Reviews

Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab by Steve Inskeep

caleb_tankersley's review

5.0

Riveting and informative. Inskeep achieves that difficult balance in nonfiction between narrative and research. Everyone will enjoy this.

lyonsmw's review against another edition

4.0

Jacksonland is a curious read. Inskeep does a good job of leveraging his research to retell the history of Andrew Jackson and John Ross. One gets the sense, though, that the uglier side of the history gets painted with a very light brush. Still a compelling read.

dsbressette's review

3.0

Lots of good information, however, was a bit dry and textbook-like in places

cojack's review

5.0

Excellent book. Fascinating, upsetting, and ultimately compelling. During the first 1/3, I was getting a little bogged down with the information, but it serves as excellent background later in the book. Wow. The US was just terrible to the Indians. I know: Duh! But the level of detail given here illustrates the depth of the US's dishonor. I was fascinated by the way everything played out with the Cherokees, the Creeks, and the Seminoles. No matter what the Indians did or agreed to, we screwed them royally, especially the colony/state of Georgia. Really and truly shameful.

I realized how little I knew about the war of 1812, so I stopped for a bit a read up on it before resuming the book (not necessary to understand the events in the book, but it helped give me more context). Also, don't skip the Epilogue! There was a true "gasp!" moment I don't want to spoil.

I listened to this on audiobook, which is read by Steve Inskeep, the author and NPR host/reporter, so his delivery was very good and listenable.

musicdeepdive's review

4.0

Inskeep expertly strings along this narrative concerning the Indian Removal Act and the most powerful leaders on both sides of the proclamation. John Ross still feels like a somewhat underwritten character compared to Andrew Jackson (entirely the fault of lack of written materials), but this book isn't about the main characters so much as the characters are lead actors in the story, so it's not a major gripe.

bawright1987's review

3.0

This book disturbed me in ways I didn't realize I could be disturbed. It basically upset everything that I believed in and set me on a path to discovering what the hell is so great about America anyway? A land that was stolen from its indigenous people with absolutely no regard for anything other than greed. I find it difficult to muster up even the littlest amount of patriotic pride for a country created by powerful white men whose only ambition was to further their power and control. And I'm ashamed to see that that is a tradition that refuses to die. There is no liberty or justice for all. It was extremely well written, but I can't give it any higher score simply because I believe an "amazing" book should leave me feeling uplifted rather than shattered.

bryan8063's review

3.0

This is a 3.5 rating. I learned a lot from this very readable account of Andrew Jackson, John Ross, and the fight over Cherokee land. One of the most interesting parts is how Jackson bought his own land. Since he was literally on the front lines as a general and he had a friend surveying the land, Jackson had a lot of inside information. He got rich from purchasing and renting Cherokee land. Fascinating.

Another interesting part of this story is the Cherokee removal. Without fast communications, General Winfield Scott operated under different circumstances in the field as Ross got a deal to manage the removal process. However, Scott couldn't wait for Ross to take over, and those who stayed, were stuck in camps full of sickness.

NPR's Steve Inskeep seems to glance over the internal divisions of the Cherokees as a group of Cherokees signed a treaty Ross and many in his tribe did not support. However, this did not stop me from enjoying this book.

ksultzer10946's review

4.0

The journalist voice that Inskeep uses is very different that the usual historical voice used in these types of books. I found that it created a much more engaging narrative than other historical texts I have read. It's still a little dry in places, but the story of these two men circling each other drew me in much more than I expected.

spinnerroweok's review

4.0

Good book following the intertwined lives of Andrew Jackson and Cherokee Chief John Ross through the events leading up to the Cherokee removal to the west. It is a story that will make you angry, and it is a story that will show you the nobility of some. (But not Andrew Jackson. He was a butt head.) I don't know if this story is taught in schools in other states, but it should be. We learn part of it here in Oklahoma, but this book fleshes it out and makes the people more real. I recommend.

thegr8estangell's review against another edition

informative sad medium-paced

4.5

This book was EXCELLENT. I loved it. I’ve been to so many of the places in this book and learning the history behind them was so interesting. Im very glad I read this book. The effect of Andrew Jackson on the American South is still affecting us to this day, nearly 200 years later. It’s wild to think that one man caused such huge ripples in history. Ross was such a strong and valiant leader. I’d never heard of him before and I’m glad I got to learn about him.