- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Canada (July 15 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0143015001
- ISBN-13: 978-0143015000
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #84,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
History is written by the winners, and so the “discovery” of the “New World” in 1492 has long been hailed as one of history's most thrilling moments. But the inhabitants of the Americas saw this event and its consequences quite differently. Their ancestors had settled the New World thousands of years before. They had built great civilizations—some of them democracies, some of them aggressive empires—with cities as large as any then on earth.
When Columbus arrived, the Americas held about 100 million people, a fifth of the human race. Within decades, most of them were dead—victims of imported epidemics and barbarous assaults. The European invaders sacked mighty cities, destroyed great art, plundered fabulous wealth and seized the land for themselves.
But the New World's peoples did not perish entirely, and neither did their view of history, though it has been suppressed for centuries. In Stolen Continents, Ronald Wright quotes the authentic speech and writing of five indigenous peoples—Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois—over a span of 500 years. We relive their strange, tragic experiences through their eloquent words and see the European invaders through their shrewd, unblinking eyes. Weaving together their contemporary accounts with his own compelling historical narrative, Wright has assembled a powerful and disturbing account of what he terms “a holocaust that began five centuries ago.”
This tenth anniversary edition includes a new afterword by the author.
About the Author
Ronald Wright is the internationally acclaimed, bestselling author of several non-fiction books, including A Short History of Progress, Stolen Continents (which won the Gordon Montador Award), and Cut Stones and Crossroads. He is also the author of the novels Henderson's Spear and A Scientific Romance, the latter of which won Britain's David Higham Prize for Fiction. He was born in England, educated at Cambridge, and now lives in British Columbia.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The record is plain to be seen,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Stolen Continents 10th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)
This historical account of how the Eurpean whiteman systematically went about subduing and destroying aboriginal cultures across the Americas over the last few centuries is both despicable and instructive. In the first case, Wright does a commendable job in presenting the horrors associated with the Spaniards' conquest of the Aztecs, the Mayas and the Incas, followed by an equally sordid description of the reprehensible villany of the United States and Britain in depriving the North American Indians of their lands. The second valuable feature of the book deals with the difficult question of what do natives now do with this information. Starting with improved demographics, the modern recovery phase of aboriginal cultures are going through to overcome the political marginalization, economic loss and social stigma suffered by former generations is well under way. While one might not always agree with the actions some native groups are taking to reaffirm their identity - such as participating in inflamatory acts of civil disobedience while still desperately clinging to the token privileges of the reserve system - this book, at least, provides an accurate explanation for why they are happening. As Wright points out in his conclusion, the challenge facing aboriginal peoples today is to make sense of the past in terms of being able to move forward into the future. A great read!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read throughout,
By Craven Moorehead "Codez" (the North) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stolen Continents 10th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)
As an aboriginal person, this book spoke volumes to me about what the original inhabitants of the Americas and their respective societies have been through.Up until reading this book, the only things I knew about the aboriginal history of the Americas was what I was force-fed by the sub-standard Canadian school system & popular culture. I encourage everyone to read this book, especially if you are of aboriginal ancestry and are curious about the civilizations which existed long before Europeans came and "civilized" us. Some accounts from clergy members on the treatment of the South American nations are absolutely chilling, and the systematic eradication of entire civilizations & their historical records really puts things into perspective. I recommend this book to everyone who has even a remote interest in what humans are capable of doing to others who they feel are inferior to them, a truly great book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough and well researched,
By
This review is from: Stolen Continents 10th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)
This book is an excellent survey of the plight of the Aboriginal people of the Americas. It is an engaging read, well researched and a must-own for anyone interested in human rights.
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