The Tainos - Hardcover

Jacobs, Francine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399221166 ISBN 13: 9780399221163

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 1992

Synopsis

An account of the people whom Columbus managed to virtually wipe out describes their way of life, how Columbus's arrival had disastrous effects on them, the Spaniards' greed for gold and betrayal of the Tainoses' trust, and more.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-9-- Jacobs has turned her interest in the Taino people of the pre-Columbian Caribbean into a clear, readable portrayal of the extinction of an ethnic group. The well-researched text describes the early beginnings of the Taino culture as distinct from their Arawak ancestors, and details the daily lives of these gentle people. For Columbus and his crewmen, guided to the Taino by neighboring Lucayans, and for the flood of Spaniards who followed hard on his heels, the Taino were a disappointment. For greedy Europeans, ``cheated'' of gold and pearls, there was nothing to seize upon but Taino bodies as slaves. In her cool narration, Jacobs reports their inexorable slide into oblivion: some in battles with their oppressors, some through despairing suicide, others from excessive mistreatment and torture. Today, they survive only in a few modest museum exhibits, in petroglyphs and pottery shards, in a few words of Arawakan origin. The author has consulted sources seldom sought out in research for books for young people, and a section of `Notes' documents some of them. Also included is a catalog of museums where artifacts of the Taino/Arawak culture can be seen. Art work consists of small charcoal drawings of Taino artifacts, or historic incidents, and is found on the title page and just below chapter headings. The resultant package is a masterful work of historical reportage. --Patricia Manning, Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

In the publishing frenzy that surrounds the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage and "discovery" of the Americas, this book is a welcome and well-documented look at a different side of the story. Only recently have historic records been searched to flesh out the myths surrounding this event. Jacobs, in a concise and considered explication, reveals riveting and appalling information found in few textbooks. The Tainos, the ancient native peoples of the Caribbean, were the "Indians" that Columbus "discovered," and the first victims of the greed and short-sighted pressure for world domination that characterized the "Age of Discovery." In low-key, fact-filled prose, the author discusses the effects of this history-changing intersection of two peoples: disease, domination and finally, the virtual extinction of the Tainos. This sobering book should be required reading for every middle-school child and teacher. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0399221166
• ISBN 13: 9780399221163
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 107