The Pioneers- The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough
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Web ID: 11773053Does The Past Have Hope For The Future?
The Pioneers is probably not one of David McCullough's major works, but I found it to be an interesting and encouraging book. It provided me with an antidote for the sordid saga of Donald Trump's summer 2023 indictments and left me with at least some hope for the future. The Pioneers was not a big picture story. Instead it was probably nearer to what is called micro-history. McCullough told the story of a group of New England settlers who moved to what is now Ohio in search of land and/or employment. What made them special was their patriotism, not the MAGA jingoism so many espouse today, but the concept of working together for the greater good. McCullough did allude to larger events such as conflicts with the local tribes and the dispute over slavery. One parallel with today was the brief appearance of Aaron Burr, who like Trump put his own ambition above the good of the country. What gave me hope was reading of ordinary people who believed in working together and respected each other, learning, and science. Are there still enough of them around to keep the American dream alive? We shall see. Four stars.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A good story but a little tedious
The story about the hardships endured by the pioneers of the Ohio valley, is really inspirational. I just felt there was a little too much verbiage dedicated to descriptions of the land, weather and type of game available for hunting. I also felt misled by the title expecting the story to go all the way to the Pacific Ocean. That’s my fault though for not reading the preview mor thoroughly.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com