Hunted Like a Wolf: The Story of the Seminole War by Milton Meltzer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Absolute rubbish. Rare that I’ll be that blunt. but, this deserves it. The book claims to be “THE story of the Seminole War”. This is political commentary with a very abbreviated, narrow view of the Seminole War.

Extract the commentary and the history might make up 50 pages. And the only history told is to support the commentary. So much is left out, that if the commentary is taken out, the story wouldn’t make sense. General known history of the war is here. But so much is not! Most all of those who commanded are brushed by. Hard to do with Scott and Jesup, but this guy manages to do it. That leaves out so much why the US took certain actions. The writers fills in with his political theories. Not history, but theories. Why waste time with documentation when you can make it up with theories? This volume is full of it. All blasting from a narrow minded political view of war.

That is THEE problem with this book. The writers slanted view point. This book should be titled as the writer’s commentary and political viewpoint of the Florida Seminole War and how horrible America is. The entire book is a treatise of America being a horrible country trying to take over the world. Could America have handled the indian issue better? Sure. But that should be examined not as history, but as opinion.

Take the line,”For once, the whites found it expedient to tell the truth.” (Page 86). There’s plenty of documentation that “whites”, whoever they are – I’ll suppose Americans, told the “truth”. His writing declare “whites” only told the “truth” once. That is not history. that is opinion!

Take page 52 where the writer states the settlers felt a need for “security”, writer’s words. Then the writer proceeds to disseminate why security was needed and how dare settlers ask for it and so on. Along the way bashing people’s faith. Opinion, not history.

The page preceding, 51, has this, “Florida belongs to us, they said, the way a foot belongs to a leg. We have a “right” to it.” – His writing. From there he writes how wrong he feels his interpretation of his writing of their thinking he assumes he thinks he knows. What???? No history here.

Interesting is that this 1972 books is peppered with words, human rights, refugees, white invaders, etc., are all political buzzwords found part of a certain mentality today.

I knew i was in trouble as the writers extensively used “white invaders” over and over and over and over again. This guy has a political ax to grind and this is his treatise of his hate of white people…and cloaked in it all, a lot of others, too – If i may leave MY opinion.

Bad title, bad history, opinion that does not belong….

Bottom line: i strongly do not recommend this book. 0 out of 10 points.

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