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Smoke Signals & Wagon Tracks
I have written a thity five thousand word regional history of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest called Smoke Signals & Wagon Tracks. My book is the story of the expansion west in the Eighteen hundreds into Indian Territory for settlement. The Lewis & Clark Expedition first contacted the Amerindians. Then came the Hunt Party and the Hudsons Bay Company beaver brigades arrived to trap beaver and trade with the Indians for furs. They built Fort Vancouver, Fort Boise and other forts and became a monopoly. Mountain men trapped beaver and married Indian women. Struggles arose between Indian and whites. Wagon trains rolled west on the Oregon Trail. Gold miners arrived by the thousands. Indians went on the warpath attacking the wagons and miners. Settlement forts were built. Fort Boise military post was established. The Cavalry was called in to protect the citizens and fight the Indians. As one Indian War was put down, another rose up. The Indians lost to the white man with his big guns. Finally, the Amerindians were forced onto Federal reserves. My book describes many local events of the time. Sagas and legends are included for a good read. There are one hundred and five black and white illustrations.
180 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 31, 2020
I'm not happy about giving a self-published book such a low rating. I know the long hours and the heartfelt passion required for putting word after word down. I also know how agonizing it can be to read a less than positive review of a book you've spent years working on. But in all fairness to readers hoping, as I did, for a great little book on Idaho history, I have to be honest. And, honestly, this book fell short in several ways.
I bought the book at a festival in the Idaho panhandle, hoping to learn more about the state. As we travel the country, we hunt down nonfiction books that we hope will help us better understand the land we're experiencing -- history, people, politics... we're eager to learn.
Sadly, this little book seems to have bitten off more than it could chew. Instead of focusing on Idaho and including ancillary information to help us understand the context of the effects on Idaho, the state takes a back seat to everything else the author seemed to find interesting. He gives us background on Jim Bridger and Kit Carson, though their ties to Idaho are less clear, for example.
Overall, the book needed a good editor. From convoluted sentences ("The style of living with the horse suited the American Indian and will always be remembered in their hearts and minds.") to racist language ("squaw" was used to describe one of Bridger's wives, for example), a objective editor might have tightened up the wobbly focus. Certainly a professional would have helped Bolen to see that no history of the Northwest could be managed in 175 pages.
Finally, the book sounded like Bolen had copied his notes from his various sources--fact after fact after fact doesn't make for an interesting narrative. And sometimes they just didn't make sense: "In the fall of 1810, Hudson's Bay Company factor, Jacob House built 'Fort Howse' on Flathead Lake's north end in Montana Territory for the North West Company. When Hudson's Bay Company bought out the North West firm, Montana Territory proved to be a good beaver hunting area." Huh?
I love that people are writing the books they've wanted to write. I've led countless writing workshops over the years for beginning writers, encouraging them to pursue their dreams. But I've also cautioned them to make sure their books (and stories, poems, memoirs... whatever) have been revised and polished before releasing them into the world.
If you don't, I tell them, you'll just disappoint your readers, and risk they'll never buy another book you write -- as happened to me this time.
Mr. Bolen, if you're reading this: you have great stories to tell. A great editor will help you tell them better. (And no, I'm not one of those editors.)
To readers: If you're looking for a basic history textbook covering the West, you'll find key events covered, with illustrations.
I bought the book at a festival in the Idaho panhandle, hoping to learn more about the state. As we travel the country, we hunt down nonfiction books that we hope will help us better understand the land we're experiencing -- history, people, politics... we're eager to learn.
Sadly, this little book seems to have bitten off more than it could chew. Instead of focusing on Idaho and including ancillary information to help us understand the context of the effects on Idaho, the state takes a back seat to everything else the author seemed to find interesting. He gives us background on Jim Bridger and Kit Carson, though their ties to Idaho are less clear, for example.
Overall, the book needed a good editor. From convoluted sentences ("The style of living with the horse suited the American Indian and will always be remembered in their hearts and minds.") to racist language ("squaw" was used to describe one of Bridger's wives, for example), a objective editor might have tightened up the wobbly focus. Certainly a professional would have helped Bolen to see that no history of the Northwest could be managed in 175 pages.
Finally, the book sounded like Bolen had copied his notes from his various sources--fact after fact after fact doesn't make for an interesting narrative. And sometimes they just didn't make sense: "In the fall of 1810, Hudson's Bay Company factor, Jacob House built 'Fort Howse' on Flathead Lake's north end in Montana Territory for the North West Company. When Hudson's Bay Company bought out the North West firm, Montana Territory proved to be a good beaver hunting area." Huh?
I love that people are writing the books they've wanted to write. I've led countless writing workshops over the years for beginning writers, encouraging them to pursue their dreams. But I've also cautioned them to make sure their books (and stories, poems, memoirs... whatever) have been revised and polished before releasing them into the world.
If you don't, I tell them, you'll just disappoint your readers, and risk they'll never buy another book you write -- as happened to me this time.
Mr. Bolen, if you're reading this: you have great stories to tell. A great editor will help you tell them better. (And no, I'm not one of those editors.)
To readers: If you're looking for a basic history textbook covering the West, you'll find key events covered, with illustrations.
June 6, 2024
Very interesting book about our area. A non-judgmental look at the relationship between the whites and the Indian tribes in the 1800s.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews