Reviews

The Ladder of Rivers the Story of I P Olive by Harry E. Chrisman

mikesmith's review

4.0

This is the story of one man’s life, but it reveals the fascinating shift in the culture of the West from the pre-Civil War days until just before the turn of the 20th Century. I found the most fascinating comment to be the assertion that the Confederate law exempting large slave owners from military service was responsible for more desertions than any other fact (p. 72). We would be wise to consider this situation in our own day. The Civil War was about slavery. But many who fought to save slavery never profited from it. Many of them fought because they didn’t want to be told by outsiders how to live. So it was also about control. Eventually many would realize the slave owners were just as controlling of them as the North appeared to be. One wonders if a different approach could have saved much tragedy. More importantly those today who believe they are in the right must be careful not to force their convictions on others, because that forces people to choose between tyrants, and the result is rarely ideal - or “Great.”