Jose Barreiro

This title in the History Smashers series examines and debunks the myth that Christopher Columbus discovered America and was a great explorer. The book also centers the history, culture and strengths of the Taino people who long occupied the islands before Columbus arrived.

This is the kind of literature our children in the Antilles should read

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and I learned more from my people in this novel than in years of school. While I’m aware this is fiction it does represent a treasure trove in terms of knowledge about our Taino people, it is fun to read, and rekindled my love for my roots. I’m more proud of my Taino heritage now than before reading this.

I love this series. Easy, engaging, illustrated, but enlightening even for me. For example in this one I found out that Columbus was not 'revered' for 200 years after his time, but then interesting things happened... read the book to find out what!

Pictures of Columbus using a telescope are wrong. "The telescope wasn't invented until 1608."

"in 2021, human footprints were found in New Mexico's White Sands National Park that were dated, ...showing that people have been in the Americas for at show more least 21,000 to 23,000 years."

"The city of Columbia, South Carolina, decided to remove its Columbus statue from a park and relocate it to a museum, where it might one day be seen with more complete information about the explorer's legacy."

Terrific that we can tag this #OwnVoices, because it was co-authored by Dr. [a:José Barreiro|833050|José Barreiro|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], a Taino elder, writer, and historian.

Rich back matter that makes it look like a history book for adults... which I don't mind admitting it is!

Next up, [b:History Smashers: Women's Right to Vote|48636119|History Smashers Women's Right to Vote|Kate Messner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593377646l/48636119._SX50_.jpg|73976033]. show less

I really enjoyed how this fairly detailed history is presented -- a mix of graphics, short chapters, and a more balanced look at the history of colonialism and genocide of Indigenous peoples.