Thread: What are you reading?

Originally Posted by aberdien

History is relevant!

I get that, but some history is more relevant than other history. Under-reported facts that I have discovered have reshaped my understanding of the world. They are important.

I don't see the same potential for re-shaping here.

Yeah, this review kind of sums up what I expected to find and why I won't mind missing it. I'll check it out if it comes up as an audiobook on Hoopla.

As a historian, I will rarely give a general or popular history more than 3 stars. Much the same way I will never say 'an historian'. And no matter the amount of research that goes into popular history, it hardly ever seems to merit so much praise. And that is because it answers no questions, asks no new questions, puts forth none of its own theories, and has no one singular hypothesis. This book, although a fantastic, sweeping history of the Comanche, it is not a work to be discussed as academic history.

The most irritating part of the book is...

 

the history of Quanah Parker himself. The most bold and interesting history comes from the first half of the book, up until the introduction of the Hays Rangers.

What the book does is prove that the Comanche were, without a doubt, the most powerful tribe in American history. But this is not a new idea, as most historians would agree that the Comanche dwarfed all other horse tribes in the West in terms of accumulated wealth- an idea that, before the white man, was unknown to the Comanche. Once they mastered the horse, they ascended quickly from Gollum-like scavengers, a group of hyenas picking up the scraps of others, into the most feared Indians in America.

Part of the reason that Western Indian tribes were so feared comes from their lack of domesticity. They did not farm or keep animals for slaughter. They had to hunt on the plains and badlands because farming was not an option. The development of the land in the West around Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming etc was one of the reasons for the Dust Bowl, and by extension, the Great Depression. These lands were not fit for farming, and the plains tribes understood this. However, Americans flooded the land and used all the technology at hand to turn the l;and into life-bearing plots. But I digress. The Comcanche and Apache and Lakota and Sioux were far more aggressive in the West than thier Eastern counterparts due in fact to their need to hunt in order to sustain their way of life on the plains.

But this subject is never touched upon in this book. It never puts forth an actual hypothesis. It never answers questions, but instead gives us fact after fact. And while that is useful and entertaining, especially in this case, it does little to advance our actual knowledge of the 'why's'.

I do congratulate [EDIT] (the author of) this book for not balking at the violence inherent in the Comanche. Too often historians will shy away from the amoral acts of an Indian tribe in order to preserve the idea of a noble savage. In this, we are treated to detailed accounts of Comanche torture. Cutting off the toes, the fingers and genitals of Spaniards, Americans and other frontiersmen, and stuffing them into their owners' mouths was common practice. Letting hot coals burn through a captive's abdomen was another torture technique often applied. There seemed no end to their torture ingenuity. And Gwynne does not make this a symptom of Europeans in America. Gwynne does not say that this was a practice only developed after the Europeans came and brought war upon the land. Which is in fact a fallacy. War between tribes was never bloodless. It was never so pretty or noble. It was always petty and savage. And to think that the white devil unleashed something sinister within the Indian upon their arrival is no more than PC demonizing and pandering to the modern day tribes.

Overall, the book will give the average reader insight into the frontier they did not possess before reading it. It is filled with facts- like the development of the Colt, the relationship between Eli Whitney and Samuel Colt, the Hays Rangers, the torture techniques of Comcanches, the destruction of the Apaches, the transformation of the Comanche from the 1600's- that will entertain and often disgust. But all in all it is well worth the read.

A candid autobiography. His voice comes through very well. Learned some cool stuff about Willie. He has lived an imperfect but admirable life. I also think it's pretty hilarious that he got banned for life from the Bahamas because he had some weed in his pocket and a few days later smoked weed on top of the White House.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly - Anthony Bourdain.
Really funny book about his climb to the top of the restaurant world.
Makes you sad that such a cool personality is gone.

Finished Shirer's book about Third Reich

Now Chernow's Titan

Walden.

I wish I read this as a young man.

I've been reading Blackhawk Down for some time now and need to wrap it up. Next up is "Panzram: A Journal Of Murder".

I've read more books in the last month than i've read in like 2 years. Finished this one the other day:

Originally Posted by aberdien

I've read more books in the last month than i've read in like 2 years. Finished this one the other day:

We had a new statue/shrine installed in our Church just a couple of months ago of Blessed Father Stanley Rother. There are several members of the Rother family in our Parish, which is a 15-20 minute drive from his home Parish.

The statue is very well done, and includes a 1st-class Relic. A piece of his rib bone in this case.

I've been trying to post pictures with this post for over a week now, but for some reason it won't post them after going through the upload process. Hopefully Davii can figure it out.

I guess the images were too big.

That's awesome. I'll be interested to see the center or some such thing that they're planning on building for him.

Originally Posted by aberdien

That's awesome. I'll be interested to see the center or some such thing that they're planning on building for him.

They'll be breaking ground soon I think. It will be a tremendous campus/church/shrine.

Anyone ever read any China Mieville? Just bought Perdido Street Station. I think I might love it.

In the middle of this stupid trilogy that's annoying but too good to stop. NK Jemison. Or JK Nemison. I can't remember. Some novel ideas. Won the Hugo 3 consecutive years...still...jury is out for me.

I was looking forward to Stephenson's new book, but it's getting poo-poo'ed in reviews. Doesn't mean I won't like it.

On a side note, I heard that Rothfuss's novel just went to print.

A heads up since we talked about this book in here once, the recently released bio of Ulysses Grant is on sale for the kindle. $1.99.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
Really gritty, fun science fiction.
It's the first in a long series so I'm glad I'm enjoying it.