Customer Reviews

The World in 1492

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I bought this book some time ago to use in our homeschool. I pulled it off the shelf this morning to preview it in anticipation of using it soon. I was very disappointed, to say the least. Since Jean Fritz is such a popular author, I had high expectations. While reading the chapter about Europe, I was shocked to discover her poor writing style. Her sentence construction, in particular, is weak and distracts from the content of the chapter.

I was also disappointed because the authors' bias is so extreme that the book is historically inaccurate. I enjoy reading history books that are written from various points of view, because I think the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. However, because this book is flat-out inaccurate, I can't give it to my children to read independently as I planned. If I use it at all, I will have to read it aloud and then editorialize as we proceed. For example, the introduction states that "Columbus was nearly alone in his stubborn belief that he had reached the Indies." Actually, we know from Columbus' own writings that he was well aware that he had not reached the Indies.

The chapter about the Americas, written by Jamake Highwater, was equally disappointing. It starts with, "In the year Europeans call 1492." Guess what? In modern America, we call it 1492 as well. The chapter goes on to relate some of the legends of the Aztec people; however, the legends are not separated from facts. For example, "The People of the Sun heard the voice of a bird that spoke to them from a tree," and "The Mexica...followed the voice of the bird." The statement that most bothers me is this: "A key element in all of these societies was a philosophy that gave some people far greater power than others and that put an emphasis upon social rank and privilege. This philosophy justified the efforts of missionaries who were sent into every territory to convert people to the Mexican way of life." It would be more accurate to say that *the Aztec people believed* this philosophy justified their actions. Whether or not they truly were justified is a matter of opinion, certainly not an historical fact. In a similar vein, the book states, "It took many human sacrifices to maintain such a position of greatness." Well, no. Actually, the people *thought* they needed to make human sacrifices to maintain their position. That doesn't make it true.

I agree with the basis of the book: There was more to the world in 1492 than Europe, and it is beneficial to study other cultures. I am disappointed with the execution of the idea, though.

I found this book at the library and checked it out so many times that I bought a copy for myself and one for my school. The book is well written and well executed. I don't agree with the previous reviewer that there are inaccuracies. In fact, Columbus stubbornly insisted that he had found the "Indies." He rejected Eratosthenes' measurements of the size of the earth and believed the earth was about half its real size. He did not realize that he had not actually reached Asia. Jamaka Highwater was writing from the perspective of the Native Americans. In 1492, there was no United States of America, so yes, the Europeans said the year was 1492, but not the Americans, South, Central, or North. I found this book to be a great beginning to undoing my own Euro-centric view of history and expanding my world view. I especially liked the section on Oceania where the whole idea of time and history was distinctly unEuropean. I agree that it is not an easy book for children to read on their own, but I have found it very useful for building a curriculum about the Renaissance from a global persepective.