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alidottie's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoy reading Tony Horwitz books. In this book he talks about the history of the continents of the Americas that is foggy in most of our minds--between Columbus and the Pilgrims--and actually starts earlier with the Norse explorers. It is interesting and educational and I really enjoyed his final thoughts after thousands of miles and lots of research and interviews.
nderiley's review against another edition
4.0
A very accessible historical read. Tracing history from Columbus not landing on US soil (so why do we have Columbus day again?) to the Pilgrims not landing on Plymouth rock, Horwitz switches between historical description and his own personal experience of these places during his quest for information. Great read.
laila4343's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one. I certainly had a huge gap in my knowledge of the exploration of the Americas. This not only illuminated the time between Columbus's landing and the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, but it was also a nifty modern-day travel memoir as well. Horwitz tried to follow along some of the routes of Coronado, De Soto, and those guys, encountering some fascinating weirdos and cool people along the way. Recommended for those who like their history kind easy and engaging.
jovethg's review against another edition
5.0
On a whim, I decided to check out this book because I was surprised at my own personal lack of knowledge of what was going on in the United States area between 1492 and 1620.
I had no idea that the Spanish had explored so much of the South around the Mississippi, or that St. Augustine is the oldest permanent settlement in the US.
Or that Jamestown was actually the first successful English settlement, but Plymouth and the Pilgrims get all the fame.
I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing and I’m looking forward to reading more of his books.
I had no idea that the Spanish had explored so much of the South around the Mississippi, or that St. Augustine is the oldest permanent settlement in the US.
Or that Jamestown was actually the first successful English settlement, but Plymouth and the Pilgrims get all the fame.
I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing and I’m looking forward to reading more of his books.
srakhmanov's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
maya_moksha's review
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Thought provoking journey. Grateful to have read. Could do without some of the author’s overt biases.
littlelady_28's review against another edition
4.0
My husband is a big fan of Tony Horwitz and recommended this book to me, and it was easy to understand why. Horwitz has a great style of writing that is informative and approachable at the same time. I'm not sure about the format of his other books, but in this one he traveled around to different parts of the Americas, exploring and learning about the first Europeans to explore North America and the Caribbean islands. I appreciated how he didn't shy away from the atrocities that so many of the explorers committed against the Native Americans already there. At the same time, however, traveling the land and getting a feel for it also put the experiences of the Europeans in a different perspective as well. Slogging through the swamps of Florida in fifty pounds of armor? Not fun. Was that an excuse to murder and/or take hundreds of the natives living there as slaves? Obviously not.
This book also provided a lot more information than what I remember learning in my high school history classes. There was a lot more to the formation of our country than Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492 and then John Smith and the Pilgrims showing up about a century later. It was a rough time for everyone, and the Native Americans obviously got the worst of it.
I enjoyed this book a lot and recommend it to anyone who likes American history, but in a more informal setting. I give it a solid A.
This book also provided a lot more information than what I remember learning in my high school history classes. There was a lot more to the formation of our country than Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492 and then John Smith and the Pilgrims showing up about a century later. It was a rough time for everyone, and the Native Americans obviously got the worst of it.
I enjoyed this book a lot and recommend it to anyone who likes American history, but in a more informal setting. I give it a solid A.
llhensel's review against another edition
5.0
This book is separated by region, and I am so grateful for that because I am going to go back and re-read each section but much more slowly than the first time. This book is dense, dense, dense with detail and story and requires non-fiction reading strategies to best learn from and enjoy the book. Mr. Horwitz has worked very hard to bring the reader writing that livens up makes much more real our history.
jdintr's review against another edition
While I love traveling, I usually hate travelogues. I don't like writers who make fun of locals, or fit every sight into a personal agenda; I don't read to learn about writers--I want to learn about sites.
Tony Horwitz is one of the best writers at teaching. His trips fit into an agenda--usually an historical one--and his bibliography is incredible. In Voyage, Horwitz sets off to learn about America's pre-Pilgrim history--the reality before our founding myths of Thanksgiving and Indian brotherhood.
His travels take him to the Dominican Republic in search of Columbus, to Zuni Pueblo in the footsteps of Coronado, through Virginia's swampy tidewaters with descendants of Powhatan, and on a wild canoe ride across the Mississippi in the footsteps of Coronado.
I really enjoyed learning more about Columbus, and I was astonished at the breadth of destruction that DeSoto left on his terrorizing sojourn through America's Southeast from 1540 to 1542. For fans of Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic, he spends a day dressed as an iron-clad conquistador in Florida.
Again, the strength of this book is Horwitz's careful reading and reporting. He never fully dispels the Plymouth Myth, not should he. But the reader will leave with a better appreciation of the experiences of both European explorers and Native Americans.
Tony Horwitz is one of the best writers at teaching. His trips fit into an agenda--usually an historical one--and his bibliography is incredible. In Voyage, Horwitz sets off to learn about America's pre-Pilgrim history--the reality before our founding myths of Thanksgiving and Indian brotherhood.
His travels take him to the Dominican Republic in search of Columbus, to Zuni Pueblo in the footsteps of Coronado, through Virginia's swampy tidewaters with descendants of Powhatan, and on a wild canoe ride across the Mississippi in the footsteps of Coronado.
I really enjoyed learning more about Columbus, and I was astonished at the breadth of destruction that DeSoto left on his terrorizing sojourn through America's Southeast from 1540 to 1542. For fans of Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic, he spends a day dressed as an iron-clad conquistador in Florida.
Again, the strength of this book is Horwitz's careful reading and reporting. He never fully dispels the Plymouth Myth, not should he. But the reader will leave with a better appreciation of the experiences of both European explorers and Native Americans.