1491 Book Review 1491 - New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

1491 book review 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

By: Charles C. Mann

About the Author:

Charles C. Mann is an American journalist and author who along with being a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, has also received many writing awards from organizations such as the American Bar Association, the American Institute of Physics, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Lannan Foundation. He is also the author of the national bestseller 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, which won the National Academies Communication Award for "Best Book of the Year." Mann's purpose for writing this book is to educate and inform people about the real situation of people before and after Columbus.

For many years, schools have taught us that the Indians were small, uncivilized groups that had little effect on the world before Columbus. Due to unexpected discoveries and evidence that say otherwise, many scholars now question and argue about their time in the Americas before Columbus. In 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Mann uses the latest research, along with his own results from his travels, to provide eye-opening information on the Indians and what they were really like before the Europeans. We learn that they were more culturally advanced and had more of an influence on our world than what is thought.

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus is a non-fiction book written by author Charles C. Mann that speaks about the pre-Columbian Americas. Mann provides evidence that shows that the human population was higher, they were more evolved and advanced, and their effect on the land was greater than what most people believed. Mann also spoke of the many tribes before the Europeans and the cultures that were demolished. When the Columbus came, he brought over many diseases that the Indians had never been exposed to. Over 90% of the people in the Americas died within 130 years, causing villages to become depopulated and cultures to die with them.

1491 is filled with scholars debating and disagreeing on certain topics. I agree with most of what Mann says, because along with his opinion he also provides facts. Mann said “It is always easy for those living in the present to feel superior to those who lived in the past.” (p. 16). I slightly disagree with this statement due to the fact that he said always. There were many people in the past who made great discoveries today and did amazing things. It would be hard for me to feel superior to those who shaped our world today. Mann also raises the possibility of us trying methods used by the Indians to preserve and control the land. He gives information on methods such as the slash and burn methods, but he leaves out what may happen to our environment