George Black (1) (1949–)

This is a difficult book for me to review, because I've never been to India and can't verify anything said, and a lot of the descriptions are quite unpleasant to my American sensibilities.

Black traveled the length of the Ganges from the Himalayas to the Sundabaren (the country-sized mangrove forest in the Bay of Bengal) in Bangladesh. The river is 1680 miles - more or less, since the course changes from year to year. It is worshiped as sacred by Hindus, and there are many religious practices connected to it. Some of these, such as the burning of bodies, bathing, and the dumping of dead bodies into it, along with directly-added industrial pollution, have resulted in horrifying pollution, seemingly ignored by many as they go about their activities in the water. I don't think I even want to describe some of the ways pollution is added, not to mention the continued bathing in it despite this. Millions live along or near the water or make their business along the water. This includes priests, woodsellers, corpse collectors, middlemen, corrupt police and bureaucrats, and an astonishing array of other people who rely on the income received from their "cut" of fees. The author points out that because of the number of people who profit from the river, it's almost impossible to make changes, such as banning burning of bodies, that might help clean it up.

The author is very person-oriented and made acquaintances wherever he went, thus gleaning numerous stories of life along the river. His visits often pointed him in new directions to explore.

I did find the book interesting, but for sure if I was in India I'd never go near the Ganges. It sounds absolutely disgusting. Of course, those who revere it feel much differently, and I do hope I don't cause insult with my comments, but this is an honest reaction to the descriptions in the book.… (plus d'informations)

I'm planning to visit Yellowstone National Park for the first time this summer, so I was excited to read this history. I failed to read the small print, though, since it turns out this book is the history of Yellowstone over the six decades from the Lewis & Clark expedition to the Congressional establishment of the first national park in 1872. It is primarily a military history of the conflicts between Native peoples and the U.S. armed forces sent to defend the interests of white American explorers, exploiters, and settlers. Part of me rolls my eyes at another history that focuses entirely on military actions, while another part feels shamed that I wish to avoid the bloody background of a place special to all Americans.

Key figures in this history include Jim Bridger, a trapper known for his tall tales, although later many of his descriptions of Yellowstone's natural wonders would be proved true. William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip Sheridan, known for their adoption of total war tactics in the Civil War, are key military leaders in the effort to "tame" the West. The first thorough expedition to explore the future park by the United States was lead by Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, and the exploits of his team make up much of the latter part of the book.

The message of the book is clear in that creating a National Park preserved a unique ecosystem, but it only happened after extermination of the buffalo and removal of the Native tribes. The buffalo have been reintroduced to the park, but the legacy of the Native people is still hidden.… (plus d'informations)

This was a well-researched and very entertaining book to read. The tale of the early explorers of the Yellowstone region came to life in Black's recounting of the events. I learned a lot about the park prior to its designation as the nation's first national park, and about the men who helped to shape its destiny. It was interesting to read about these explorer's experiences in places that I have visited, and picturing how much has changed, and how much the park has been 'tamed' in many ways. I would have liked to have had more information about the park's early days, and the role of the army in acting as its first rangers - that part of the park's early history was not fully explored in this book. However, Black's attention to detail and telling of the efforts by the early explorers to not only get people to believe their 'tall tales' of a land of boiling rivers and exploding geysers, but to also recognize that this land should be set aside for the benefit of all people and not exploited, was thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend this title to anybody interested in the early history of Yellowstone.… (plus d'informations)