Yes, I'm still here! I am absolutely astounded by how quickly my fellow-bloggers read books. But after a month of reading (and traveling cross country to Colorado), I finally have a new one for you - 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. A professor assigned a chapter from this book during the spring semester and I liked it so much that I decided to buy it.
Unlike many historians and archaeologists, Mann is able to pull together a succinct synthesis of American civilizations pre-Columbus, focusing on the ways people modified their environments to shape the world early colonists later experienced. Perhaps it sounds a little dry, but Mann is an excellent writer and takes you along on his adventures to the Amazon, the Mexican countryside, and New England. I was impressed with how well he tackled some complex archaeology, and drew comparisons between so many diverse groups of native peoples in the Americas.
I certainly recommend this book for anyone interested in early American history, archaeology, Native American studies, or environmental studies. It's easy to read, but does take a while to tackle the whole thing if you're an unfortunately slow reader like me.
And with that, I'm defecting to another Jane Austen before I tackle any more archaeology or history.
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