1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent book about Native American civilization before Columbus landed. I learned a great deal and I highly recommend this to anyone that is interested in American History.
I learned how developed and integrated the native Americans were. They had a sophisticated trade system, democratic societies, and populations in the tens of millions. There are numerous references to the density of villages and to how a boat cruised up the coast, seeing village after village. Unfortunately, they were all wiped out by the diseases carried by the crewmen.
Native Americans also practiced sophisticated animal and crop husbandry, managing forests to increase fruit and game yields.
1491 Review Summary:
The book did an excellent job of providing the history and facts. I enjoyed reading it.
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Ray is a prolific author who enjoys science fiction. He believes that genre is fertile ground for understanding ourselves and where we’re going. He has written a mix of Sci-Fi stories but tends to focus on narratives featuring strong female characters, computers, post-apocalyptic themes, and strong morals, loyalties, and drama.
Share his Sci-Fi enthusiasm as part of his reader’s club.
Ray was a Senior Pilot in the US Air Force and traveled to 27 countries worldwide. His C-130 assignments ranged from landing in a farm field in Paraguay to entering East Berlin and experiencing Russian controllers giving him false headings.
Ray’s other assignment was as a T-38 instructor pilot. “The T-38 is the best plane in the world; two pilots, two engines, and two afterburners.” Two of his remarkable experiences included training the first class of female pilots and receiving an Air Commendation Medal for saving a T-38 that blew an engine during a touch-and-go, thereby saving himself and the student pilot on board.
After his Air Force career, Ray went on to enjoy a long and exciting career with Northrop Grumman. During the 28 years at Northrop, some of the highlights included work as the Lead Wind Tunnel test engineer on the F-20, F-23, F-18, and B-2. His career progressed to be the Deputy Manager of Engineering for the Tri-Service Stand-Off Attack Missile (TSSM). Later, he was responsible for all the computers at Ryan Aeronautical and then for all the computers on the B-2 Bomber program.
Since Ray’s Air Force and Engineer careers, He is now retired and busier than every. Ray is proud to have written 25 eBook "Buy from Amazon"s that are published on Amazon and many other sites. Also, he has 25 Audiobooks available through Audible, and proud to say that he has narrated most of his own work and found a ton of enjoyment in narration. He admits that it brings out the ham in him and he finds enjoyment using his voice to bring the tension and excitement to the the listener.
Since Ray has retired, he is proud to have published 25 eBook "Buy from Amazon"s on Amazon and 25 Audiobooks on Audible.
Ray hopes you enjoy his work, and he looks forward to sharing many new and exciting stories with you.
Benefits of Joining My Reader’s Club
- Three free novels
- “Virus-72 Hours to Live” – First Book in the 7-Book Series “Virus/Earth II.” Winner of the 2016 Medallion from the Apple Literary Award for best Sci-Fi of the summer.
- “Progeny” – A female computer who is one of the computer society’s top scientists discovers the DNA of their creator.
- “Fermi’s Pair of Socks” – Six teenagers are kidnapped and taken on a journey of time and space.
- Frequent Discounts
- Free Audiobook "Buy from Amazon" coupons
- Ability to contribute to book covers
- Ability to comment on stories before release
