Rating: 
Summary: Ignore the nonsense on this page!
Review: This book was an excellent read about the Basques, their history, culture, and cuisine. The reviews have centred on Kurlansky's view of ETA. What about the rest of the book? Whales, cod, Elkano, Loyola, Arana, Aguirre, pelota, elvers .... It is amazing to find out the a Basque was the first to circumnavigate the globe, that two Basques founded the Jesuits, that Simon Bolivar was descended from Basques, and so on. Silhouette is a Basque word. Canadians will remember a great football plyer named Sam Etcheverry. Was he, too, as Basque as his name suggests?I did not think this was a book about ETA. But from the reviews on this page, one would think this was a great big book glorifying terrorism! I have read this book twice. I would suggest you read it too. For once we have the chance to read about a people from their own point of view. And for those who think there is too much politics in Kurlansky, forget it, life is politics! I will give you some politics for free. Like the Welsh , the Basques have been obliterated from the map for several hundred years. But entities such as "Spain" have only been in existence for a couple of hundred years, while the Basques trace their origins to prehistory. Spain seem to have given up all their colonies except those closest to home. The Spanish did quite a bit to keep this lucrative colony, including using the Luftwaffe to flatten Basque market towns. (Incredible now that they will not allow Picasso's Gernika to be shown in Bilbao.)Trying to kill off the Basque language,a unique tongue unrelated to any known language, was just an immense disservice to humanity. The Basques (and Welsh,) however, will be there long after Spain and Britain and other empires have ceased to be. Within the European union, there is no longer a need to keep these small nations in subjection and to deny them their rightful place. Again, I say, ignore the above reviews, read this book, and decide for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Changed my ideas and pre-conceptions about the Basque Nation
Review: You hear about Basques in newspapers all the time: ussually about some violent situation attributed to them. What you don't hear in the 10pm news is what these people have done for humanity, and how the good Basques have to pay up for the violence and errors made by the few ill behaved ones. Mark Kurlansky fixes that. The Author correlates the history of this little understood/known group of people, and how they have iteracted with neighboring countries, and how they have helped shape the world as we know it today. Great history book, and entertaining as well. Now I must read "Salt" and "Cod".
Rating:
Summary: Changed my ideas and pre-conceptions about the Basque Nation
Review: You hear about Basques in newspapers all the time: ussually about some violent situation attributed to them. What you don't hear in the 10pm news is what these people have done for humanity, and how the good Basques have to pay up for the violence and errors made by the few ill behaved ones. Mark Kurlansky fixes that. The Author correlates the history of this little understood/known group of people, and how they have iteracted with neighboring countries, and how they have helped shape the world as we know it today. Great history book, and entertaining as well. Now I must read "Salt" and "Cod".
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