Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)

Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)
Average customer rating:

Great series

A Dangerous Time in Colonial America

History coming alive

Bloody, bloody good

Widerness Empire

Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)
Allan W. Eckert
Manufacturer: Jesse Stuart Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1931672024

Book Description

For over two hundred years no Indian force in America was so powerful and feared as the Iroquois League. Throughout two thirds of this continent, the cry of "The Iroquois are coming!" was enough to demoralize entire tribes. But these Iroquois occupied and controlled a vast wilderness empire which beckoned like a precious gem to foreign powers. France and England secured toeholds and suddenly each was claiming as its own this land of the Iroquois. Alliance with the Indians was the key; whichever power controlled them could destroy the other.

Wilderness Empire is the gripping narrative of the eighteenth-century struggle of these two powers to win for themselves the allegiance of the Indians in a war for territorial dominance, yet without letting these Indians know that the prize of the war would be this very Iroquois land. It is the story of English strength hamstrung by incredible incompetence, of French power sapped by devastating corruption. It is the story of the English, Indian and French individuals whose lives intertwine in the greatest territorial struggle in American history--the French and Indian War.

Customer Reviews:

Great series.......2007-07-28

This is one of the weaker books in Eckert's series, but it was still a good read. I'd recommend it for any Eckert fan, or any other American-History fan. You should definately read the other books in the series!!!

A Dangerous Time in Colonial America.......2007-02-26

Wow! What a book! For anyone interested in studying the French and Indian War period, this is a must read. Although it's not a "textbook" account it's still a lot of fun. I would read this book alongside Francis Parkman's "Montcalm and Wolfe" and Anderson's "Crucible of War". Probably Mr. Eckert's best work. It's really great for younger children or anyone who has forgotten about good old-fashioned American folklore. Fantastic!

History coming alive.......2007-02-12

The best book I have ever read on the French and Indian War. It is utterly amazing how Eckert makes characters from the past come so alive. You really get the feeling that you not only learned about events that happened in the past, but that you get to know the people who experienced them.

Bloody, bloody good.......2006-09-08

Though published in 1969, when attitudes toward Native Americans were just beginning to recover after centuries of demonization, "Wilderness Empire" paints a very balanced picture of the complexities of the American frontier during the period of the French and Indian War. Comprising the formative years of George Washington, Ben Franklin and many of other actors on the American historical stage, this often-ignored historical period was the foundation for the Revolutionary War years that immediately followed. What happened in the 1740s and 50s cemented the reputations and formed the attitudes of those who forged America in the 1770s and 80s.

Eckert does a fascinating job of writing a "semi-fictional" work that relies heavily on the letters and other documents of the players themselves. He claims not to have invented conversations, but to have dramatized them based on the evidence in the primary sources. Of course, this cannot extend to Eckert's descriptions of his characters' state of mind, but he seems to take care to add proper emotional expression to the dry facts where appropriate.

Eckert's tale includes hundreds of characters, but he focuses on the exploits of a few notable ones. William Johnson, the young Irish adventurer become military leader, is at the center of the tale. Johnson seems one of only a few Americans who took the Indians seriously and was subsequently adopted by them. His incredible double life - as a white subject of the crown and as the Indian Warraghiyagey - showed him to be a man of intelligence, subtlety, heart and strength. Other characters - the exquisite French Marquis de Montcalm, a young and inexperienced George Washington, the Mohawk Chief Tiyanoga and New Hampshire's Robert Rogers of Ranger fame - are also featured prominently. This is not due to their later fame as much as to the fact that these were men of great valor and valiant action in their day. Eckert does feature women in his tale, but often they are love partners, slaves or victims. One wonders whether he might have made more of them had he written the book ten years later, when feminist scholarship and sensitivity urged writers to take a closer look at female contributions.

In any event, Eckert's tale is very bloody. Indian atrocities -- including scalping, dismemberment, ritual torture and cannibalism -- get more than their fair share of space. Cannonballs cut men in two and musket fire pierces brains and bodies and leaves men screaming in agony. Eckert does not pass judgment on these actions, though his French and especially his English characters do. At least he attempts to see these practices with native eyes, as the just spoils of warfare, as much due to the victors as the powder and food of the vanquished. But for the reader, the burnings, killings and mutilations do seem to pile up after a while. On the positive side, this gives the reader a chance to appreciate the tenuous nature of life on the New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia frontier. There's enough brutality on all sides to make one glad to live in more peaceful times.

I found "Wilderness Empire" to be a fascinating, if slow, read. The vast array of characters, the difficult Indian names and places, and the complex and convoluted nature of the events makes it difficult to read for pleasure. But in the end, the book was well worth the effort. I now feel I have filled a long-standing lacuna in my historical understanding - the period the led to the American Revolution and set the stage for the white expansion across the continent.

Widerness Empire.......2006-07-04

Second time I have read it the first time was over 25 years ago, it is an oustanding narative of the early days of America detailing important events in the early setteling of our country.

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Kyle's Book Review
BOOK REWVIEW
The Warriors
The Warriors
The Warriors

The Warriors
Joseph Bruchac
Manufacturer: Darby Creek Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581960220

Customer Reviews:

Kyle's Book Review.......2006-12-01

Kyle's Book Review *****
LA 2

By: Joeseph Bruchac

I read a great book titled the warriors.

The main characters in this story were, Jake, his mom, Thomas, Molly, Willtomore, Grandpa Sky, coach scott, Marshall, Dr carlland.

The main problem of the book occurs when, Jake tries to run home to the rez. But he cant get past the school gate only because it is only open when the busses and cars come in and the other is that there are 3 guards and wiltomore.

My favorite part of the book is the end of the book.

This was my favorite part because that is when I made all the connections.

I would recommend this book to people who like sports fiction.

I really like this book because it is about sports

I would recamend this book to people who like reading fiction sports.

BOOK REWVIEW.......2006-11-22

I read a fiction book titled The Warriors by Joseph Bruchac. It is a terrific book. It was set between the Native American reservation and Weltimore School.

The three main characters were Jake, his mom and Coach Scott. Jake is a nice boy who is Native American. He loves to play lacrosse he goes threw a lot of events in the story. His mom his women that works a lot and doesn't get to see Jake as much as she wants to so she pops up in the story in the important events. Coach Scott he is the lacrosse coach and he is a teacher. He reads to his students about Indians and things Jake dose not like because it talks about bad stuff about his culture.

The main problem in this story occurs. When Jake tries to tell every one that what they are saying in the books Coach Scott reads to them in class about the Indians being bad people and doing bad things to other American is not true. When nobody listens to him he fells bad about his culture.

My favorite part of the book was when Jake moved in to the worries rooms because his mom could not have him stay alone at home. This was my favorite part because it had Jake make knew friends and more people to talk to.

I really liked this book because it shows you that all people are equal in different ways. I would recommend it to because it tells you that Indians.
How they used to play lacrosse and shows you that words can heart other people .
The book is a terrific book. If I could I would give it 4 stars.

The Warriors.......2006-11-21

The book I read was called The Warriors by Joseph Bruchac. The beginning takes place at a Native American reserve. Then, there is a bit where the main character is at his mom's house in Maryland. Most of the story takes place at Weltimore and on lacrosse fields.

The main character is Jake, an Iroquois boy who becomes a boarding student at Weltimore after leaving the reserve Jake grew up on. The other characters at the reserve are Frank Tarbell, Rick Jamieson (both are on Jake's lacrosse team), Irwin Printup (an Iroquois Faith Keeper, someone who keeps the Iroquois tradition alive), and other Iroquois people. At Weltimore, the characters are Coach Scott (Jake's history teacher and lacrosse coach), Mr. Culet (the headmaster), Kofi (a West African boy, Jake's roommate), Muhammad (a Pakistani boy, Jake's other roommate), and many, many more people who work and go to school at Weltimore. One special character is someone Jake calls Grandpa Sky, and he mostly is in the book in Jake's thoughts of the stories Grandpa Sky tells Jake. The only time he is actually in the story in the same time the book takes place is in the reserve.

There really is no problem in the story, but Jake is constantly wanting to go home. I think this is a story about a period in Jake's life where he has to face the hardship of leaving the place he grew up in and going to a new place he knows very little about. Jake also has to go to a new school and make new friends. It can be hard leaving a place you love, especially when you grow up there. I kind of know what it is like, I had to move when I was in the summer before I went to 1st grade. A short while after school started, I had already made a friend. I have a friend where I used to live and I sometimes visit, but it is never the same as when I lived there. I think the same goes for Jake, he can still visit his friends on the reserve, but not as often as when Jake lived on the reserve.

My favorite part in the book is the part where Jake and his roommate Kofi share their secrets, sort of. This is my favorite part in the book because the characters get to learn a little bit about each other.

I would give this book 3 stars because it shows examples of friendship and teamwork and it includes some life lessons. It isn't really interesting at the beginning, but to understand the most interesting parts, the parts beforehand must be read. I would recommend this book to someone who likes lacrosse (the main sport in the book), and/or someone who likes a realistic fiction books about kids in early high school or late middle school (possibly late elementary school, most likely not). When the book is completely read, it turns out to be a really good book.

The Warriors.......2006-11-21

I read a ok book with the title being THE WARRIORS by Joseph Bruchac. It is a historical fiction the book is in the present time. The main charters in the story are Jake and his lacrosse team friends. The main problem occurs in the book when he gets mad at the sport of lacrosse and himself because he keeps getting hurt and he can't make the team. My favorite part is when Jake finely gets better at lacrosse and he is getting to play more! It was my favorite part because he finely reached his goal. I really didn't like this book as much I thought I would because I would like more action. I would recommend this book to someone who doesn't like books with action.

The Warriors.......2006-11-21

I read an ok book titled The Warriors by Joseph Bruchac. It is a historical fiction book set in America, in the present time period.
The main characters in this story were Jake and his fellow team members. The book is about boy named Jake and he gets mad at the Iroquois people because they call the sport lacrosse and that means something different in America. Finally, he realizes the sport is fun.
The main problem of the book occurs when he gets mad at the sport because he keeps getting hurt and the name of lacrosse means something different in America.
My favorite part of the book was when Jake finally plays in a game. This is my favorite part because Jake showed courage, teamwork and he reached his goal, I really didn't like this book because I'm more of a football guy and also there not to much action in this book. I wouldn't recommend this book to my friend Andy because he likes pretty much the same books as me.

My rate for this book is ***

The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization (Institute of Early American History & Culture)

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Very useful work on the Iroquois Confederacy
The Masterpiece

The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization (Institute of Early American History & Culture)
Daniel K. Richter
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807843946

Book Description

Richter examines a wide range of primary documents to survey the responses of the peoples of the Iroquois League—the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscaroras—to the challenges of the European colonialization of North America. He demonstrates that by the early eighteenth century a series of creative adaptations in politics and diplomacy allowed the peoples of the Longhouse to preserve their cultural autonomy in a land now dominated by foreign powers.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful work on the Iroquois Confederacy.......2007-02-14

I've found this book to be both insightful and easy to understand. Though this is a well researched and referenced academic text it is accessible to the average reader, assuming an interest in the subject matter.

The Iroquois were a centerpiece of North American colonial life and I would highly suggest this book for those interested in History or Anthropology, as Dr. Richter takes broad approach to his analysis and documents cultural practices and history of interest to many disciplines.

The Masterpiece.......2000-06-28

Daniel Richter, in this astonishing book, does an excellent job explaining social, political and economical aspects of the Iroquois people with strong evidence. This book is a resutl of a big reserach and Richter's dedication to the subject. I would recommend this book not only to students who need to take Native American History, but also to anyone who is interested in learning about the Iroquoi's life and their impacts on the French, the England, and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though i am not a native speaker, i really enjoyed reading this book because of Richter's plain English.

The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism, and the Cant of Conquest (Norton Library)

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Work
Very thought provoking
Puritans as imperialists
Impassioned Revisionism
Jennings lays it out- you have to make yourself think.

The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism, and the Cant of Conquest (Norton Library)
Francis Jennings
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393008304

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Work.......2004-10-01

The beauty of this book...the author, though angry, uses the angry energy in a focused, forthright and definitive way. The result is an informative and detailed look at history that most may be surprised to read. Jennings analysis of the events is told in a story-like form, so that the reader is enlightened, then slowly taken in by the intrigue and intriging mischief of the day. Another title for this research could have been {the art of puritan warfare}. The author tells of the barbaric, imperialistic, and destructive engagements with the Irish as a prelude to the western invasion. This invasive group of people had plenty of practice. Word of advice, read slowly, don't miss anything...Fantastic Work...

Very thought provoking.......2003-04-08

Francis Jennings' first book, The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism and the Cant of Conquest was path breaking when released in 1975, a book of "angry, forceful prose [that] still touches readers a quarter century after its publication," according to his 2001 obituary in the newsletter of the American Organization of Historians. In fact, Jennings himself was known for his "irrepressible" devotion to debunking the myths of Native American history of the colonial period, particularly the works of Francis Parkman. As his eulogizer Frederick Hoxie notes, Jennings early on insisted that "America began not with "discovery" but invasion," a belief which set "himself apart from those who viewed the fate of the continent's indigenous people as somehow inevitable or natural." The polemical The Invasion of America was the first in what Jennings called his "Covenant Chain Trilogy," with The Ambiguous Iroquois Empire (1984) and Empire of Fortune (1988) finishing the set. As Hoxie states, The Invasion of America (and most of Jennings' other writings) was a "frontal attack on the generations of scholars who, he argued, had internalized the racist language of the seventeenth century and overlooked the violence and brutality of European settlement." As another reviewer writes, "this is a strong, angry book," the prose of which is characterized by "the author's controlled outrage at what happened and at the misconceptions, distortions, and even lies he sees in the treatment of the period by other historians."

Puritans as imperialists.......2001-11-29

Francis Jennings' Invasion of America is still usefull reading, but... In the half of 70s' it was almost revolutionary work, and many (not only) historians looked at this as at nearly sacred text. But I think, that Jennings adversary's" - i. e. Vaughan's - New England Frontier is more balanced view of Puritan - Indian relations in the 17th century.
Jennings book is divided into two different parts. First is thematical (and I think better), and second chronological. Author tries to apply the research done in the first part to the 17th century New England (second part). Jennings offers many interesting ideas, often highly provocative. He shows, for example, how the contention between single New England colonies (especially between Massachusetts and Connecticutt) influenced their Indian policy.
Book has two weak points, of which the second is essential. 1) Jennings' approach, especially in the second part, is not ethnohistorical, although he (in the first chapter) praises this historical subdiscipline. He focuses almost exclusivelly on Puritan policy toward Indians, and largely omits Indian actions. 2) He looks at Puritans from the perspective of 70s' of the 20th century through the eyes of a radical (left-wing ?) intelectual. So he finds nearly all Puritan actions toward Indians as bad. Their only goal was to conquer Indians and their land. They were real imperialists. He absolutely excludes the possibility, that Puritan actions could have been motivated by sincere conviction, for example, that they are just trying to help Indians (missions) or to protect themself (Pequot war; actions toward Narragansett and Eastern Niantic tribes in the 40s'and 50s'). I think, that this too much revisionst and sceptical approach is wrong. Historian should look at actions of his heroes" through the perspective of time they were living.
In spite of above said, I think this is still an important book (not only) on New England history in the 17th century.

Impassioned Revisionism.......2000-05-20

A brilliantly-written, well-researched and incredibly impassioned telling of the European conquest of North Eastern America. My only complaint would be that after around 300 pages, the author's anti-european/pro-indian sentiments become a little wearing.

It seems to be a standard orthodoxy these days that 'colonialism' was a bad thing, and that, possibly, European settlers didn't acquire the continent without a spot of realpolitic, but in the mid-70's, when this book was written, it probably opened a few eyebrows. The accounts of just how quickly the pilgrim fathers took to aggressive expansionism against local tribes certainly made *my* stiff upper lip twitch a little.

Jennings lays it out- you have to make yourself think........1997-09-04

Book offers analyses based on thorough interpretation of primary sources.
It is a seed book portraying the event of European conquest on the North American continent. The magnitude of the underlying falsehoods that American history is based upon are what the reader walks away with after digesting this work.
The list of sources contained in the work are worth the price of the book

Big Medicine from Six Nations (Iroquois and Their Neighbors)

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Ted gives us a beautiful gift of love, magic and laughter

Big Medicine from Six Nations (Iroquois and Their Neighbors)
Ted Williams
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Reservation (Illustrated by the Author)

ASIN: 0815608632

Book Description

Celebrated author Ted Williams' account of his lifelong engagement with traditional wisdom, spiritual knowledge, and his search for higher consciousness among the Six Nations of Iroquois.

Big Medicine from Six Nations is a series of reminiscences and essays by the late Ted Williams on the themes of "medicine" (physical/spiritual/psychic healing). Williams intertwines the lore and lifeways of his Tuscarora upbringing, illustrating the dynamic encounter of tradition and innovation at the heart of contemporary Haudenosaunee culture. At the same time, he writes with an irreverence, irony, and good humor unmistakably his own. Colored by his wry wit, Big Medicine from Six Nations amply fulfills the promise of its title. It offers a fascinating view not only of herbal medicine but also of prayers, omens, feasts, vision quests, sweat lodges, spirits, and the sacred teachings of the Great Law of the Great Peace. But readers will find that there is more to this book about the "spiritual mechanics" of humankind writ large.

Customer Reviews:

Ted gives us a beautiful gift of love, magic and laughter.......2007-06-23

This is a rare gift! Ted Williams shares with us the experience of Mystery, Spirit,and Medicine. Through his wisdom and real life stories, Ted gives us a powerful, funny, and magical perspective. Having had the great blessing to have known Ted, this book is a special treasure - reading it I can hear his voice honoring all creation as he recites prayers, his 'tricky' laugh as he tells amazing stories, his choking on tears as he recites his sweet 'love Ted' poems.

To Become a Human Being: The Message of Tadodaho Chief Leon Shenandoah

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Tadodaho Messenger
Required reading for every human being
To Become a Human Being: The Message of Tadodaho Chief Leon Shenandoah

To Become a Human Being: The Message of Tadodaho Chief Leon Shenandoah
Leon Shenandoah , and Steve Wall
Manufacturer: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1571743413

Customer Reviews:

Tadodaho Messenger.......2007-09-10

This book is a MUST read for everybody. It was very well written by Steve Wall, a retired National Geography editor who spent many years with Leon Shenandoah, Chief Tadodaho of Iroquois Nation. Leon Shenandoah, Chief Tadodaho is from Onondaga Tribe, which is known as the central firekeeper of Six Nation, that of Iroquois Confederacy. The book does not only shed some lights into Iroquois and Native America culture but more importantly it shed so much insight into life and what it means to be the ultimate human being that we all are. In 2006 I had a vision while I was asleep when a Native American gentleman appeared in front of me, saying nothing but appeared to know who I was. I did not know who he was or what he was trying to tell me until approximately one year later when I ran into this book, by mere accident. When I saw a picture of him in the book I broke down and felt the presence of a powerful spirit, realizing that it was the very same man that came to me in my vision. Since then I've become a Tadodaho Messenger, in which I've purchased numerous copies of the book and distributed them to seekers that I run paths with. The book contains powerful message and hope for all human beings. Chief Tadodaho teaches us to be the firekeepers that we all are so that we're able to instill small fires in each human beings and give them hope so that they'll begin to do good for other human beings. Thus, it created the birth of Firekeepers Association, also known as www.firekeepers.com. Read this book and you'll begin to understand many great things about life. You'll also learn about your own center and why it's important to build yourself and grow from the center.

Leon Tadodaho, Chief Tadodaho passed away some time in the 1990's and was largely unheard outside of Iroquois Nation. That's because he did not bother to gain celebrity status under the spot lights. Instead he spent all of his time working with his people and helping them. Make a trip to Iroquois Nations and ask anybody there about him and you will find them weeping in great pain because they all miss him miserably. Fortunately for us, Leon Shenandoah, Chief Tadodaho did not forget us. He spent many years preparing Steve Wall with important messages with hope to have a book published so that it'll benefit everybody when and if they're willing to take a brief pause in life long enough to read his important messages. The book was published after he died but yet his spirit continue to travel as he continue to work on things that are important to the Creator. Look no further than introduction "foreword page" and you will read "When I go, I'll not be wanting to leave. So I'll have some visiting to do. Look out! I may come to see you. You know what I told you, 'Pay attention. And listen. There really is no death'."

Required reading for every human being.......2005-08-29

This book needs to be required reading for every human being on this earth. Powerful. Profound. Deeply spiritual and life changing. What an amazing man. It's too bad our current political leaders are so arrogant, selfish and stubborn. They could learn a few lessons about true, honest, unselfish, genuine leadership from this man, his life and his lessons. There truly is strength in gentleness.

To Become a Human Being: The Message of Tadodaho Chief Leon Shenandoah.......2005-08-12

This is a wonderful message from the spiritual leader of the Iroquois people, recently deceased. A gentle man, whose simple words ring with power. Leon's message is that kindness is strength. Steve Wall's interviews with Chief Shenandoah are a treasure, gifted to a world sorely in need of his gentle humor, great wisdom, and humility.

To Die Game: The Story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction (Iroquois and Their Neighbors)

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The only professional work on Lumbee history

To Die Game: The Story of the Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction (Iroquois and Their Neighbors)
William McKee Evans
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0815603592

Customer Reviews:

The only professional work on Lumbee history.......2003-03-17

Evans is the only author ever to conduct historical research on the ancestors of the present-day Lumbee tribe at a professional level of ability and accomplishment. Other authors writing on the Lumbees have been either anthropologists (such as Sider and Blu) or else amateurs in either status and/or ability. Evans researched a plethora of primary sources, and his historical fact-finding will probably never be surpassed. Evans has written a competent and well-sourced narrative.

But there are serious flaws. By beginning the book with the murder of the Lowry relatives, Evans contextualizes the gang's story as a revenge tale. The book's organization thus obscures the fact that the Lowrys had already committed two murders themselves, prior to their enemies' murder of their father. Obviously there is more going on than a simple revenge motive. Evans fails to make clear that the Lowry gang episode is really about Radical political terrorism in opposition to the Conservative political terrorism of the KKK. While Evans does report elements of the Lowrys' political motivations (although he missed a number of sources that would have expanded this aspect), he emphasizes the revenge motivation. Ultimately, Evans has succumbed to and is reproducing stereotypes of "Indian" violence. Evans never acknowledges that there is little to no evidence that the Lowrys saw themselves as Indian warriors. In fact, the Lowry gang was a multiracial political coalition--not an outbreak of ethnic conflict.

Book Description

On the afternoon of December 30, 1903, during a sold-out matinee performance, a fire broke out in Chicago’s Iroquois Theatre. In the short span of twenty minutes, more than six hundred people, two thirds of whom were women and children, were asphyxiated, burned, or trampled to death in a panicked mob’s failed attempt to escape. A century after the fire—the deadliest in American history—Nat Brandt provides the only detailed chronicle of this horrific event to assess not only the titanic tragedy of the fire itself but also the municipal corruption and greed that kindled the flames beforehand and the political cover-ups hidden in the smoke and ash afterwards.

Advertised as “absolutely fireproof,” the Iroquois was Chicago’s most modern playhouse when it opened in the fall of 1903. With the approval of the city’s building department, theater developers Harry J. Powers and William J. Davis opened the theater prematurely to take full advantage of the holiday crowds, ignoring flagrant safety violations in the process. During the matinee on this particular Wednesday, all 1,724 seats were filled and an additional two hundred people were standing.

Midway through the second act, a spark from a defective light ignited a drop curtain and the blaze spread quickly to the scenery. Roof vents designed to handle smoke and heat were sealed off, and the fire curtain snagged before it could shield the audience from danger. A blast of gaseous fumes shot across the auditorium from an open stage door and asphyxiated hundreds of theatergoers almost instantly. Others were trampled or burned to death in the panic that ensued as they struggled to escape through locked exits, succeeding only in piling body upon body as the flames closed in.

For days afterward, Chicago mourned as relatives and friends searched hospitals for missing loved ones. The aftermath of the fire proved to be a study in the miscarriage of justice. Despite overwhelming evidence that the building was not complete, that fire safety laws were ignored, and that management had deliberately sealed off exits during the performance, no one was ever convicted or otherwise held accountable for the enormous loss of life.

Lavishly illustrated and featuring an introduction by Chicago historians Perry R. Duis and Cathlyn Schallhorn, Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903 is rich with vivid details about this horrific disaster, captivatingly presented in human terms without losing sight of the broader historical context.

Customer Reviews:

Iroquois Theatre Fire.......2006-03-14

I liked this book a bit better than "Tinder Box". Chicago Death Trap has 31 pages of photos, printed on the page, not photo plates. I felt this book gave a better description of the confusing seating arrangements and terms that were used in 1903. For example, in the illustration the term Gallery refers to two areas in the lobby, which don't see the stage at all and as far as I understand were not burnt, however in the story the term Gallery is used in reference to areas of the Balcony, which were above and straight ahead of the stage and which were burnt. I found the pace of this book to be exciting and the story interesting. I found it quite amazing that people stood on the burning stage and yet lived, and that others just sat in their seats and took no action. I can imagine how terrifying it must have been to try to escape from the balconies, especially after the power went out, given that there are many up and down staircases, dead ends and locked doors. As I look at the illustrations of the confusing multitude sets of staircases, I can imagine how this must have led to needless death. Even though this story is of a 1903 event, I find myself, in 2006, looking around more carefully at fire exits after having read The Chicago Death Trap.

Not simply for disaster/history buffs.......2005-05-24

The Oriental Theatre sits on the exact site of the Iroquois; you can see a show there, you can walk or drive through the small street (Couch Place, which is really an alleyway--and true to Chicago tradition, believed to be haunted) where patrons tried to escape the Iroquois fire--a little known tragedy of Chicago history that happened in 1903, eight years before the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in NYC. Brandt gives a full picture of Chicago at the turn of the 20th century: famous people and ordinary people; businessmen and showmen; generosity of spirit and miserliness. A reader can feel him or herself at the scene, watching Eddie Foy risk his life pleading for calm as the fire sparked backstage began to singe him, yet not knowing that smoke had already overwhelmed most of the victims. A page-turner that will make you scout your exits the next time you see a show or film--and make you understand the impact of this tragedy on building codes everywhere.

"There is much graft in firetraps"---Fireproof, Nov. 1903.......2005-03-15

In Chicago Death Trap, Nat Brandt presents a very human account of the fire that killed over 600 people in Chicago's newly-built Iroquois Theatre December 30, 1903. It remains the worst fire in United State's history (p. 86). Brandt's fast-moving 147-page account covers the rush to build the theatre for the holiday seasons, the play Mr. Bluebeard and its players that was showing that tragic afternoon as well as a brief look at the theatrical syndicate system, the horror that was unleashed during the December 30 matinee, the rescue efforts, the aftermath, the fate of the Iroquois building, and a brief chapter on memorials to the tragedy. Brandt, for the most part, is very thorough in his account, particularly the technical workings and structural makeup of the theatre and its equipment including a detailed description of how the light that caused the fire worked (p. 30). He also puts the event in context with other fires in Chicago's history, a fictitious story in a 1875 Chicago Tribune about a theatre fire, and concern the Mayor of Chicago had regarding fire safety in theatres just a month before (pp. 8-9, 101).

A lot of names are mentioned in this book, but not just those of famous people like the owners and architect of the theatre and Eddie Foy, the comedian who tried to calm the crowd during the early stages of the fire. Brandt also describes the many ordinary people who would be victims of the lack of safeguards in the new theatre. As is mentioned early in the book, the shopping district where the Iroquois resided was seen as a safe haven for women and children and, during the matinee presentation, most of the audience comprised of women and children (over 400 of the 600 deaths were female). Sometimes it is difficult to keep track of all of the names, but the point being made of how horrible the tragedy was (bodies stacked ten feet high in front of locked exit doors) is clear no matter the names. Thirteen pages of photos of fire victims taken from a 1904 book seemed a bit superfluous and only interesting to those related to a victim. The first section of photos and illustrations showing the theatre's design and how it looked just following the disaster are more useful.

Although this book presents a very human account of the event, the most interesting aspect of the story, to me, were the scores of fire safety violations found at the Iroquois. "Sacrificing safety for beauty," exit doors were camouflaged by heavy drapes, buckets of water were not set near the stage, temporary exit signs were not up while the permanent signs were still being made, doors had confusing European style bolts that not even the staff knew how to work, and so on. The sky vents which would have caused the noxious fumes to lift out of the theatre were still bound and thus not operational. Witness saw the bindings to these vents being pulled after the fire (p. 117). Brandt should have explained the importance of the asbestos curtain better as "asbestos" is such an ugly word today. Asbestos was used for its fire proof properties and, only a few decades ago, projection booths in movie houses had an asbestos covering so that, if the highly flammable type film that was used at the time caught fire, only the projection booth would burn.

The Iroquois story proves very maddening as, though fire regulations changed in Chicago and throughout the nation because of the event, none of the people involved in the building of the play house and in its being cleared to open were punished. Aside from the initial shock, people like co-owners William Davis and Harry Powers and architect Benjamin Marshall were satisfied with the theatre's structure (it still stood) and, in the beginning, even blamed the victim's state of panic as the cause of so many lost lives (p. 97). Marshall went on to have a successful career and the Iroquois was not even mentioned in his obituary. What is even more disappointing is that so many memorials to the tragedy have been lost. Luckily, Brandt's book as well as several others are available so readers can learn about what happened on the current site of the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre.

Remember the Victims of This Tragedy.......2005-02-27

Remember the victims of this tragedy the next time you're in a public building and see an outward-opening exit door marked by a lighted sign. It took a tragedy of this scope to make these fire codes require these simple but incredibly important safety measures. I have a copy of the 1924 National Electrical Code, and several of its provisions can be directly attributed to the Iroquois fire.

This book is largely a more-coherent retelling of the information that was published shortly after the tragedy in a now extremely-rare book titled Chicago's Awful Theatre Horror. A great deal of inaccurate/incomplete information about this incident has been published; for example one book I own states that people found fire escapes to be uncompleted once they finally made it through the exit doors. A photograph of the alley behind the theater shows all fire escapes complete all the way to the ground. Fire from open doors farther down is actually what made some fire escapes unusable.

The infuriating thing about this story is that those responsible for the tragedy went completely unpunished. The theater's architect in particular was especially unrepentant.

Contrasting with their reprehensible actions were those of bystanders, police officers, firemen, newspaper reporters, neighbors, doctors, nurses, and medical students who all responded the moment they heard of the disaster. Many of them must have suffered longterm psychological effects of their experiences, but such conditions weren't even recognized, let alone treated in the early 1900's.

Chicago Death Trap.......2004-08-03

I have been a loyal fan of Nat Brandt for many years. I am fascinated by his ability to find little-known historical events and bring them to life with style and urgency. I was particularly drawn to this book because I love Chicago and I love the theater. The book unwinds like a novel -- the hope, the horror, the dirty dealing -- the utterly human story. What a good read.

Average customer rating:

A wonderful saga
Coming of Age in the Garden of Eden
Cooper Knew America
Holds Your Interest!
Pretty good novel, if you

The Deerslayer (Bantam Classics)
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Bantam Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553210858
Release Date: 1991-01-01

Book Description

The deadly crack of a long rifle and the piercing cries of Indians on the warpath shatter the serenity of beautiful lake Glimmerglass. Danger has invaded the vast forests of upper New York State as Deerslayer and his loyal Mohican friend Chingachgook attempt the daring rescue of an Indian maiden imprisoned in a Huron camp. Soon they are caught in the crossfire between a cunning enemy and two white bounty hunters who mercilessly kill for profit. The last of the Leatherstocking tales to be written, though first in the chronology of the hero's life, The Deerslayer is James Fenimore Cooper's masterpiece. A fine combination of romance, adventure, and morality; this classic novel of the frontier is an eloquent beginning for Cooper's great wilderness saga--and an unforgettable introduction to the famous character who has said to embody the conscience of America: the noble woodsman Deerslayer.

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The deadly crack of a long rifle and the piercing cries of Indians on the warpath shatter the serenity of beautiful lake Glimmerglass. Danger has invaded the vast forests of upper New York State as Deerslayer and his loyal Mohican friend Chingachgook attempt the daring rescue of an Indian maiden imprisoned in a Huron camp. Soon they are caught in the crossfire between a cunning enemy and two white bounty hunters who mercilessly kill for profit. The last of the Leatherstocking tales to be written, though first in the chronology of the hero's life, "The Deerslayer" is James Fenimore Cooper's masterpiece. A fine combination of romance, adventure, and morality; this classic novel of the frontier is an eloquent beginning for Cooper's great wilderness saga--and an unforgettable introduction to the famous character who has said to embody the conscience of America: the noble woodsman Deerslayer.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful saga.......2007-09-13

Kent Rasmussen's editorial review is best left to the literists who cannot publish or write themselves. This was a wonderful tale full of adventure and is highly recommended to be read with the complete 5-book set of the Leatherstocking Tales. Enjoy.

Coming of Age in the Garden of Eden.......2007-08-07

James Fenimore Cooper wrote his Leatherstocking tales out of chronological order. The Deerslayer or The First Warpath was the last of the Natty Bumppo novels and because Cooper had matured both in age and artistic ability it is perhaps the best.

From the beginning we know this is a darker novel than the preceding tales. In the first few pages Deerslayer's companion, Hurry Harry, asks the young man, "...Did you ever hit any thing human, or intelligible: did you ever pull trigger on an inimy that was capable of pulling one upon you?"

Bumppo's answer is, of course, no. He is at the beginning of his career. He is known as Deerslayer by the Delawares because that's what he does. He has yet to take a human life. As soon as we read this we know this novel, above all else, is a coming-of-age story and someone's life is ticking away....

In the interim Deerslayer meets Tom Hutter and his two daughters, the dark-haired Judith and the feeble-minded Hetty. The family lives on a castle-on-piers in the middle of Lake Glimmerglass, a secluded spot akin to the Garden of Eden -- the perfect setting for a coming-of-age story. Except things are not what they seem. This area is actually more of a haunt of savagery, with not a little of it supplied by both Hurry Harry and Tom Hutter against the local Native American tribe, the Hurons.

Judith Hutter, however, is the engine that drives this story. She's a woman with questionable morals, and though she's somewhat older than Deerslayer she falls in love with his open honesty and his natural way of looking at the world. In a telling exchange she asks him if he has a sweetheart. He answers:

"She's in the forest, Judith--hanging from the boughs of the trees, in a soft rain--in the dew on the open grass--the clouds that float about in the blue heavens--the birds that sing in the woods--the sweet springs where I slake my thirst...."

Judith perseveres. Has he never heard the laugh of a girl he loves? Deerslayer remains true to form:

"...To me there's no music so sweet as the sighing of the wind in the treetops, and the rippling of a stream from a full, sparkling, natyve fountain of fresh water, unless...it be the open mouth of a sartain hound, when I'm on the track of a fat buck."

In the pages that follow Deerslayer kills a man, a Native American attempting to take his life by deceit. He earns the reputation as "Hawkeye" for his deft shooting and helps Chingachgook secure the safety of his future wife, Hist. (She will be mother to the Last of the Mohicans, Uncas.) Further violence and treachery abound as Deerslayer is captured by the Hurons and tortured. Tom Hutter dies in an extremely gruesome manner and there's the mystery of Judith's past --even down to her parentage-- to be solved. But her love for Deerslayer is true and in the end she gives him her father's gun, a weapon of exquisite manufacture and excellent bore, which he will make famous--the long rifle, Killdeer.

In the end Deerslayer leaves Judith after yet more tragedy ensues. The novel ends fifteen years later with Hawkeye returning with Chingachgook and a stripling Uncas to Lake Glimmerglass. Everything has changed. The castle is abandoned and in disrepair, and the graves can no longer be found. Hawkeye tries to find out what happened to Judith, and we are awarded a glimpse of her fate, but no more.

As I said earlier this is a fairly dark book in the Leatherstocking Tales, but well-written. It's a good story and the characters really do come to life. There are the usual elements of humor and long-winded conversations but they don't detract too much from the overall enjoyment of this tale. Cooper also doesn't hold back in showing that violence, both necessary and ignoble, can come from anyone for any reason...at anytime.

This is one great book and I highly recommend it.

Cooper Knew America.......2006-07-20

Race relations, environmental concerns, independent womanhood, the importance of personal character, survivalism, heroism, religion, cultural relativism, nature v. nurture, independence v. inter-dependency--sound like the latest hot topics in American TV, movies, and magazines? Actually, these constitute the bevy of themes that James Fenimore Cooper explored as foundational to the American experience when he wrote *Deerslayer* in 1841, setting it even farther back at the time of the French and Indian War, 1754-63. Some readers, not surprisingly, are put off by the ornate writing style of the early nineteenth century, but it doesn't hurt us post-moderns to turn off the TV and take a slower pace, interacting slowly with the writer and his thoughts. In Natty Bumppo, we find the first--and definitive--delineation of the American hero: selfless, dependable, restrained, tolerant, cagey, and moral. A generation raised on anti-heroes sometimes has a bit of a problem with the morality of Bumppo, but since 9/11, we have seen a revival of the American ideal that Cooper first defined in his Leatherstocking Tales. Don't give up on this one because of the language. Sit a bit and mull it over. You'll find Cooper will deliver remarkably well.

Holds Your Interest!.......2006-06-12

"The Deerslayer" is the sequentially first in the Leatherstocking series of America's first, great, professional novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. I read it in preparation for a trip to Cooperstown, New York and I am glad that I did. Set in upstate New York in the 1740s, it provides the reader with an idolized introduction to the society of white and red of this colonial frontier.

The criticisms that the dialogue and actions are totally unbelievable, while justified, do not detract from the story. While the simple, faith-filled actions of the "Feeble Minded Hetty" and the dialogue between Deerslayer and Chingachgook seem highly improbable, the do hold the readers' interest. While I am generally not one to pick up readily on character development, this novel is an exception. The contrast between Deerslayer and Chingachgook, the romance between Chingachgook and Wah-ta-Wah, the romantic web among Judith, Hurry Harry and Deerslayer, and the varying responses to changes in circumstance coming from sisters Judith and Hetty all contribute to the persistent popularity of this work.

Despite all the criticisms directed against Cooper as to form, the one thing that cannot be denied is that this book is very difficult to put down. I found myself always wondering what would come next and what would happen to the characters whom I had come to know. Whether you are looking for an insight into early American literature or just a good story, your search should lead to "The Deerslayer".

Pretty good novel, if you.......2005-08-01

Can get past all the verbage. I found myself skipping sentences or paragraphs because of the way the auther keeps going on and on about the same thing without a puase or even carrying through with the same thought in the same sentence (kind of like I'm doing now!).
I really enjoyed the scenery images he paints, and the simple way of life portrayed. I also like the values the author held dear.
The first few chapters and the anti-climax were horrible. I didn';t think I was going to finish the book because of the non-sensical talking that occur in the first few chapters. And the book ended in such a goofy non-realistic morose way, that I wish I had stopped reading a few chapters before the end and imagined the ending happen the way I would have liked it to.
So I was dragging through the beginning, loving the middle, and depressed when I finished. Very odd sensation to read a book and get those kinds of feelings...

If You Lived With The Iroquois (If You.)

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If You Lived with the Iroquois
revisionist distortions
If You Lived With The Iroquois

If You Lived With The Iroquois (If You.)
Ellen Levine
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0590674455

Book Description

Detailed, four-color paintings and a question-and-answer text bring to life the traditional life, customs, and everyday world of the Iroquois - one of the most powerful and influential of the Indian nations.

Customer Reviews:

If You Lived with the Iroquois.......2006-02-23

This is a great book for middle school aged children. I used it to study the Iroquois in my social studies classes. It is very informative without overwhelming younger children with too much information. The book was fun to read, and held the interest of my students. Also, I made my own worksheets/tests by dividing the book into different sections. The students all enjoyed this unit on the Iroquois and learned a great deal about the Native Americans.

revisionist distortions.......2006-01-17

I am fascinated by the cultures of the Iroquois, the Algonquins, and the other nations of New York State. Therefore, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that any well-read adult will note the many historical inaccuracies in this book. It paints a too-rosy picture of Iroquois life; indeed, they seem like the perfect people with a civilization far outstripping ours in their peacable ways. There are subtly misleading statements regarding religious toleration, women in government, and many other politicaly correct topics. And there was no mention of the continual wars waged by the Iroquois league upon all of the neighboring tribes - a huge omission.

I will point out only one particular error: on page 70, the book states: "There was no such thing as slavery." Unfortunately, the Iroquois were just as human as Europeans and the rest of mankind, and were well known middlemen in the slave trade between their eastern and western neighbors.

I have a great respect for the Iroquois and the other peoples that lived here before us. I don't think we are treating them respectfully by whitewashing their very humanity. Nor do I think we are treating our children respectfully by omitting certain unpleasant facts and prettying up others.

I gave this book more than one star because it did contain some useful information about food, clothing, and ceremonies.

If You Lived With The Iroquois.......2000-09-22

Ellen Levine and illustrator Shelly Hehenberger have created a delightful book that takes the young reader into a historical look at life as an Iroquois Indian. The eighty page book is divided into subtitles which concisely tell the story of daily living for the early Iroquois people. As the book is written in second person, the reader is drawn into the story and feels as if he or she is experiencing tribal life. The soft muted colors of the illustrations give the book a feeling of serenity while the writing covers an extraordinary amount of information for young readers.

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