Reviews for The American encounter

The average rating for The American encounter based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-02-17 00:00:00 Steve Smith An excellent overview of US foreign policy ideas and history, spanning most of the 20th century and ordered chronologically. I was especially struck with how current many of the arguments seemed (or perhaps another way to state that would be that I was surprised at how outdated current thinking is). I especially enjoyed the mid-century section, containing WEB Dubois' essay on the economic transition of Africa and Margaret Mead's take on economic development indices.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-03-23 00:00:00 Thomas Guendelsberger The Legend of Bass Reeves by author Gary Paulsen is a Western written for young readers. It focuses on the true story of a little-known marshal who patrolled the old Indian Territory, now known as Oklahoma. Bass Reeves was born a slave in the 1830's American South. He grew up tending to chores and animals while his 'mammy' cooked and cleaned. One day while out searching for cattle he came across a strange dog that seemed to speak to him, telling him that "someday things will change". The 'witch-dog's' prophecy turned out to come true eventually and Bass ran away from home when an opportunity presented itself. He embarks on a series of adventures while avoiding the price on his head for being a runaway slave. While wandering he learns the Indian Territory like the back of his hand and gains the attention of a federal judge who's determined to track down felons hiding in the Indian Territory to avoid the law. Bass becomes a federal marshal and makes some 3,000 arrests during his remarkable career. The book is well-written and fairly historically accurate, although the author does admittedly embellish the story and fictionalize some missing gaps. I enjoyed the book more than I anticipated, but I want to add even though it's considered a young readers book it has some brutal violence and language that makes it unsuitable for elementary aged kids. This book should greatly appeal to Western enthusiasts and history lovers alike.