Customer Reviews

It Happened in Washington (It Happened In Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My husband and I bought this book thinking we would learn more about Washington State. Having lived here 6 years, we thought we should at least know the history of the place. While it does cover historical occurences, they are far too brief and there is very little detail. Chronologically ordered, the stories jump back and forth all over the state, so you get no coherent idea of development within a certain region. It is a very thin book and a very quick read, so if you're simply looking for an overview of events in Washington State, this is your book. If you were hoping for in depth, you'll have to look elsewhere.

We LOVE this book! The author has a most enjoyable writing style that keeps you wanting to read more! Rather than feeling "textbookish," the book gives you the feeling of being told a story ~ *many* stories ~ in a warm, interesting way! It is not in "time-line" form, but rather presents various highlights all of which contributed to "the bigger picture" of our history. It was not intended to be a complete picture of Washington's history, so don't buy it expecting that, or you'll be disappointed. (The title "It Happened in Washington" tells me it merely presents several things that happened in Washington.) *Anything* but disappointing(!!!), this book offers an excellent, easily readable overview of the many events that made Washington state what it is. Those of us who live here will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of MANY aspects of our state that were merely names before reading... Like Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, the Whitman Mission, Seattle, Vancouver, the World's Fair in Seattle (where the Space Needle made its debut!), and MUCH more!!! Appropriate for early teens through adults. I HIGHLY recommend this to the general public for their reading pleasure and edification, as well as an excellent resource for homeschoolers creating a course in Pacific Northwest or Washington State!!!

Barb Shelton
(who was in search of reference material to read in our own homeschool, and also a book that I could recommend to "flesh out" and complete the material in my book, "Washington State History & Government: The Search-it-Out Route" ... and found a wonderful "answer" in this book!!!)

First I will start with a positive, this is a nice collection of stories that gives some context for Washington state history but do not expect any sort of completeness to the stories or anything resembling solid research.

Probably the most unsettling aspect of this book is the consistent missing key elements in each story. The chapter on the Whitman massacre is a prime example. The book never really tells what happens, the story skipping directly from start to finish without context. There are numerous other examples

The research and fact checks are incomplete. I understand what this book is trying to be but in the Boeing story it should not imply the 747 was the first Boeing Air Force One ( it was a 707). I think looking at the bibliography is telling. There is only a bit over one reference per story. The stories and references I am familiar with ( e.g. William O. Douglas) do not contain all of the information in this book leading me to believe there is ample Wikipedia and such unreferenced material in this. Not to mention things like the total reference for Mount Rainier being a Readers Digest article.

There are enough good local history writers such that a book like this could be written by someone who knows Washington. The only references I can readily find on Mr. Crutchfield is that he is "an award winning author of more than forty books". I would suggest he could have spent more time on this one and better researched his stories.

If you are into history, you are likely to enjoy this book. If you live in Washington and you are into history, this book is a great way to fill in gaps that public-school Washington State History failed to address.

A good read, very interesting and insightful.