Customer Reviews

A History of the Pioneers (Florida Keys)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I bought this book in Key West after looking for a decent overview of the history of the Florida Keys. This is the best that I've found so far.

The book works through a specific era, starting with general information about the time, and ending each chapter with one or two stories about a specific resident of the Keys. These stories are what make the book truly interesting. Each chapter has a small map indicating the notable Keys of the period.

The book covers the time span from pre-European settlement to just before World War II. Viele goes into detail about the wrecking industry, sponging, and farming of the Keys. The details of Flagler's railroad and the Overseas Highway are well covered, but perhaps not as well as some of the books dedicated to these subjects.

There are good black and white illustrations and historical photos throughout.

My only complaint is that the book stops before WWII, leaving many years left to be covered.

I am not much of a one for factual books, as I like to be told a great story, and not have to look for it amongst the facts. I can't help it, it's just the way I'm made! I was delightfully surprised with Mr Viele's work. He is a natural storyteller, the best gift of all writers. The real life tales of early settlers in the Florida Keys, before and during the days of the railroad, are absolutely fascinating. I found myself as engrossed as if I was reading a thriller, drama, detective novel...I know, I sound so shallow! I had the great honor of meeting Mr Viele, and was thrilled to hear about how the book happened and evolved. The depth of research that apparently went into uncovering the events in the lives of the Keys Pioneers, is I think what makes me feel like I am being told stories from the heart. As a Keys resident deeply interested in the history of this unique place, I tried many other books first, but this is the one to read, to REALLY experience the Keys as it must have been, when the first strong and sometimes eccentric Pioneers chose to brave remote island living, extreme heat, mosquitos and hurricanes, Pioneers whose names can be found all over the Keys to this day, where streets, waterways and buildings are dedicated to their memory.

I picked this book up at Bahia Honda State Park in the Keys out of curiousity and could not put it down. I am a frequent visitor to the keys and found the stories enlightning due to my knowledge of the area. Good illustrations and facts about the area. I look forward to reading the next two in the series. This book will inform you about the conditions and ways of life in the Keys in the early days. You will also start to recognize landmarks and features named after people in this book. A good read

got this book for my dad, he really enjoyed it and it arrived promptly. thank you.