Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth
- Downloads：2498
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-08 18:31:17
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Bryan Burrough
- ISBN：B08JKN9RCM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jill Meyer
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“He died at the Alamo”。 Those words bind the lives of such men as Davy Crockett and Sam Bowie together as they died to protect Texas and its liberty。PLEASE NOTE IM STILL READING THIS BOOK AND WILL AD MORE WHEN IM FINISHED。 THE ABOVE ARE NOTES AS IM READING IT。
Rena
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I particularly enjoy reading histories that complicate over-simplified myths we tell ourselves。 Plus I grew up in Texas and remember how we were taught the 'history' of the Alamo in school and visiting the site。This book is both a history and a historiography--writing the history of the history itself。 It begins with the background and context of the battle at the Alamo。 The second part reveals the various strands of storytelling that created the myth。 The last part of the book centers on our cu I particularly enjoy reading histories that complicate over-simplified myths we tell ourselves。 Plus I grew up in Texas and remember how we were taught the 'history' of the Alamo in school and visiting the site。This book is both a history and a historiography--writing the history of the history itself。 It begins with the background and context of the battle at the Alamo。 The second part reveals the various strands of storytelling that created the myth。 The last part of the book centers on our culture wars， showing how revisionist tellings slowly emerged and then the ever-present backlash locked in against dismantling the myth。What I particularly appreciated was the connection of the battle to the larger context。 Mexican politics， chaotic after its independence， wrestled with similar issues to the U。S。， also a new nation: states rights versus federalism; how to make slavery 'palatable' （particularly in abolitionist Mexico）; and the role that Texas played in attracting American Southerners and flame-outs from the U。S。 looking to make money without scruples。What I found most distracting was the flippant tone the authors interjected。 Woven into the historical writing were phrases like "pissing people off" and "We're not huge fans of。" Each time， I found this writing choice jarring， disrupting the arguments and undermining the seriousness of the subject matter。 The authors seemed to think they needed a pop culture reference to engage readers， using Phil Collins and his Alamo-object collection as a hook in the beginning。 Rather than entice me to read further， I wondered if the book would be worthwhile。With these caveats， it was。 I made some interesting connections and appreciated the wide-ranging discussion of the politics of mythology。Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press for the opportunity to read an advance review copy。 。。。more
Minato
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You will not learn anything about the Alamo or Texas history from reading this book。 You will encounter a lot of anti-white propaganda。
Jennifer
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