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Summary
Summary
The men who opened the West were an astounding breed. They went for days without food, waited out howling blizzards in makeshift shelters, repeatedly capsized their canoes in treacherous rapids, and hung on for their very lives while dangling from cliffs. What inspired these intrepid trailblazers to go to such extremes? Whether it was due to grandiose dreams of glory, determination to map unknown lands, or insatiable curiosity, the knowledge they brought back changed the course of North American history. This absorbing group biography includes eleven noteworthy explorers: navigators Robert Gray, George Vancouver, and Alexander Mackenzie; mountain men John Colter, James Bridger, Jedediah Strong Smith, and Joseph Reddeford Walker; military men Zebulon Montgomery Pike and John C. Fremont; and master surveyors Stephen Harriman Long and John Wesley Powell. Their incredible stories cannot help but enthrall and inspire modern readers.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-10-Five thematic chapters discuss the search for the Northwest Passage, the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase territory, the mountain men and the fur trade, John C. Fremont's mapping excursions, and John Wesley Powell's surveys of the Grand Canyon. Jones opens each chapter with an explanation of why the exploration was important, followed by profiles of the men and descriptions of their journeys. John Colter, Jim Bridger, and Zebulon Pike will be familiar to most readers, while others, such as Robert Gray, Stephen Long, and Joseph Walker, are less well known. Jones is objective about her subjects, admiring their ambition, leadership, and survival skills, but also describing their weaknesses and the effects of American expansion on the Native Americans. Numerous maps of the areas and the expeditions are supplemented by reproductions of period portraits and illustrations. The chapter on Powell includes outstanding photos taken on one of his expeditions. There are also chapter notes and a separate bibliography for each explorer. The author's emphasis on each man's leadership and the details of his expeditions provides a different perspective than the standard biographical information found in collective biographies such as Patricia Calvert's Great Lives: The American Frontier (Atheneum, 1997) and Sherri Peel Taylor's Pioneers of the American West (Gale, 2002), making this book a solid choice for most collections.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Middle School) Several years before Lewis and Clark set out on their well-known venture, explorers Robert Gray, George Vancouver, and Alexander Mackenzie had already led expeditions in search of a Northwest Passage. Jones leads off this collective biography with detailed accounts of these early explorations and goes on to report on explorers in four more periods of discovery through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, all of whom made significant contributions to the country's westward expansion. Given the extreme challenges of all of these expeditions, some remarkable journals, drawings, and, later, photographs survived. Jones has plumbed these early records well in chronicling the forays of each explorer. There are too many dates and explanations; places are not always clearly marked on the occasional maps; and the similarity of the hardships suffered on the many expeditions becomes repetitive. Yet there's a wealth of fascinating history. The concept of Manifest Destiny and the atrocious acts of whites and Native Americans against one another as well as more friendly engagements are among important topics addressed. Numerous period illustrations carry informative captions, and there are generous endnotes, a selected bibliography of scholarly and other adult items, a comprehensive timeline, and an index. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In the midst of the current Lewis and Clark bicentennial, young readers may get the idea that Lewis and Clark were the only early explorers of the American continent. This survey expands the discussion to include 11 other explorers, before and after the famous Corps of Discovery. Quick to point out that this is a story of white men exploring land already inhabited by Native Americans Jones is ultimately celebrating the spirit of exploration, offering an ode to "anyone who can know the dangers but face them willingly." She provides solid footnoting and an extensive time line, though many of the sources noted are older volumes from university presses and there is no guide to sources for young readers. An abundance of maps and illustrations, cartoons and portraits contributes to a handsome volume excellent for research or browsing. (introduction, note to the reader, index) (Nonfiction. 10+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. Bucking the trend to publish skimpy volumes rather than one meaty collective biography, this generous book offers the stories of 11 explorers for the price of one. Even better, Jones makes history a lively endeavor by writing vivid accounts of lives that were sometimes stranger, and nearly always more exciting, than fiction. The section on the Northwest Passage follows the lives of Robert Gray, George Vancouver, and Alexander Mackenzie. The Louisiana Purchase chapters spotlight John Colter, Zebulon Pike, and Stephen Long. Trapping in the Wilderness includes James Bridger, Jedediah Smith, and Joseph Walker, and the final sections, on mapping and surveying the West, discuss John C. Fremont and John Wesley Powell. In a note, Jones encourages readers to seek other sources that offer a Native American perspective. Each section includes a clearly delineated map of the area under discussion, marked with the trails of the explorers' expeditions. Black-and-white reproductions of period drawings, paintings, prints, and photos illustrate the text. Back matter includes a detailed time line, illustration credits, excellent notes, and an extensive bibliography of sources on each explorer. Libraries, particularly those in the region, may want multiple copies of this useful resource. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
