Review of "Look At America," by the Editors of Look

Review of

Look At America, by the Editors of Look

Four out of five stars

 Published after the Second World War, in this book there are many aspects of the text and pictures that are dated. All the internal images are in black and white, yet they manage to capture the grandeur of the natural state of the land. The Rockies are majestic, the rivers wide and powerful and you know the trees and grass are green. I always enjoy focusing on the appearance of the cars, yet there are many images where the horsepower for the vehicle is supplied by horses.

The country is split into seven regions, each is described by a short section of text followed by a set of full-page images. Alaska and Hawaii are not yet states. There are occasional racial slurs, none more significant that the following sentence in the first page of text describing the south.

“For some the South conjures up a stereotype of porticoes and pointed goatees, magnolias and mockingbirds, belles in crinolines, satiny thoroughbreds, faithful mammies and engaging pickaninnies, of places where the aroma of honeysuckle mingles with that of crushed mint.”

 Other than such outdated formerly mainstream depictions, this book is a very interesting look back at the United States before the population became truly mobile via widespread ownership of cars and the modern interstate highway system. The pictures are what makes the book interesting.

Review of "I Have Heard of a Land," by Joyce Carol Thomas

Review of

I Have Heard of a Land, by Joyce Carol Thomas ISBN 0060234776

Five out of five stars

 The massive land grab that was the Oklahoma Land Rush in 1889 is mentioned in the history books. An estimated 50,000 people lined up to grab their piece of real estate. Some of the people cheated and crossed the demarcation line earlier than the designated start time of high noon on April 12, 1889. Their actions are remembered in the term “Sooners.”

 What is largely ignored in the study of history is the significance of the Oklahoma Land Rush in Black History as well as the rights of women. Suffering under the oppression of white supremacists in the south, many blacks participated in the land rush, their claims were given equal standing. Rather than struggle as a sharecropper, they were assigned up to 160 acres of land of their own to work.

 Another significant characteristic of the Oklahoma Land Rush is that single women could own land in their own name. Since this included black women, the rarity and uniqueness of the event should be a point of greater historical emphasis.

 This book describes a few black families and single persons that derived a great deal of hope from the opportunity to claim a parcel of land. Entire black communities sprang up overnight. Even though life was hard, everything had to be built from scratch, the desire to be a free landowner under the Homestead Act made it all worthwhile. It is a great book for children to learn a key point of Black History.

Review of "The Soul Would Have No Rainbow if the Eyes Had No Tears and Other Native American Proverbs," by Guy A. Zona

Review of

The Soul Would Have No Rainbow if the Eyes Had No Tears and Other Native American Proverbs, by Guy A. Zona ISBN 0671797301

Four out of five stars

 All major groups of humans have a collection of proverbs, some of the wise sayings are thousands of years old. For example, Aesop’s fables are thought to be over 2,500 years old. It is likely that many or most of the proverbs in this collection are that old, verbally passed down from generation to generation.

 Many of them reflect the Native American reverence for the land and nature, attempting to coexist with the world rather than conquer and subjugate it. While the sayings are good, they do not capture an essential component of the Native Americans, the fact that tribes waged war on each other. For example, some of the proverbs on the back cover are:

“Why will you take by force what you may obtain by love?”

“A sin against a neighbor is an offense against the Great Spirit.”

“If he is as wise as a serpent, he can be gentle as a dove.”

 Students of history know that one of the reasons the white man was so successful against the Native Americans is that various tribes had centuries of history of warfare against each other. In that respect, this book is misleading.