 1491
Actually submitted a review earlier; but just in case it did not arrive, have done this one. Thnx.
 Interesting, but tinged with modernist cultural superiority
This book is somewhat interesting, but what irks me is the tone in which it is written. It could not be more obvious that the author feels "we" Westerners are more superior to the people of the past, including the very people whose memoirs form the base of his book. I admit I didn't read past the first chapter, because of this.
Another glaring problem is the author totally lacks imagination. For instance in the first chapter he is discussing how along the Amazon in the early 1400's, one group of Spaniards reported large communities of natives living on the river bank. The author draws the conclusion that the natives could not have been living anywhere EXCEPT on the river bank, as this is where their villages were reported to be, according to the Spanish. Do you see what I mean about a lack of imagination? How could one think the natives didn't live further inland, simply because the Spanish didn't see them? (as the Spanish didn't travel further inland?)
This bothered me. I think I will find other ways to learn history.
 Great update on the Americas Pre-Columbus
This book gives great credit and praise to the achievements of various native american groups, something that to this day is still steamrolled and ignored by most High School "American" History textbooks. The author does a comprehensive job in exposing the biased and inaccurate views towards so-called Indians as primitive, scattered, savage, etc. He brings a more balanced view of these peoples, one that shows advanced civilizations, major public works, political entities, and agricultural achievements that made this land grow and prosper to the fertile land it remains to this day. I must admit that prior to reading this book, I too was a member of the ignorant group. This book helped to open my eyes to the great civilization at Cahokia, to the large numbers of native americans even in the early years of european contact, to the profound intricacies and fundamental american ideals underlying the Iroquis confederation, and much more.
I particularly enjoyed the parts where he exposed the inaccuracies of the past, and the controversies of the present concerning human migration patterns into the americas. This helps to prove that ideas and views that were intractable a few decades ago can change with time and deeper understanding and evidence.
Finally, I found the author's wish-washiness somewhat regrettable. It seems kind of schizophrenic on his part. On the one hand he is making great progress debunking old ideas, etc. But another part of him seems unwilling to fully commit to those same ideas, and allows for too much skepticism of the same ideas being presented. I also found the discussion of Native-American, while perhaps necessary and somewhat interesting, to be also overly apologetic and ranting. Overall, however, I found this book a fascinating insight into pre-columbus american civilizations, and would make it required reading in any high school american history course if I had the authority. It is one profound step in ending the ignorance and pejorative views concerning native american peoples.
 powder dry
This book has an excellent theme, but sometimes it is so dry I can't stand it. Not only does the book jump all over history back and forth (which makes it very confusing) but the narrator has a monotone voice.
1491 - Interesting read about the Americas before Columbus
I just finished reading 1491, and I found it to be an extremely interesting read. While I know that some people view the interpretations of the observations to be suspect, I found the observations and findings described in the book to be fascinating. In this book I enjoyed the thoughts regarding pre-Columbian architecture, politics, government, trade, agriculture, etc., of cultures in both South and North America.
Of course there is still a lot of controversy surrounding re-interpretations of long-held ideas about pre-Columbian native Americans, but I enjoyed the thoughts that Mann had on the subject. I found the section on how early dwellers in the Amazon were able to manage the soil so that it was productive for long periods of time, as well as about how North American native Americans may have managed the landscape by using fire to suit their needs.
The section on Maize (corn) was particularly interesting, since many if not most of the processed food items we eat today are just reorganized versions of corn.
Evidences of early civilizations to rival those of the Middle East were also fun to read about. But, accounts of the impacts of European explorers and the diseases they brought were saddening.
Oh, I was amazed when I read about the different approaches to engineering in the old versus the new world. The old world's architecture and engineering is based on the principle of compression (arches in construction, etc.) while in the new world the focus was on tension (suspension bridges, etc.).
If any of this sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend this book. And, another book you may want to consider that focuses on the Amazon basin is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (Vintage Departures).
I give this book a strong 4 stars. Thanks for the interesting read!
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