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Sociology. Nonfiction. Pompeii, Machu Picchu, the Valley of the Kings, the Parthenon-the names of these legendary archaeological sites conjure up romance and mystery. The news is full of archaeology: treasures found and treasures lost. Archaeological research tantalizes us with possibilities (are modern humans really part Neanderthal?). Where are the archaeologists behind these stories? What kind of work do they actually do, and why does it matter? Marilyn Johnson's Lives in Ruins is an absorbing and entertaining look at the lives of contemporary archaeologists as they sweat under the sun for clues to the puzzle of our past. Johnson digs and drinks alongside archaeologists, and chases them through the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and even Machu Picchu. Her subjects share stories about slaves and Ice Age hunters, ordinary soldiers of the American Revolution, Chinese woman warriors, sunken fleets, and mummies. What drives these archaeologists is not the money (meager), the jobs (scarce), or the working conditions (dangerous) but their passion for the stories that would otherwise be buried and lost.… (more)
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“No dinosaurs appear in these pages. If you are looking for scientists who study dinosaurs, you want to pick up a book about paleontologists.”
It's obvious from that tongue-in-cheek beginning that this book is written for the curious, the layperson. But don't be fooled. Unless you are already schooled in archaeology, there is much to be learned here.
It covers scientists who specialize in all different periods of history and prehistory, their personalities, their quirks. And especially the difficulty of making a living as an archaeologist, the battles to protect sites from development, the red tape, and the passionate dedication of the people who overcome the negatives. All written quite engagingly.
“And this is what happens when you strike up a conversation with an archaeologist. Soon you are talking about bone grease...or pointy-headed babies...or pig dragons.”
How can you not want to read about that?
I was given an uncorrected proof of this book for review.
As Ms. Johnson discovers during her research and as she humorously presents to readers, true archaeology is backbreaking work. Often, it means working in subpar conditions, fighting against time, weather, curiosity, greed, politics, and a severe lack of funding. Indeed, this lack of money is the common theme throughout the book. In fact, almost all of her research subjects do not earn a living wage. There are almost no permanent jobs, and funding for expeditions and for storage of the finds is quickly running dry. The story Ms. Johnson tells over and over is that no one will ever make money working in the field of archaeology.
While this may seem like a rather depressing thread about which to read, what Ms. Johnson does so well is capture the dedication and passion these scientists have for their chosen profession. Each scientist she interviews exhibits a fierce pride in their area of expertise and a complete unwillingness to walk away to move to a more lucrative field. They thrive under the stress and strain of such work and do so with smiles on their faces. Theirs is truly a labor of love.
They may work under the most dire of situations, but all of Ms. Johnson’s subjects maintain an amazing sense of humor about those self-same situations. Each one recognizes the endless work and time limits nature places on artifacts. They understand that luck is as much a part of a career-making find as it is perseverance and skill. They use humor to repeatedly pick themselves up after each disappointment. This is something about which Ms. Johnson is quick to capitalize. She injects her own sense of fun and humor into her reporting, layering it on to the individual quirks of her subjects to create a book that is much more hopeful than one might think given the immense odds that come with archaeology.
Lives in Ruins dispels the myth created by Steven Spielberg all those years ago, but one finishes the book with the understanding that the archaeologists of today are the true heroes of this tale. For, they work because they love it. They love it so much in fact that they are willing to put up with the scarcity of resources and political battles and flirt dangerously close to the poverty line for most of their lives in order to fulfill their dreams. It is as powerful an example as one will ever get of working for love and not for money.
Review: I really enjoyed this book, although it ultimately wasn't quite satisfying. It was remarkably easy to read; Johnson's prose is light and engaging and flows easily, and I found myself blowing through chapter after chapter, interested in the stories she was telling. For a work of non-fiction to be that much of a page-turner - particularly a work of non-fiction that doesn't have a continuous narrative through-line but rather focuses on different stories in different chapters - is quite an accomplishment, and Johnson makes it seem effortless, like: who *wouldn't* be fascinated by this stuff? The only unfortunate thing was that, for me, I was too interested, and there wasn't enough detail to suit me. This was due to a disconnect between what I was interested in and what the author was interested in - she's much more interested in the archaeologists, and why they do what they do, with a little bit of how they do what they do. And while I was interested in that as well - or at least, Johnson made me interested in it - what I really wanted to know more about was the work itself. What were they finding? How did they interpret things? Tell me more about what those beads, or shards of pottery, or postholes, or whatever - what do they mean? What can they tell us about history? It's probably unfair of me to mark this book down for not having that (or not enough of it), since that's clearly not the goal Johnson set out to accomplish. But it got to be a little frustrating to get to know each of these scientists, and their sites, and their trials and tribulations, and then not get to hear hardly any of the details of the very thing they're so passionate about. But overall, a very good book… and if nothing else, it definitely made me feel better about the funding and job security woes of my own field… who knew that we had it so (comparatively) easy? 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you like archaeology or history, or "behind the scenes of various professions" books more generally (or both, like me), this book is a compelling and easy-to-read look at what it's really like to be an archaeologist.
Johnson, however, is luckier than most of us will ever be when it comes to archaeology: she turned her love of the calling into a book deal. And she has written a book sure to please the rest of the dreamers out there. Johnson's research gave her the opportunity to get her hands dirty at digs all over the world, to meet some of the most respected archaeologists working today, and to gain a new appreciation for those, from top to bottom, who dedicate their lives to sifting through the remains of those who came before them. As she put it in the book's prologue, she was "studying the people who study people."
Lives in Ruins is presented in four sections: "Boot Camp," "The Classics," "Archeology and War," and "Heritage." In the appropriately titled first section, Johnson recounts what she considers to be a "rite of passage" for all wannabe archeologists: field school. In one of my favorite chapters in the book, she describes the typical field camp experience in which apprentices pay for the privilege of joining an excavation to do the dirtiest and most tedious grunt work imaginable. They pay dearly (often in the thousands of dollars) for the chance to be there simply because they hope the experience and the contacts they make will help them become a permanent part of that world.
"The Classics” is a short section in which the author meets, and learns from, some of the most respected archaeologists who have made their career studying Greek archeology. Amusingly, Johnson points out how often even this rather elite group of professionals affectionately evokes the name “Indiana Jones” in conversation with her – and how amused they themselves are at the job envy they sense from so many of the people they meet outside the job.
The book’s third section, “Archaeology and War” addresses one of the major problems associated with preserving the past there is today: war in all of its terrible destructiveness. Here, Johnson interviews and befriends some of the people working hard to educate American soldiers about the importance and sacredness of some of the ground upon which they are fighting for their lives. Encouragingly, the military seems to have fully embraced site preservation as one of its wartime missions.
“Heritage,” the book’s last section, finds Johnson and a group of archaeologists from six continents on a field trip/convention to Machu Picchu where she compares and contrasts the ways that various countries approach archeology and summarizes what she learned about the profession and those who sacrifice so much to be a part of it.
Lives in Ruins is an eye-opener of a book, a stark reminder of how easy it is to destroy our history in the blink of an eye, and a tribute to those who dedicate their lives to preserving as much of that history as possible for future generations to explore and appreciate.
Johnson, however, is luckier than most of us will ever be when it comes to archaeology: she turned her love of the calling into a book deal. And she has written a book sure to please the rest of the dreamers out there. Johnson's research gave her the opportunity to get her hands dirty at digs all over the world, to meet some of the most respected archaeologists working today, and to gain a new appreciation for those, from top to bottom, who dedicate their lives to sifting through the remains of those who came before them. As she put it in the book's prologue, she was "studying the people who study people."
Lives in Ruins is presented in four sections: "Boot Camp," "The Classics," "Archeology and War," and "Heritage." In the appropriately titled first section, Johnson recounts what she considers to be a "rite of passage" for all wannabe archeologists: field school. In one of my favorite chapters in the book, she describes the typical field camp experience in which apprentices pay for the privilege of joining an excavation to do the dirtiest and most tedious grunt work imaginable. They pay dearly (often in the thousands of dollars) for the chance to be there simply because they hope the experience and the contacts they make will help them become a permanent part of that world.
"The Classics” is a short section in which the author meets, and learns from, some of the most respected archaeologists who have made their career studying Greek archeology. Amusingly, Johnson points out how often even this rather elite group of professionals affectionately evokes the name “Indiana Jones” in conversation with her – and how amused they themselves are at the job envy they sense from so many of the people they meet outside the job.
The book’s third section, “Archaeology and War” addresses one of the major problems associated with preserving the past there is today: war in all of its terrible destructiveness. Here, Johnson interviews and befriends some of the people working hard to educate American soldiers about the importance and sacredness of some of the ground upon which they are fighting for their lives. Encouragingly, the military seems to have fully embraced site preservation as one of its wartime missions.
“Heritage,” the book’s last section, finds Johnson and a group of archaeologists from six continents on a field trip/convention to Machu Picchu where she compares and contrasts the ways that various countries approach archeology and summarizes what she learned about the profession and those who sacrifice so much to be a part of it.
Lives in Ruins is an eye-opener of a book, a stark reminder of how easy it is to destroy our history in the blink of an eye, and a tribute to those who dedicate their lives to preserving as much of that history as possible for future generations to explore and appreciate.
Favorite Passages:
We think we know what archaeologists do, but, like librarians, they toil behind an obscuring stereotype. The Hollywood image of the dashing adventurer bears little resemblance to the real people who, armed with not much more than a trowel and a sense of humor, try to tease one true thing from the rot and rubble of the past.
One of my favorite parts of this book was that the author used her experiences to add a narrative to what could otherwise be a purely informational book. I wasn't completely sold on the organization, since it wasn't clearly chronological and I often didn't see a connection between the stories that were grouped together. This wasn't necessarily a problem; it just meant that this book read like a collection of short stories. Something else I really liked about the book was the author's casual, personable tone. It wasn't so informal or so much about the author that it interrupted my enjoyment of the text (I'm looking at you Assassination Vacation), but it did make the story feel light and fun.
Unfortunately, the book was light in other ways too. Even though the back-of-the-book description claims that the story will teach you some little known history, there was very little historical information I wasn't already aware of and none was given in any depth. Each interaction with an archeologist really was like a short story and didn't give me as much time as I would have liked to become familiar with their subject. I think this could actually be a perk for some readers or for me in the right mood, since the short story feel and light content made this a nice, easy read. At the time I picked this up though, I was hoping for a more substantial nonfiction book and I enjoyed the author's writing enough that I'd happily have read a longer book in order to learn even more.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.
One of my favorite parts of this book was that the author used her experiences to add a narrative to what could otherwise be a purely informational book. I wasn't completely sold on the organization, since it wasn't clearly chronological and I often didn't see a connection between the stories that were grouped together. This wasn't necessarily a problem; it just meant that this book read like a collection of short stories. Something else I really liked about the book was the author's casual, personable tone. It wasn't so informal or so much about the author that it interrupted my enjoyment of the text (I'm looking at you Assassination Vacation), but it did make the story feel light and fun.
Unfortunately, the book was light in other ways too. Even though the back-of-the-book description claims that the story will teach you some little known history, there was very little historical information I wasn't already aware of and none was given in any depth. Each interaction with an archeologist really was like a short story and didn't give me as much time as I would have liked to become familiar with their subject. I think this could actually be a perk for some readers or for me in the right mood, since the short story feel and light content made this a nice, easy read. At the time I picked this up though, I was hoping for a more substantial nonfiction book and I enjoyed the author's writing enough that I'd happily have read a longer book in order to learn even more.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.
One of my favorite parts of this book was that the author used her experiences to add a narrative to what could otherwise be a purely informational book. I wasn't completely sold on the organization, since it wasn't clearly chronological and I often didn't see a connection between the stories that were grouped together. This wasn't necessarily a problem; it just meant that this book read like a collection of short stories. Something else I really liked about the book was the author's casual, personable tone. It wasn't so informal or so much about the author that it interrupted my enjoyment of the text (I'm looking at you Assassination Vacation), but it did make the story feel light and fun.
Unfortunately, the book was light in other ways too. Even though the back-of-the-book description claims that the story will teach you some little known history, there was very little historical information I wasn't already aware of and none was given in any depth. Each interaction with an archeologist really was like a short story and didn't give me as much time as I would have liked to become familiar with their subject. I think this could actually be a perk for some readers or for me in the right mood, since the short story feel and light content made this a nice, easy read. At the time I picked this up though, I was hoping for a more substantial nonfiction book and I enjoyed the author's writing enough that I'd happily have read a longer book in order to learn even more.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.
One of my favorite parts of this book was that the author used her experiences to add a narrative to what could otherwise be a purely informational book. I wasn't completely sold on the organization, since it wasn't clearly chronological and I often didn't see a connection between the stories that were grouped together. This wasn't necessarily a problem; it just meant that this book read like a collection of short stories. Something else I really liked about the book was the author's casual, personable tone. It wasn't so informal or so much about the author that it interrupted my enjoyment of the text (I'm looking at you Assassination Vacation), but it did make the story feel light and fun.
Unfortunately, the book was light in other ways too. Even though the back-of-the-book description claims that the story will teach you some little known history, there was very little historical information I wasn't already aware of and none was given in any depth. Each interaction with an archeologist really was like a short story and didn't give me as much time as I would have liked to become familiar with their subject. I think this could actually be a perk for some readers or for me in the right mood, since the short story feel and light content made this a nice, easy read. At the time I picked this up though, I was hoping for a more substantial nonfiction book and I enjoyed the author's writing enough that I'd happily have read a longer book in order to learn even more.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.
One of my favorite parts of this book was that the author used her experiences to add a narrative to what could otherwise be a purely informational book. I wasn't completely sold on the organization, since it wasn't clearly chronological and I often didn't see a connection between the stories that were grouped together. This wasn't necessarily a problem; it just meant that this book read like a collection of short stories. Something else I really liked about the book was the author's casual, personable tone. It wasn't so informal or so much about the author that it interrupted my enjoyment of the text (I'm looking at you Assassination Vacation), but it did make the story feel light and fun.
Unfortunately, the book was light in other ways too. Even though the back-of-the-book description claims that the story will teach you some little known history, there was very little historical information I wasn't already aware of and none was given in any depth. Each interaction with an archeologist really was like a short story and didn't give me as much time as I would have liked to become familiar with their subject. I think this could actually be a perk for some readers or for me in the right mood, since the short story feel and light content made this a nice, easy read. At the time I picked this up though, I was hoping for a more substantial nonfiction book and I enjoyed the author's writing enough that I'd happily have read a longer book in order to learn even more.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.