story actually starts earlier than most would think - in the 1600s as the Spanish explore what is now New Mexico and Texas, and there are some misunderstandings between them and the Native Americans. Throughout the book, there are narratives following a person or a group of people and their journeys to the West.

My favorite narratives are the expansion of U. S. citizens to Texas, and the journey of the Mormons to Utah. I knew some the of the facts, however, they were vividly and poignantly written in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining
Review: The audiobook version of "The West" is a fast paced excursion through the history of the west from the arrival of European immigrants to the early 20th century. Over 80% of the material, however, concentrates on the 19th century (where the bulk of the action is found). I found this to be a very exciting trip through the history of the region and do recommend it to anyone with an interest in history or the region.

The only flaws in the presentation are relatively minor. The first is the usual flaw found in most writers of western history of the latter part of the 20th century and that is an over-romanticization of the Native American cultures which tends to reduce the conflicts of the settlement of the west to "all Native Americans saintly; all white settlers act like Satan". While they do a good job of covering white atrocities inflicted on the Native Americans (i.e. the Sand Creek Massacre, the war against the Nez Perce, the routine violation of treaties by the government, etc.)the authors do gloss over the often violent history the Native American tribes had with each other as well as totally ignoring the barbaric aspects of some tribal cultures of the west. Still, on balance, they are far more objective in this area than the majority of western writers. Their is also an almost complete silence on the roll of religion in the settlement of the west. Also it is dissapointing that Alaska and Hawaii were completely excluded from coverage in the audiobook. It is also dissapointing that the book ends in the very early 20th century leaving out great 20th century events in the west such as the oil booms, the dust bowl, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the rise of tourism in the west.

Still, "The West" is an enjoyable listen, and is probably best listened to while driving in your car through the west.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining
Review: The audiobook version of "The West" is a fast paced excursion through the history of the west from the arrival of European immigrants to the early 20th century. Over 80% of the material, however, concentrates on the 19th century (where the bulk of the action is found). I found this to be a very exciting trip through the history of the region and do recommend it to anyone with an interest in history or the region.

The only flaws in the presentation are relatively minor. The first is the usual flaw found in most writers of western history of the latter part of the 20th century and that is an over-romanticization of the Native American cultures which tends to reduce the conflicts of the settlement of the west to "all Native Americans saintly; all white settlers act like Satan". While they do a good job of covering white atrocities inflicted on the Native Americans (i.e. the Sand Creek Massacre, the war against the Nez Perce, the routine violation of treaties by the government, etc.)the authors do gloss over the often violent history the Native American tribes had with each other as well as totally ignoring the barbaric aspects of some tribal cultures of the west. Still, on balance, they are far more objective in this area than the majority of western writers. Their is also an almost complete silence on the roll of religion in the settlement of the west. Also it is dissapointing that Alaska and Hawaii were completely excluded from coverage in the audiobook. It is also dissapointing that the book ends in the very early 20th century leaving out great 20th century events in the west such as the oil booms, the dust bowl, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the rise of tourism in the west.

Still, "The West" is an enjoyable listen, and is probably best listened to while driving in your car through the west.