Pikkukuvaa napsauttamalla pääset Google Booksiin.
Ladataan... A sweet and alien land : the story of Dutch New YorkTekijä: Henri Van der Zee, Barbara Van der Zee (Joint Author.)
- Ladataan...
Kirjaudu LibraryThingiin nähdäksesi, pidätkö tästä kirjasta vai et. Ei tämänhetkisiä Keskustelu-viestiketjuja tästä kirjasta. ei arvosteluja | lisää arvostelu
Kirjastojen kuvailuja ei löytynyt. |
Current Discussions-
Google Books — Ladataan... LajityypitMelvil Decimal System (DDC)974.7History and Geography North America Northeastern U.S. New YorkKongressin kirjaston luokitusArvio (tähdet)Keskiarvo:
Oletko sinä tämä henkilö? |
It never fails to amaze me that people are not curious about the beginnings of a major city in the world; I confess I am also interested in the beginnings of Paris, Rome, London and many other cities. It never fails to baffle me as to how residents living within a few miles of these great historical events know so little about them. Even today, 400 years later, the entire world still uses the Dutch financial system (stock market and currency) put in place on the tip of this tiny island outpost. Many Americans still believe that the Mayflower came and then suddenly there were thousands of English people who appeared out of nowhere and started a revolution. OK, so they are missing 150 years of American history - maybe I should take issue with our educational system more than individuals. I always say the American Revolution is actually closer to the MIDPOINT so far of our American history. But back to the book:
Henri Van Der Zee (who unfortuanately died just this past year) demonstrates why he deserved the award given to him in recognition of his journalistic career. He has pieced together the records and correspondence that illuminates and shows the progression to the inevitable outcome, chronicling the changes in the populations living in the vicinity of New Amsterdam (present day New York City) and the individuals and their personal changes. History is almost always written by the victors and this unique point of view, from the Dutch records with collaboration from his British wife, the two parties involved in this chapter of history, explodes old myths by showing us the actual correspondence, not hand-feeding us opinion and asking us to accept it because it appears in print. Americans have always been told that Peter Stuyvesant was so hated by his fellow New Netherlanders that the British forces were able to come in and just take the colony without a fight. I found the last few chapters hugely enlightening, proving that Stuyvesant loved the land, was learning to be a good leader, and wanted to put up a fight, that he was decieved by those he trusted as allies and let down again and again, left to dangle in the wind, by the Company in the Netherlands that he had to depend upon for survival. The loss of New Amsterdam in fact started as a legal barrage of claims and escalated to brandishing arms; this was a fact I did not know before I read this book. I found a couple of factual errors that are not worth mentioning because they are not critical to the story. They are mostly details that only American historians would note anyway. This does not in any way detract from the value of this amazing book, interesting to read, invaluable to historians and history lovers alike. It is a study in bad management and mismanagement. Business students will find too many eerie similarities to current business models. Foreign diplomats as well will find gems in there as to how not to deal with crises dealing with Native populations and local government. It is a chronicle of the fall of a civilization as well as a "whodunnit?". The story is very interesting and very good reading. Luckily the Van Der Zees have someone left to continue the family tradition: A beautiful obituary was written for her father by their daughter, Bibi van der Zee, in The Guardian. Give this serial of not-so-current events by a terrific pair of journalists a try . It kept me reading until the end. ( )