The pirate tactics of the 17th century would be considered terrorism today, but that didn’t prevent governments of the time from hiring Henry Morgan (1635—1688) and his ilk to pillage on their behalf; Morgan received a royal commission, at age 33, to learn whether Spain really intended to invade Jamaica and was ultimately rewarded with a knighthood. As usual, Marrin (Empires Lost and Won, 1997, etc.) writes vividly, lacing the high-seas excitement with lucid, exacting descriptions of the economic and political factors of the era, as well as likely—and dreadful, involving vermin, disease, starvation—conditions aboard ships. Most surprising is the depiction of Morgan’s civic role, as governor of Port Royal, Jamaica (1680—1682), which benefitted not only from the buccaneer’s ill-gotten gold, but a thriving slave market as well. (index, not seen, b&w illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography) (Biography. 11-15)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-525-45942-1
Page Count: 236
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1998
Few topics are more intrinsically interesting to young readers than disasters. Guiberson casts her net wide to examine ten natural and man-made disasters chronologically from smallpox in colonial America to Hurricane Katrina. The 20-page chapters, broken into subsections, describe the events with quotations from contemporary accounts and plenty of grim details. Photographs, drawings and diagrams, all usefully captioned, extend the lively text. The author analyzes causes of the disasters and factors that exacerbated them, such as building on landfill in 1906 San Francisco. In most chapters, she explores steps that could prevent or reduce future catastrophes, although only a brief introduction ties the chapters together. A Notes section highlights major sources for each chapter, without specific references, followed by an extensive bibliography but no further reading suggestions as such. Good for pleasure reading and as a starting point for research. (index, not seen) (Nonfiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8170-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The author of Alexander the Great Rocks the World (2006) offers a lively, informative and aggressively informal portrait of Egypt’s last and most famous pharaoh. Shecter effectively makes the case that Cleopatra was a far more capable and powerful ruler than she has been depicted in art, film and literature. Ascending to the throne at 17, Cleopatra proved herself a brilliant negotiator who used her considerable intelligence and charisma to forge alliances that kept her in power and in control of her kingdom. Describing Julius Caesar as a “dude [with] a reputation for being a player” and calling Marc Antony a “Roman redneck” are examples of Shecter’s relentlessly flippant style, which seems more appropriate for a gossip magazine than a biography. Young readers are likely, however, to appreciate the irreverent approach and goofy puns. Attractively designed, the book is abundantly illustrated throughout with color representations of art works, maps and photographs of artifacts. (source notes, chronology, glossary, bibliography, index) (Biography. 11-15)
Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-718-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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