A real-life Indiana Jones
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I am a great fan of the History Channel - as a history professor, that should be no surprise. I am also a great fan of adventure stories, having been captivated by characters such as Indiana Jones decades ago, who showed that to be an adventurer did not mean checking one's mind at the door. In many ways, Josh Bernstein has become a real-life Indiana Jones figure for today, and most importantly for the younger people today, who can see that history need not be the exclusive province of dry, dusty tomes on bookshelves of fluorescent-lighting libraries. Indeed, Bernstein mentions that at different times in his life he has been tempted, ever so briefly, to that scholarly type of life, but was always dissuaded (with the encouragement of rabbis, co-workers, and friends).
This book is a companion to the first seasons of the very popular series on the History Channel of the same name, `Digging for the Truth'. This is not a verbatim transcript, although it does cover many of the important highlights of the shows. This is a combination of a behind-the-scenes travelogue and autobiographical reflection by Bernstein, who, with his hats Henry I-V (there may yet be more - it actually conjures up the song `I'm Henry the Eighth, I am...' to think of his progression of hats - not a fedora, by the way!) has traveled through the world and through life with aplomb, wit, and an adventurous inquisitiveness that makes for exciting viewing and reading.
As a background to a show that explores the background of history and society, this is a wonderful book. It is a wonderful book in terms of look and feel - full-colour pictures and easy-to-read text that does `talk down' but doesn't overwhelm with the confusing or arcane, this is a book for all viewers from middle-school to college graduate level, the span of the likely viewers of the television show. As another commentator has alluded, the book would seem short at twice the length. I got this book as a Christmas gift, and found that I couldn't put it down.
An adventure in itself, this is a book for fans of archaeology, for fans of history, for fans of adventure, and for fans of mysteries that can be revealed in our past.
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