What gave Christopher Columbus the confidence in 1492 to set out across the Atlantic Ocean? Fish on Friday tells the story of the discovery of America as a product of the long sweep of history: the spread of Christianity and the radical cultural changes it brought to Europe; the interaction of economic necessity with a changing climate; and generations of unknown fishermen who explored the North Atlantic in the centuries before Columbus. A fascinating and multifaceted book; Fish on Friday will intrigue everyone who wonders how the vast forces of climate; culture; and technology conspire to create the history we know.
#231268 in Books 2007-05-08 2007-05-08Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.79 x 6.10l; 2.16 #File Name: 0465002536800 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Worth ReadingBy Kindle CustomerI am impressed by this author and how well he wrote this book. For the most part; he stuck to facts that he could document and pointed out facts that were surmised because of a lack of direct documentation while explaining why he surmised his conclusion. I found that very refreshing. So many authors jump to conclusions and become adamant that they are absolutely right. This author stated his conclusion; gave his explanation for the conclusion; but also quoted his research documents and then let the reader draw his/her own conclusions. I can tell that he was very thorough with his research and tried very hard to refrain from giving a biased opinion. I enjoyed reading this book and suggest that others take the time to read it; especially those who may have watched Schindler's List. There is a lot of good background information regarding Germany and World War II as well as the Schindlers.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Very goodBy Andrew KaneA very good book. Little hard to understand because Some of the words are written in German for street names and military positions. Just stick with it it gets better. very interesting and you'll learn a lot.14 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Absolutely Incredible - Unable to Put it DownBy AnneI must admit I entered into reading this book with a healthy skepticism about the most intimate detail's of Oskar's life. However; Mr. Crowe has managed to capture the essence of Schindler true sense; making certain to convey him as the real life man he was with his own demons and faults and careful not to portray him as a saint. Here was a man that history remembers as one of the most extraordinary and exemplary figures of the 20th century for saving over 1;100 Jews from certain death during World War II in Nazi Germany. For those who aren't familiar with Oskar's story the basics are that he's a German businessman; a member of the Nazi party who sets out to make his fortune in Krakow; Poland using the plentiful supply of slave Jewish labor. Gradually over the five year period he maintained his business in Krakow he began to understand the magnitude of what the Nazis termed "special treatment" of the Jews - death. The Nazis had initially placed all Jews into ghettos making it easier for them to collect and transport in cattle cars to concentration and extermination camps where they were either instantly gassed or killed through hard manual labor; disease or starvation. Oskar didn't start out with a moral compass of protecting the Jews who worked for him but as his business continued to prosper and he formed relationships with his workers he softened and felt he had to protect his workers. That is only a brief history of what Schindler is known for but Crowe goes out of his way to make you understand how Schindler got to be in Krakow; how he massed his fortune; his relationship with key Nazi party leaders and ultimately the famous list of Jews that were saved as a result of his protection of his workers. In 1993 American filmmaker Steven Spielberg made a movie called "Schindler's List" based on a novel written by Thomas Kennelly regarding Oskar's heroic; dangerous and humanitarian efforts during the most dangerous period in history. The film was an excellent picture but it fails to truly capture the real bits of the story that I feel after reading Mr. Crowe's book would have made the film even more incredible. The movie may be a masterpiece; but there is no doubt that the actual events in this book if they were portrayed in the movie would be far more intriguing. I applaud the meticulous research efforts of Mr. Crowe and highly recommend this book.
