Bazaars and Fair Ladies: The History of the American Fundraising Fair Book

What I like the most about the books of Isabella L. Bird is the candor and the honesty in which she describes pretty much everything around her. I don't know whether she really meant her memoirs to be read only by some people she was requested to write by, or whether this was just some kind of "publishing escamotage". Anyway, she narrates in accordance to her cultural (British, educated) and religious (Anglican, I think) views, and doesn't give a second thought about saying that someone she encountered was ugly, stupid, uncivilized, et cetera.

I don't know whether it was commonplace at that time, to write this way. Maybe it was customary, or maybe it wasn't, and she was nonetheless speaking her mind. It's absurd how freedom of speech is contaminated by political correctedness nowadays; people "freely" use all kinds of cursory language and grammatically awful constructions because they feel entitled to, while if someone voices an opinion that is "out of the norm", especially if non compliant to the views of over protected groups, her or she will certainly be subject to innumerable personal attacks. Such mudslingers don't even try to assume the viewpoint of the speaker, who must have some sort of reason in order to voice an impopular opinion. Aren't such personal attacks fundamentally against the concept of freedom of speech?

Back to the book, this was also particularly interesting among Isabella's, because it describes the seeds of the modern North American society. It is amazing how the culture of 150 years ago still lives today. For instance, how political parties try to get hold of the emotional side of voters, or how different religious denomination coexist because self-funded - and sometimes take wrong turns just to get followership and money, or again how practicality and substance is preferred over form and structure in relationships and formal exchanges among people. The pursuit of success even through the wrong means "as long as you don't get caught" was already commonplace at that time. Isabella also stresses how the structure of the US society in particular, from the Government to the media, was prone to the tyranny if the masses - which has in fact become reality with the passage of time. All is explained with a good dose of wit, as per her usual style.

The LibriVox edition is very clearly read, although it could use some more pauses between paragraphs.