Diamonds - The Rush of '72 [Paperback]

Sam North (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2004

When two Kentucky prospectors, John Slack and Philip Arnold arrived penniless and near starving in San Francisco to deposit raw 'American' diamonds in the Bank of California, it caused quite a stir. Rumors flew across the city. This was going to be bigger than Kimberley and everyone wanted a piece of the action. But Slack and Arnold would be hard men to woo. This is a true story. What begins as a trickle in the Colorado mountains would grow into the great rush of 1872 and ruin the lives of almost everyone it touched.

Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (August 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411610881
• ISBN-13: 978-1411610880
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,612,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Dreams, April 27, 2006

By 

Graham Attenborough (Portsmouth UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diamonds - The Rush of '72 (Paperback)

Sam North's novel, though written in a light hearted style, explores the dark heart of the American Dream. Its main characters are all real historical actors and the story which unfolds actually happened and is a great example of rigorous research. Not wishing to give the story away I should only really say that my first immpressions of Slack and Arnold (the two prospectors and main characters) began to change as their tale unfolds because so much of what happens in their world is not what it seems and as the plot twists and turns so their characters develop and change too. What I really liked about this novel was the way that North explores the period, its greed, shortsightedness, and crass lust for riches at all costs, without being judgemental. The gaudy property of the fabulously rich is subltly juxtaposed with the harshness of extreme poverty and want. In my view, this novel goes a long way to reveal the gaping flaw at the heart of God's own democracy, the fact that its built on the bones of a crushed and disregarded native culture, the survivors of which (like other non-white citizens) are treated by the white, Anglo-Saxon characters, not so much with contempt but with indifference, as though they are invisible. I enjoyed this story very much and the fact that it's a true story makes it even more interesting. American History brought to true life.