Tuesday, August 23, 2011

George Washington Carver by John Perry: Book Review

This book proved to have a lot of information on George Washington Carver, a man whose name I knew but little else besides the fact he had something to do with inventions surrounding cotton and peanuts and loved God.

I enjoyed learning a lot more about his life (the book went into a lot of detail about everything, not the least of which Carver's views on God, His Creation, etc).  I didn't know he was such a beloved educator at the Tuskegee College for Colored Folks, and I did agree with much of how he viewed the purpose and thus direction of education. However, the one drawback to me was the book seemed a little "dry."  I know not all biographies are going to be suspenseful or thrilling, but this one came across to me as more factual rather like a textbook.  I appreciated the information, but the style just seemed dry.  Perhaps it's just me, I don't know!  I would recommend it, with the warning that it is rather dry and longer than you'd think at under 200 pages.

A couple passages I really thought were interesting and uplifting . . .  "He [Carver] wasn't there to spoonfeed his students, but rather to encourage and guide them on their own journeys of self discovery. In an introduction .... Carver wrote that 'every teacher should realize that a very large proportion of every student's work must lie outside the classroom . . . The study of Nature is both entertaining and instructive' . . . " (pg 57)  And I also really appreciated this insightful quote from Carver: "To me nature in its varied forms are the little windows through which God permits me to commune with him, and to see much of his glory, by simply lifting the curtain, and looking in."  (pg. 61)

Thanks to BookSneeze for the free copy provided me for the purpose of my honest and original review.

2 comments:

  1. I admire mr. Carver and the amazing way he honored God with his talents! I agree-biographies don't have to be exciting, but the style of writing can help a whole lot in making it enjoyable to read all the facts!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, he seemed to be a man who loved and honored God who also happened to be very talented and influential! It was interesting to learn more about him. :)

    ReplyDelete