When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes was written by Jay Feldman. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Feldman was in a band during his time at Brooklyn College around 1963. He earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in speech and theater; moving from New York to California Feldman was a big supporter of free speech at the time and involved himself in a movement that intended to make change. Feldman then earned his master's degree and worked to complete his doctorate. Shortly after, he began his writing work in 1980. Feldman has written three more books and has a couple of articles that have appeared in major outlets such as the New York Times and a couple of others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The book, “When the Mississippi Ran Backwards,” implements tons of twists that include the murder of hard-working slaves, trade, warfare, settlements between rivals, and conquered territory. Prominent historical figures include President Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Morgan, Tecumseh, Andrew Jackson, and many others. The chapter I was assigned to review is chapter thirteen, The Slaughter Field. The uniqueness of the book shows how brutal and greedy people are, it's all a competition between who can kill the most and how much land they get in the process. What I like about the book is that it tells us behind the scenes of our story; the minor details that are overlooked when educating students in school. This is probably the first book I've read that had so much detail about the violence involved, the images my mind created are something a comic would probably illustrate. Feldman found a way to put much of the story into a collage that fits all the pieces together perfectly as if it were a puzzle. Each piece has its own story to tell but has such importance that it weaves it together as a whole. Early in the book I remember an Indian chief, Tecumseh, giving a speech to his brothers as a reminder that Caucasian men are not their allies. Tecumseh wanted his men to recognize the harm, suffering, and loss they have suffered at the hands of reckless people who intend to take what does not belong to them. Tecumseh wanted to reassure his people that his prophecy, in this case the earthquake, will forever impact everyone's lives. Additionally, the chapter includes the Lewis brothers, also known as Thomas Jefferson's nephews, who for unclear reasons brutally killed a young seventeen-year-old. This case did not go unnoticed as the earthquake somehow revealed the true monsters that were the Lewis brothers. The earthquake not only affected the lives of the Lewis brothers, but also affected the entire area. The series of earthquakes during this time led to our nation's expansion, corruption, failure, success, fear, loss, and power. What I got from reading the book I got the feeling that the author doesn't want the reader to be afraid of learning what the story was like. It's a way to open your eyes to how hard life was in the past. The brutality, the hostile environment, the war for land/territory, the discovery and prosperity are exactly what makes us a nation today; a way to use our past as a guide to distinguish right from wrong. Learning our mistakes and reassuring ourselves should give us the desire to improve our motivations in the right direction, without returning to those vicious ways. The first period mentioned in the book is from 1790 to the 19th century. The places that,.