Summary (Amazon):
In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.
(Wikipedia)
Reviews:
New York Times: '1491' Vanished Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/books/review/1491-vanished-americans.html
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-c-mann/1491/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/04/1493-americas-charles-mann-review
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/04/AR2005080401609.html
Interviews:
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2005/08/21/4805434/1491-explores-the-americas-before-columbus
HCTV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhncJH4UFQI
Author's Website: http://www.charlesmann.org/
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2002/03/1491/302445/
Series on Vimeo based on the book: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/1491channel;
Free overview: https://vimeo.com/246849321
Penguin Random House's Reading Guide (2nd Edition):
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/107178/1491-second-edition-by-charles-c-mann/9781400032051/readers-guide/
Discussion Questions: (John will be leading the discussion with his following questions)
1. What are some of the most important misconceptions about
the Americas before Europeans? How did these misconceptions come about?
2. Describe the author’s depiction of the new world and how it
was developed by its original inhabitants?
3. What were some of the accomplishments of Native Americans
that equal or surpassed those of Europeans?
4. What were some of the most memorable, and catastrophic,
initial encounters between Europeans and Native Americans, and what were common
factors between them? Could we become vulnerable like the Native Americans in
our global society today? Could the
tragic outcomes been avoided?
5. How has our understanding of the history of Native
Americans and how they settled these continents changed during our lifetimes?
6. Infectious diseases perhaps played the most important
role in the devastation of Native American populations. What were some of these
diseases and their effects? What would have happened if Native Americans had
also harbored infectious diseases unknown to Europeans?
7. An important goal
for modern environmentalists is to preserve and restore the Amazonian
forests. How does this impact the native
peoples of this region? Could this also
be seen as a modern version of foreigners imposing their wills upon indigenous
peoples?
8. Do you think the world is a better place for what
happened?
(Patheos.com)
