George Washinton Carver, the story of a great American, Anne Terry White عنوان: گردونه تاریخ جلد 34 : سیاه مبارز مردی با دستهای معجزه گر؛ نویسنده: آن تری وایت؛ مترجم: احمد بطحایی؛ تهران، 1339، در 193 ص؛ چاپ دوم 1350؛ چاپ دیگر: تهران، سازمان انتشارات و آموزش انقلاب اسلامی، 1373، 202 ص؛ فروست: مجموعه گردونه تاریخ 34 ؛ چاپ دیگر: تهران، علمی فرهنگی، 1374؛ در 202 ص؛ موضوع: جورج (جرج) واشنگتن کارور از سال 1864 تا سال 1943 میلادی - قرن 20 م جلد سی و چهار 34 از مجموعه گردونه تاریخ :اسب مسابقه به جای کودک شیرخوار، نخستین مزرعه، پزشک گیاهان، در فراخنای جهان، همنژادان، سرگردان، پرستشگاه دانش، از پیشگامان آبادی کانزاس، رویای دیگر، لباسشوی هنرمند، و ... نامور عالمگیر، یک مرد و این همه کار
I won this book in a reading contest in sixth grade. The teacher who chose this particular title was wise. I loved the story and must have read it at least eight times.
The life story of George Washington Carver is similar in many respects to the life of Thomas Edison. Both struggled from childhood and with their curiosity, hard work, dedication, determination, and with God's help they found a place in the world higher than the sky and brighter than the sun. however, George Washington Carver suffered great hardships and sufferings from being of black descent, but with the strength of his hard work and struggle, he won the hearts of the people wherever he went. You may find it a bit boring because it's non-fiction and you won't find in this book the thrill of a novel. Yet this book is worth reading and I have learned from it that man has to work hard to find his goal in life and then to achieve it and no goal is achieved without hard work and dedication.
I read this book aloud to my kids, and we enjoyed learning about Carver's life. My main criticism is that I am pretty sure, without looking at any primary sources, that many or most of the quotations in this book are invented. That is not necessary to write an interesting children's history book, as other volumes in this series show.
This books also includes a few uses of a racial slur unspeakable today. In context, this book uses it in quotations to show the foolishness of those who judged Carver based on race. It leads to some interesting commentary on modern society that even that usage would make this book unprintable today.
I loved reading these stories about these self-made men who do not whine, but work hard. Carver's life was amazing and I wish every African had his drive, ingenuity, and work ethic.
I read a bunch of the Landmark series books as a kid. Our school library had a huge collection of them, so I just made my way down the shelves. I remember enjoying them, but I was too young at the time to question the narrative or the quality of writing. I just liked reading biographies and histories, and there wasn't a lot of interesting non-fiction for kids at that time. Most of what did exist was either boring or more myth than fact. (And these do suffer from a bit of the latter.)
Would I read it to kids today? Nah. The whole "Great White Race has God-given right to take, kill, abuse, and exploit whatever and whoever in the name of making America Great" slant doesn't sit well. It never did; we just were too indoctrinated in it to know better 50+ years ago when these came out. I'm rating them on the memory of enjoyment alone, not on accuracy or how they would go over today. Fortunately, kids today have a lot better from which to choose.
This was my first Landmark book, and I found it very enjoyable and informative. I plan to read it to my 6 year old. I'd love to read more about Carver. I had no idea that he was such a gifted painter.
I couldn't help but compare this to the Signature Books, another children's biographical series from the same era. This book had richer language and handled adult themes with greater depth, but occasionally lacked the dynamic quality of the best of the Signature Books.
I'm looking forward to reading more Landmark Books.
I enjoyed reading this book. I have heard about a "George Washington Carver", and came across this book and thought I would read it. Very enlightening about a man who stayed humble while doing research on the most basic and readily available food item. Even as a university reached out to him after he became sought after, he stayed where people he was familiar with needed him the most.
What an amazing man who overcame so many obstacles put forth by people and circumstances to make a better world for those around him. Great upper elementary level biography material.