Heritage Studies Book 4

**Audiobook Version**

I listened to Laurence Bergreen's publication in my car as I drove to and from work every day. This was my first time ever listening to an audiobook, and I realize now that writing a review for one is a bit difficult since I couldn't take notes while driving! I will do my best to remember what I listened to.

I was reading The Conquest of Paradise by Kirkpatrick Sale alongside Bergreen's book so I could whet my appetite of Columbus history. The two books are drastically different. I believe Sale took a more scholarly approach; he warns the reader several times that because of possible exaggeration or lies from the sources used, especially the ones from Columbus, his son, and De las Casas, that we must stay skeptical.

Bergreen took the entertainment route and seemed to embellish and adorn many of the accounts from Columbus' journal and states every word written as fact. I quickly realized that The Four Voyages read like an action-adventure novel. I don't recall him ever stating that some of the stories being told from the sailors or the others that were on the voyages might contain aggrandizement.

However, I did enjoy the fact that Bergreen delves a lot deeper into the details of the Four Voyages than Sale does. He dives into Columbus' journal about his travels to the islands, and also reads parts where Columbus did some anthropological studies on the Taino Indians, commenting on their dances, their diets, how they looked like, and details on their ceremonies. He spoke briefly about the instruments used by the natives, which I thought was pretty cool.

If this is your first book on Columbus and the infamous voyages, I would caution the reader to be skeptical and take a critical approach to the subject matter. We must remember that these events took place 500 years ago, and many of the original documents barely survived. If I recall, De Las Casas used a COPY of Columbus' journal to write his accounts of the voyages. The original was lost to history. Another source commonly used is the accounts written by Christopher's son Bartolomeo, and that was written many years AFTER Christopher's death, not to mention that he tried his best paint his father in a favorable light.

I think I'm going to try to read the physical copy at some point. The narrator for the audiobook enjoyed garnishing and decorating some of the passages, which I didn't particularly enjoy. Overall, I liked the book and recommend giving it a read if you are interested on the subject! ( )

Columbus the Four Voyages is an incredibly intriguing book and presents information to the reader that is often neglected in a typical history class. Laurence Bergreen does an amazing job at explaining all four of Columbus's voyages to the new world (thought to be India) as well as the steps it took for him to get there. By presenting information directly from Columbus's journal, as well as from his supporters and rivals, Bergreen gives an unbiased account of the European experience in a new and hostile world. I strongly recommend reading this book to anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of Columbus and European exploration. ( )

Excellent account of Columbus's adventures. His explorations were much more interesting than anything you may have learned in school. ( )

Sadly, I cannot recommend this book to others. While it does have it's good points, there is a lack of editing that leaves the narrative at times rather mashed up. For example, a paragraph ends with Columbus heading toward Jamaica from the Cuba coast. In the next two paragraphs the narrative continues with Columbus cruising along the Cuban coast, then in the next paragraph Columbus is arriving in Jamaica. If this was just an isolated instance this would be acceptable, but it happens too often. It just makes the book a chore to read. ( )

Just about everyone knows something about Columbus and his discovery of the Americans while trying to find a route to China and then thought he'd found India. This was only the beginning because he traveled three more times. This new biography explores the routes and the consequences on humans, cultures, and ecosystems. I really suggest this book if you are interested in history. ( )