Customer Reviews

Why Did It Have To Be Snakes: From Science to the Supernatural, The Many Mysteries of Indiana Jones

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

 

 

Honestly, I have to say that the best thing about the book is the title. If you are looking for actual, factual answers to much of the science, archaeology and history in the movies, there are better places to look (like a library). The authors did most of their research off the internet, using a lot of Wikis as sources. I found the text of the book to be factually inaccurate in a number of places and the authors make some interesting assumptions about Indy. But, they seem more interested in churning out a book to tie into the movie release than presenting truth. Frequently the text reads that way too.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the popular Discovery Channel show did a special where they examined various movie related myths to see if they could actually happen in real life. One thing they examined was the scene in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM where Indy and Willy Scott jump out of a window from a tall building and fall through one window canopy after another. They found that though a person would probably be severely injured as a result, they could survive such a fall.

I mention this episode because WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES? does much the same thing. The book examines many of the historical, archaeological, mythological, and some of the scientific aspects in the Indiana Jones canon (the movies and the Young Indiana Jones television show) to see what is true and what is just Hollywood fiction. The book breaks apart the films and the YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES television show into short synopsis of particular scenes. These synopses are followed by an explanation of the real history and science behind the synopsis. For example, the opening section begins with the summary of the opening scene of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and Indy escaping with the golden-headed idol in the jungles of Peru. The explanation following the synopsis explains that the Hovitos tribe in the movie is probably based off the Quechuas people who lived in northern Peru; that the temple is probably a combination between the fabled Incan temple of Cuzco, Koricancha, and the Chachapoyan temple, Keulap; and that Indy's discovery of such a temple would be a definite possibility. The explanation gives a brief history of the Chachapoyas and how they were eventually conquered by the Incan Quechuas.

WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES? is filled with all kinds of historical and scientific tidbits. Everything from the history of certain South American tribes, different varieties of snakes, giant spiders, possible locations of the Ark of the Covenant, giant diamonds of the world, Chinese mafia, short history of India, Indian cults, animals of India, Coronado, origin of the Boy Scouts in the United States, traveling circuses, zeppelins as air travel, mythology of the Holy Grail, and all the famous people that Indiana Jones supposedly met as a youth, and much, much more are examined.

As a fan of Indiana Jones and someone who loves learning, I really enjoyed reading WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES? My only criticism of the book is that as noted in the notes and bibliography sections at the end of the book, the authors relied almost completely upon Internet research. I have nothing against using the Internet for research, but relying solely upon the Internet and no other sources causes one to question the validity of the overall work.

Nevertheless, I did find the book informative and entertaining. Recommended for Indiana Jones fans and trivia buffs.

I was excited to find this book on display at a local bookseller and snapped it up without giving it my usual review of the introduction. I opened the book tonight for the first time and nearly choked while I struggled to get beyond those first few paragraphs by authors ROBERT WEINBERG and LOIS GRESH. Then I scanned various sections and pages hoping for better writing and organization, but found none. And then I saw the Big Red Flag of Despair on the cover: "This book has not been approved, licensed, or sponsored by any entity or person involved in creating or producing the Indiana Jones (TM) films." I wished I'd paid more attention before making the purchase.
This book is horrible. It reads like a very bad middle school book report and the authors make an inexcusable number of short statements frequently followed by unrelated, illogical, or incomplete qualifying information. Its pages are replete with avoidable echos. Chronological and historical information is dry and uninteresting.
The cover also exclaims "the secrets of the real Crystal Skull revealed!" I didn't find any list of "secrets" in the 2 pages dedicated to their so-called "revealing," just stuff I'd already seen in various newspaper and online articles.
Looking at the end notes and bibliography pages is distressing; it appears that most of the fact-finding was done via the Internet and there is an extensive use of Wikipedia as a resource. I must agree with a previous review: the best thing about this book is the title.

Interesting, entertaining reading and trivia piece. Significant resource to teach children not to believe everything they see in the movies. But useful in utilising the movie to educate by causing discussion, and research.

As previously commented referencing heavily internet based.

Generally entertaining and easily read.

This is a good way to find out all the background to the Indiana Jones movies. I bought it for my kids and they loved hearing about the real creatures and people that the movie characters are based on.

In five parts - one for each of the four Indiana Jones movies and one for the Young Indiana Jones TV series - the authors attempt to set the record straight as to what could and what could not have really happened in these stories from the historical, geographical, cultural, social and scientific viewpoints. The book's format is as follows: in each part, various events from the particular story are briefly described and then analyzed at greater length in light of documented facts and real-world people and events. Comments are then made as to how likely it is that that part of the story could have happened as depicted. Regarding the latest (fourth) Indiana Jones movie, very little is discussed - only two pages of historical information on crystal skulls. The writing style is clear, friendly and quite engaging - making for very entertaining reading. Although the book is categorized as "science", in reality, scientific facts are heavily outweighed by historical and mini-biographical information. Although Indiana Jones fans would likely relish this book the most, readers who are not familiar with these stories can enjoy it as well; for example, I have not seen any of the Young Indiana Jones stories, but I enjoyed that part (Part 4) of the book as much as the others.

I recently read The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series by Lois H. Gresh and I liked it so much that I decided to read some other books by the same author. I am glad I did. I like her writing very much. She has co-authored some of her books with Robert Weinberg and some she has written alone. She has written both fiction and non-fiction. I read this non-fiction about Indiana Jones, and found it very interesting. I then read one of her fiction books, the The Termination Node, and found it very thrilling.

This was the book I should have brought first. It was very intresting about all three movies plus alittle about the fourth.

Can you answer these ten questions?

1. What letter of the modern alphabet wasn't added until the 14th century?
2. Jim Thorpe won the first Pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics. Who came in 5th?
3. How many of the Gospels mention Joseph of Arimathea?
4. How tall was Lawrence of Arabia?
5. Where did the last successful cavalry charge take place? From what country did the riders come from?
6. Norman Rockwell claimed all of his paintings were arranged in what geometric shape?
7. What famous artist was dyslexic?
8. Who was the only person to sign both the Peace Treaties ending World War One and World War Two?
9. Who was the only person to sign both the League of Nations charter and the United Nations charter?
10. What jazz musician died on his own birthday?

if not, read WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES to learn the answers to these and many, many other questions raised by the Indiana Jones series.