My Thoughts

I think that together, Boas and his disciples shaped cultural anthropology and promoted some very important ideas. Through all of their work, they established that all humans have importance, regardless of race and gender. They each advocated for the idea that other cultures matter just as much as white male culture. They took a lot of risks as they tackled some very controversial issues of the twentieth century, all of which are still prevalent today. Boas and his students served as a voice for women, non-whites, and all the other "misfits" who did not fit into the white male cookie cutter, at the risk that they would be strongly opposed and disrespected in their field. I really respect that they persevered and promoted controversial ideas in the name of basic human rights. They fought for anthropology to be more inclusive, as the field in their time was heavily biased and almost exclusively used data on caucasians. Their assertions that humanity should be protected and all people and cultures have value still applies to important issues today. Still, we face racism, nationalism, and sexism in America and across this world. As a result, I think the message of this book and these authors will remain eternally important. The life and studies of each person is well-written and fascinating, making this book a great and quick read. My only critique of the author is that, at times, he seemed to talk about some of the women in a condescending way. For example, King seems, at times, to show some disrespect for Mead. However, in a way, the tone King takes does a good job of showing the backlash these forward thinkers faced. With such a fantastic, still-applicable  message shaped through the journey of these cultural anthropologists, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. That said, the information is, at times, dense and complex, so it would probably be most enjoyed by fellow anthropologist.