A Great Book If You Can Ignore Rampant Racism
4 stars
This book is a mix of detailed, fascinating analysis of the regional European roots of different North American colonist groups, their ways of life after immigrating, and different governance structures. Particularly fascinating are the sections on farming techniques. However, and the title should've been a red flag for me, the book is rife with racism, the degree to which I often had to double check what I just read. Specifically, the complete marginalization and shocking verbiage around Native Americans. If this book were written in the 80s, this would be just as inexcusable but more understandable. That it was published in 2012, and that no editor called out at least the word choice, is pretty much unforgivable. I would welcome an edited version with an introduction criticizing the original edition.
This book is a mix of detailed, fascinating analysis of the regional European roots of different North American colonist groups, their ways of life after immigrating, and different governance structures. Particularly fascinating are the sections on farming techniques. However, and the title should've been a red flag for me, the book is rife with racism, the degree to which I often had to double check what I just read. Specifically, the complete marginalization and shocking verbiage around Native Americans. If this book were written in the 80s, this would be just as inexcusable but more understandable. That it was published in 2012, and that no editor called out at least the word choice, is pretty much unforgivable. I would welcome an edited version with an introduction criticizing the original edition.