The Sea King: A book review by Tammy McQuoid: This is a grand book! Not grand in the sense of big or large, but grand in the sense of magnificent, impressive, way cool. I think what I like so much about this book is the "His Times" part of the title. Sir Francis Drake is placed in the broad spectrum of time--surrounded by history. Some biographies seem to strand the main character out in Nowheresville, in some sort of timeless void. However, Albert Marrin has woven Drake right into the fabric of history; it's almost as if Drake is a red thread in a length of green cloth. You can see the the red thread distinctly and clearly, but it's easily recognizable that the red thread is part of something much larger. We are told of the known medical knowledge of the time, to what degree people kept themselves clean, European views of Africa and its inhabitants, Luther and the Protestant Reformation, obscure information about Queen Elizabeth I, the Northwest Passage, King Philip II of Spain, why cooperage was important, how the English people felt about foreigners. Knowledge of these things puts Drake in a proper context.
At the beginning of the book we get a brief glimpse of Drake, but then Marrin launches in to his description of conditions on board ships and life in general in the 1500s. I did truly wonder, "Okay, so when are we going to get back to the topic of this book--Sir Francis Drake?" But it doesn't take long; Marrin is just setting the stage with information that truly shouldn't be skipped, even if you're tempted (as I was). Later near the end of the book, I got a little bogged down in the description of the war in 1588 between Spain and England. There's not enough information about what Drake was doing during the battle for Drake to be mentioned all that often in Marrin's description of the war. I found this part a little dry in spots; but then I also get rather bored with action parts of movies, too. Beyond these two parts of the book, the book reads well and was interesting--easy to understand and follow.
Drake's life is very well outlined in this book starting with his childhood then on to his adventures with his cousin on the Spanish Main (north shore of South America), his marriages, his sailing voyages, his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I. I was surprised at Drake's motiviation--he despised the Spanish because they had caused a great loss of money for his cousin and himself. These deep feelings of dislike, possibly hatred, of the Spanish led Drake to pirate the Spanish ships, cities, and mule trains, and to commit other acts of "war/piracy" against Spain.
When it came time to fight the Spanish Armada, Drake was there in the fore, but after that, he failed miserably in just about every sea voyage he took. I feel that he was successful in his duties as mayor of Plymouth and successful in his introduction of a pension plan for sick and wounded seamen which occurred during his years of not being favored by the crown. Drake died aboard ship near what is now the Atlantic opening of the Panama Canal. He was probably in his fifties. He had accomplished much for England.
One large improvement that could be made in this book is for it to contain way more maps. There are about seven maps in the book, but I had to keep referring to an atlas to know where Drake was. I didn't know where in Spain the city of Cadiz is until I looked it up on a map. However, since Drake sailed all around the world, this book can be put to good use for geography. Students can plot each of Drake's stops on a map. What's nice about this book, though, is that in most cases the people that Drake meets in each location are briefly described.
What makes this book special and different from other run-of-the-mill juvenile/young adult biographies is that Drake is not placed in a timeless void. We learn what people are like in the 1500s and often how the world was viewed from their standpoint. Another thing that makes this book standout is Marrin's use of details, more details, and even more details. Learning about Queen Elizabeth's bawdy and smallpox-damaged appearance along with Marrin's discussion of battle tactics employed by the Spanish as opposed the the English battle tactics gives a fuller and deeper understanding of history.
Albert Marrin has chosen to quote little-known (to the likes of me) texts such as The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account to illustrate information about the indigenous peoples of the New World. Another old text quoted often is Francis Drake Revived which was published in 1626. These books, plus the extensive footnotes, give one confidence that this biography is truthful and well-researched. When an author goes to original sources for information on a topic, we get information that hasn't had a chance to be changed by being passed from person to person through many years. Even Francis Fletcher's eye-witness account of Drake's circumnavigation voyage is quoted by Marrin. Quoting from all these sources really makes The Sea King seem authentic. Marrin did a good job of writing a book that sticks with a person even after one is done reading. I don't know how to describe it, but the book is vivid and didn't just fly out of my head when I was done reading it. (I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.) As a warning to the squeamish or more refined, the author's description of treatment given to some slaves and others is far from pleasant; some might justly call it horrific. And Marrin's description of daily life aboard ship life is also very graphic. There are no rose-colored glasses sitting on the end of Marrin's nose.
A couple of parts of the book that caught my attention were, firstly, "Queen Elizabeth's court consumed six hundred thousand gallons a year [of beer]." She either had a highly populated court or a bunch of enebriated folks or possibly the beer had a very low alcohol level. Also, Drake and Philip II of Spain both thought they were acting for God--performing God's will. And those involved in the Spanish Inquisition felt the same way. These people are portrayed as having God at the forefront of their lives. And the issue of Catholicism vs. Protestantism also played an important role for them. I hadn't realized that the Spanish very much considered the English heretics in the 1500s. And one very trivial, yet interesting tidbit of information that I garnered from the book was the origin of the term "loose cannon." I think I already understood this, but Marrin drew a very good word-picture.
No, we haven't used this book for our homeschool yet, but we probably will use it the next time we study world history or if we do a unit on Pirates or the Elizabethan Age. But I plan on using a few of Marrin's U.S. History books this year or next year as we learn about the U.S.
This book was only recently published (1995). In fact, its newness was a large reason for me even finding it. I was at the library browsing the juvenile biography section for newer-looking books. And what a find this is! So far only a hardcover has been released, which is nice since hardbacks often last longer. But it would be helpful to have an economy edition. The book is about 8" x 10" and contains 168 pages including an index. I would say that the book is written for about ages 11 or 12 and up and would be a good choice if you're studying the 1500s, the Elizabethan Era, England's relationship with Spain, the harvesting (people and gold) of Middle and South America, Spanish Inquisition, world geography (grab your trusty atlas!), and/or the Spanish Armada.
Biography from Book Rags: Albert Marrin is a professor of history who, in more than twenty juvenile nonfiction books, has attempted to make the past accessible to young readers. In award-winning books such as 1812: The War Nobody Won, Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters: The Story of the Cattle Kingdom, and Unconditional Surrender: U. S. Grant and the Civil War, he has created a tapestry of United States history by focusing on dramatic moments and famous personalities. With biographies of leaders and tyrants from Napoleon to Hitler, Marrin has also interpreted the events of a larger world stage for juvenile readers. Additionally, his several books on the First and Second World Wars provide well-organized introductions to many aspects of those struggles. Chairman of the History Department at New York's Yeshiva University, Marrin's books for young readers complement his academic duties and writings. One of his earliest such books, Victory in the Pacific, is indicative of Marrin's thorough, no-nonsense approach to history.
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Disclaimer: This journal is being created as a graduate project for a Creative Writing Workshop whose focus is an exploration of the business of publishing. All material published on this blog is the sole property of the authors who indiviually retain the ownership of their intellectual property. All material contained herein is governed by laws established under U.S. Copyright. All general blog contents are copyrighted 2011 by the editor, Beth Rodgers.
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