Customer Reviews

Piracy and Plunder: A Murderous Business

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

 

 

Milton Meltzer has a wonderful dissertation on piracy, making a valiant effort to expose the many misconceptions and myths and imparting the brutal truths. The sections are brief and to the point, easy reading for the target juvenile audience. Waldman's illustrations are striking and dark and very appropriate for the harsh content that Meltzer presents. The topics covered include: types and origins of pirates, pirate tactics, a few biographical sketches on some of the big names like Morgan, Read, Ching Shih, among others, slavery and a selected bibliography of additional sources.

While I found the book interesting, I could not help but keep thinking that Meltzer had targeted the wrong audience. The content speaks of rape, slavery and the violence and brutality of pirates, hardly the subject matter for a juvenile reader. At 86 pages, the book is too short to be very meaningful as other than a long essay to the older adolescent or adult reader who might benefit from the clarity of the author's prose.

My bottom line is to recommend staying with the Eyewitness type of books on Pirates or perhaps Angus Konstam's History of Pirates if looking for something longer.
P-)

In his Foreword, Milton Meltzer states the obvious: "Many books have been published about pirates. So many that you may wonder why write still another?" The simple answer to this question, is to finally set the record straight. Pirates have been so romanticized over the years in movies, plays, and books, that we all think of them as swashbuckling Erol Flynns, silly and ineffective Captain Hooks, or basically good-hearted Long John Silvers, when in reality they were brutal and vicious, violent and greedy murderers and thieves. Mr Meltzer's well researched, intriguing, and realistic book details the rich history of this dirty business from the ancient Greeks and Vikings to the present. His vivid and engaging text is riveting, and not for the faint of heart, and is complemented by Bruce Waldman's dark and ominous artwork. Perfect for youngsters 12 and older, Piracy & Plunder is enlightening non-fiction at its very best, and an absorbing and fascinating book that definitely shouldn't be missed.

I got this book for my YA Resources class. I had never read this author. The book was great and came in time for my class paper.

Don't purchase. The illustrations will not interest a younger child (mianly black and white)and the text is too juvenile for an older child. Not worth the investment.