Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491

by Charles C. Mann

A companion book for young readers based on 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, the groundbreaking bestseller by Charles C. Mann.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens, American History

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Charles C. Mann is a correspondent for Science and The Atlantic Monthly, and has cowritten four previous books including Noah’s Choice: The Future of Endangered Species and The Second Creation . A three-time National Magazine Award finalist, he has won awards from the American Bar Association, the Margaret Sanger Foundation, the American Institute of Physics, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, among others. His writing was selected for The Best American Science Writing 2003 and The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2003. He lives with his wife and their children in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Krystal 🦢 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 We listened to this on Audible. I did not care for the reader, and that was almost enough for me to abandon it. But I’m glad I didn’t. The information in this book was so cool! I had no idea. I wonder if the actual book has any pictures, that would be super cool and make me like it even more. It would also make a really cool documentary for the History Channel. Homeschool peeps, if ever you find yourself studying Native Americans for history, this book is a must.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Sentence Review: A very effective adaptation of Mann's adult version, and very easy to booktalk if you just tell kids that corn is a Frankenstein creation (which it is).

[Emily✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someday I'll get around to tackling 1491, but this young reader's version seems to sum up Mann's main ideas well.

The Native Americans managed their ecosystems on a large scale. When the Indians suddenly lost massive numbers of people to disease, they could no longer manage their ecosystems on that scale, and things started to change. (107)

Other than some history of local Native tribes, we barely studied the history of the Americas in school when I was growing up, and unfortunately I didn't pursue it in college either. I learned a lot from this small book, though I still think I need to read the adult version for a more comprehensive and nuanced look at the facts. I don't have any contention with Mann's information (though how would I know), but I do wish this work featured more knowledge and perspective gleaned from modern Native populations, rather than just (mostly white, lbr) historians and archaeologists.

The format of Before Columbus could be better-- it's too dry and textbook-y for kids, but too bare-bones for adult research. Though interesting (and certainly better than nothing) I definitely still feel like I need to read the adult version to get the full picture.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember browsing through this book at the library several years ago and being astonished, but I couldn't remember exactly what it was that had so surprised me; well, basically, everything in this book was a surprise. I'm absolutely going to read 1491, the adult book that this book was derived from, because--I mean. I want to know everything. I really love ancient civilizations, so this was bound to be a homerun, but it's also just amazing how much I was lied to in school. Like, everything was wrong.

Most fascinating to me are the ways in which the Native Americans altered their landscapes, particularly in Central & South America, and the way that, in the interim between conquistadors/explorers bringing their guns and diseases and actual settlers arriving, MILLIONS of natives died and the land returned to a state that appeared, to colonists, to be "untouched wilderness". And it's so amazing. It BLOWS MY MIND. And those six years when Tisquatum was living in Europe in slavery? I can't.

I mean, I think the mound building, the idea of building islands of forest over floodplains, the planting of entire forests...obviously amazing. The genetic engineering of maize. AND THE BEHRING LAND BRIDGE IS PROBABLY A LIE, did you KNOW?!!

Maybe I should have been an anthropologist. I want to know everything.

[Good · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is NOT a children’s book. It is a poorly edited version of the adult book. This book will bore even adults. Even high school students may not understand the vocabulary in this book, but they would never get through the book as it is boring.

Boring: way too much material from the original adult book; the material should have been summarized more and some just left out to simplify the narrative. Way to much conjecture (out loud) and debate of theories in the majority of the book (before real records starting in 15-16th centuries).

Title is misnamed: the majority of the book is NOT before 1491. Just a dumb title.

What is good: the last chapter or two is based on real evidence and primary sources because they were available (unlike the 3/4 of the book that has little evidence or primary sources left from ancient cultures).

I probably won’t keep the book. Not even enough pictures of artifacts or primary artwork (many pictures are romanticized later works) to justify shelf space.

[Briony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off on a bad foot for me. From my understanding Mann has written an adult version of this book and Before Columbus is his teen version. I felt that Mann dumbed down the information for teens and chopped up his adult version to create this book. I will give him props that the information got better towards the end, but I felt that I was in dry, boring history class reading this book. However, this book would be wonderful for a research paper. I did learn some new information especially about the original landscape of America and some other interesting facts.

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

220211: young adult graphic adaptation of same author's 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus...

[Ryan Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book to show how much society and civilization was in the americas pre Columbus, shatters the idea of natives being some primitive peoples who didn’t have their own set up, wars and technology. Truly a great read

[Ellie Grove]

🤯

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

[Heidi Finger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot and want to read more of Mann's books now

[Jacki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: This YA edition of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus summarizes modern findings of American civilization prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the "New" World.

Verdict: A great supplement if the local school system is still teaching that eurocentric "noble savage" curriculum.

Yay!: If you've only heard the usual textbook story of Colombus and the Spanish conquistadors arriving in the Americas to find an unspoiled, barely populated wilderness, you should take a look at the findings described in this book. Most of the finds are far from recent, but history is slow to be revised in addition to being written by the victors. Mann debunks the concept of the Americas as unsettled wilderness inhabited by primitive peoples.

Nay!: If you like reading about this topic or watching documentaries on it, skip this read. You won't learn much new information, and the writing style is dull.

Quick question: WHY do we still celebrate Columbus Day?

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of interesting, relevant color photos and maps, this oversized coffee table-sized book is a great introduction to the American Indian for school children (I'd recommend 4th grade and above) or even adults who want a quick and painless introduction to the topic.

Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 is Mann's adaptation of his larger work 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus and he succeeds at making it age appropriate without watering it down.

All major groups and most geographic zones are covered quite well with special emphasis on the Mayans, Olmecs and the Incas. Mann also discusses the role of disease in the Old World conquest of the New World (sadly, too often overlooked in too many textbooks!) and the importance of the development of maize.

Read all of my reviews at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/

[Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have been doing a few week unit study on North and South America before Europe invaded. This book was a focal point for us. My kids (7 and 8) really liked the book and I found that much of the history is accurate or close enough with supplementation. That being said, the term "Indian" is used constantly throughout the book which made us cringe every single time. I am torn on how I feel about that in a book that is giving a more accurate history but we did discuss it as a family. In the end, however, the book was an excellent resource. The audiobook is dry (we needed it for the last two chapters as we were on a road trip to see some Adena burial mounds and forgot our book). I would absolutely suggest the print book as it is much more engaging. The rating is lower because of the audio recording and the consistent use of "Indian." If you know that going into it, this is a great book.

[Natalie Herr · Rating 3 out of 5]

For kids’ history- started with the audiobook which was pretty slow and dry for the kids, though content was interesting. We ended up getting the book from the library for the last few chapters and enjoyed it much better as a read aloud with pictures.

[Betsy Marr · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wayna Qhapaq stayed in Ecuador, enjoying the warm climate and the soft clothing made of vampire-bat wool" (37).

[Maryem Benmansour · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Americas Before Columbus


We all know that Columbus set sail in 1492, expecting to find wilderness only, but did you know that at that time Mexico was one of the most populated country on earth? In the late fifteenth century Europeans sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered new lands, which they named “New World”. Those lands were actually the Americas, home of old civilizations and millions of people. A civilization rose near the Andes Mountains about a thousand years ago, while another began to take shape in the North of Mesoamerica, which includes most of Mexico. These two American cultures were very different from one another. They were also very disparate from Egypt and Europe, but they were as old as them. About 11,000 years ago people of the Middle East invented agriculture. All the cities at that time were located in an isolated desert. The American Civilization began when the first states were taking shape across the world in China. Many years after in 1990 an astonishing discovery was made on the coast of South America, which gave the world a new view of the America’s birth. They are known to be the ones to create Genetic Engineering; they are also known to be the ones to invent corn or “maize” as they called it more than 6,000 years ago. The mystery of maize is still not discovered today, Mexican corn may be surprising, one can find it in many peculiar colors for instance, blue, orange, pink, black, and many more. They had created it during a bold act of biological manipulation. When the Europeans finally discovered the Americas, the Indians didn’t use any wheeled vehicles. No chariots, carts, wagons, or wheelbarrows. Wheels were not part of their beautiful daily lives. Archeologists have many theories, but none of them are official. The most known of all is that the old Americans weren’t introduced to animals, including horses and cattle until made known by the Europeans. The two most famous empires are the Olmec and the Mayan. One day during the nineteenth century a man was walking back home through the forest located near his village in southern Mexico, when he suddenly stumbled over an object. It was the upper part of a huge stone head. Eighty years later, it had become the first clue to a forgotten civilization. The Maya were believed to be the ones to create Mesoamerica’s first civilization. The Olmecs had very complex beliefs. For instance if an Olmec was a high ranking noble, it wasn’t easy being beautiful, so they reshaped their newborn babies’ heads by attaching small and flat pieces of wood to their skulls to elongate them. All of the evidence has been taken from Olmec artwork, because no Olmec skull has been found. All in all, the Americas have a very ancient civilization, which astonishes many historians all around our world.


From all the five questions proposed to us by Mrs. Slaoui, three of them have really captivated my attention. Throughout this novel one will learn the many achievements of the oldest civilizations of all times. These people were the first to create corn and genetic engineering; they also made it into many different colors. They were the ones to invent agriculture as well as the first to ever plant potatoes. They actually developed brain surgery, which was very common at that time. Archeologists found skulls, which have occurred to advanced surgical techniques. They treated people’s skulls if wounded in combat. Another achievement would be the roads and bridges they made to help them move and travel along their wide lands. The Inca road system was the largest and most highly advanced transportation system in the early Americas. Their stone work was prodigious and very well looking, even better than what people may accomplish these present days. One of their brilliant and memorable inventions were chocolate and the chinampas, which some people call “floating gardens”. The chinampas were used as artificial islands to grow crops on. Another invention was chewing gum. It had made its first appearance in the Americas as the latex of a Sapodilla tree. This civilization was the most influential to the world we live in today. All of us know that the Egyptians built pyramids, but did you know that the Native Americans were raising pyramid like structures about five hundred years earlier? Columbus’ discovery of the Americas was life changing. It helped established the existence of Europe to the Americas and vice versa. New inventions and methods of agriculture were traveling throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. Many more people and nations commenced to set out on voyages of their own after hearing about Christophe’s “exploration”. This caused trade to expand and increase. Also as a repercussion, was the discovery of the precious gold and silver. Many conflicts affected this beautiful nation; a conqueror named Cortés made alliances to try to subjugate the Native Americans, which he thought of, of being barbarians. Years of fighting occurred and many chiefs got caught and tricked during these battles, which eventually turned into a huge war. After many months a woman named Dõna, betrayed the Americans and aided Cortés defeat and torture them. To conclude the Americas were a very brilliant empire with many inventions, achievements, influence, but also conflicts that eventually brought them to an end.

I would personally recommend this novel to all history lovers. It very well explains the Americas in 1941 before Columbus, which was something that I always was absorbed by. It is a marvelous story with astounding images and very accurate maps. It helps the audience comprehend the Americas and all their achievements as well as the conflicts they had faced with many different types of rulers. Charles C. Mann Is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 1491, which is another great reason to read and discover the story behind the words and imagery, placed in this novel. I recommend this book to boys and girls particularly middleschoolers, because of the information and vocabulary it contains. I would mostly suggest it to 8th graders because during Trimester 1 they will be learning about the Incan, Mayan, and Olmec empires. This novel will eventually enlarge their knowledge and aid them throughout their history classes. To sum up, The Americas of 1491 Before Columbus is a very inspiring story, which I really enjoyed reading and I really hope that the people reading my review will do the same.

[LeAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son had some great questions about Native Americans, and I spent the summer researching books we could use in our homeschool to educate ourselves better about how the first inhabitants of the Americas got here and what their lives were like before European settlers. While I do think we learned more from this book than a typical elementary or middle school text book (honestly, more than I got in high school even!), it was dull and dry. My children quickly began to dread our daily readings. The writing is a bit difficult, and I sometimes even had to stop and reread passages to understand them myself. In the end, I pre-read the last few chapters in order to present the summaries to my children. There was some amazing "new" information included in the book that blew our minds and lots of previously known "facts" that were turned upside down. So, I'm thankful we read it, but I would have loved a more kid-friendly, enjoyable book.

[Margaret Gipson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. It felt like Mann just did some cutting and pasting (mostly cutting) from his original book- taking out lots of doubtlessly fascinating information and leaving behind a hull of a book that choppily skims through a series of facts. I think history for kids needs to have a strong sense of timeline that they can build upon, but this jumps around both the continent and time in a very convoluted and unmooring way. I feel miffed when people adapt things for children and do so lazily...it's like giving kids bad-quality art supplies.

We listened to this on audio and my kids didn't dislike it, but neither did they mind when I would turn it off.

[Andrew Mossberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A version of Mann's larger opus "1491" that is aimed toward younger readers, it covers many of the key points of the indigenous civilizations of the Americas prior to the arrival of European colonizers.
An excellent, well-researched history that helps dispel the founding myths of the colonizers and should be as much a part of an educational curriculum as Zinn's "A People's History of the United States".

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fantastic resource! We went through this very slowly (like, a chapter every week or two) as part of our American History curriculum (which I am so happy to report does not buy into the idea that the only American history worth studying is that which is post-Columbus and white-centered). Learning about how much of what we think of as "wilderness" (hello, Amazon jungle) was actually carefully cultivated by indigenous peoples was fascinating and probably my favorite part.

[Melissa Swearingen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previewed for future use in school. So interesting!! Feels like he left out a lot of details, the storyline isn’t really present. I assume he wrote the adult version first? I may have to read that too, but this one feels just a touch choppy and like it’s been edited down to this rather than written like this for children on purpose, so its literary value is low, but it’s information content is good and it’s definitely worth a read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned lots of things about the great civilizations in central and south america which I had never known, an extremely cool book. Simplified and with pictures, suitable for kids. We read it as part of our homeschool history unit. Definitely one I would keep on my shelf if it weren't so expensive to get a copy of.

[Gina Notes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was definitely not the history book I was taught in school!!! I read this with my kids for their homeschool history curriculum and I’m grateful for being able to choose how they learn history in America. I learned SO much from this book myself and it’s one that we will revisit in the future. One star docked only because it’s a little dry.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT book! Has lots of theories and lots of facts my family and I did not know great book for family school I think ages 6 up would be best to understand it better I love the book and great artwork:)

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covered the same topics as 1491, which I've read before, but geared towards kids. It's a great introduction to the topic if the full book is a little too much for you. Explores a lot of topics about the people indigenous to the Americas.

[Ceres Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book. Had to leave some 50 odd pages left due to an accident that left my copy severely damaged. Otherwise, the rest of the book is amazing. Has all sorts of native american perspectives and really offers a lot of insight for not just any north american, but specially europeans.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and full of wonderful images.

[Bob Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and nicely illustrated.k

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good adaptation of 1491 for YA enjoyable for adults too