My attitude for many years has been "So maybe the details are somewhat dodgy, he imparts the general idea." Is the "general idea" so askew as to be bogus? I can't speak with authority, but I think not. I have learned much history from Michener. Much of it is history I would surely never have learned otherwise. I trust and hope it is not irredeemably wrong.

All of his big books are rich in historical content and storyline, spanning time from the geological to the present.

Sometimes the first 80 pages or so are tedious. Case in point: "Centennial" begins with the history of an American bison family in the pre-human Great Plains. Come on! Several friends have told me that they gave up during this part of his books. I also usually find the last 100 or so pages, where he covers, say, 1945 to the present, less than captivating. The 900+ pages between these drab bookends, however, are pure fascination.

One of his books, "The Covenant", I consider important.

The Covenant, James Michener.

I suppose I should do some research before publishing this review. I should consult the opinions of professional historians, probably. What I am about to say may be total nonsense, but this is my page, so what the heck?

My earliest awareness of South Africa was that it was one of many parts of the World colored red on the map pulled down in front of the blackboard during Geography time in the fourth grade. Part of the British Empire. That was as far as it went until a few years later when I picked up a vague notion of the Boer War that occurred there and that a lot of diamonds and gold were mined there. In my middle teens I read Something of Value by Robert Ruark and thought it a very fine book, indeed.

That was about it until I read "The Covenant". I now know a lot about South Africa. At least it is a lot relative to what I knew before. It is not the historical poodah, however, that causes me to include this book in the "Important" category. It is the deeper understanding and appreciation of the social and cultural forces which made South Africa what it was and is. And, I am amazed to watch, Michener predicted a very important component of the nature of post-apartheid South Africa.

The original Boers were Dutch Reformists. They were fundamentalists who took their religion seriously and their Bible literally. When they first assayed to press eastward from north of the Cape and inhabit the land of the Zulus, they met, as one might expect, stiff resistance. Their wagon train of four hundred people (including women and children) was soon surrounded by 17,500 very agitated Zulu warriors. They had a day or two before hostilities began and made use of the time by writing a contract with God, which all signed. This document, the "Covenant", promised that if God would see them through the pending confrontation, they would forever heed His injunctions as given to the Hebrews upon entering Canaan after their forty-year trip from Egypt to the promised land, i.e., they would make the indigenous population their slaves ("hewers of wood and carriers of water") and would never mix with them - they would forever remain apart from them. In Dutch, apartness is "apartheid".

During the ensuing hostilities, which lasted, as I remember, two days, several thousand Zulu warriors were killed and they retired from the field. The Boers suffered two minor wounds. Well, hey! A deal's a deal, right? Specially with God! According to Michener, this "Covenent" with God was the bedrock of national and social policy which guided The Union of South Africa thenceforth. So now we understand it in part.

Michener's other important observation is that the m'Beles (the majority indigenous population) are remarkably gentle and, by European standards, forgiving to a fault. He advised that the whites were at risk of eventually exhausting this forebearance and that they should dissolve the policies of apartheid, and, if they were to do so, they would be surprised at the leniency that would be displayed. Subsequent events have borne him out. To me, the performance of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee is one of the most astounding and heartening developments of all time.

Michener's books:

Below is a list of Michener's works, including available audio cassettes. I have read many of them and hope to add more reviews over time.

Alaska ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1988

Alaska ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

America ~ Ships in 2-3 days

Jake Rajs (Photographer), James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1996

Bridge at Andau ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1988

Bridges at Toko Ri ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1989

Caravans ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1989

Caribbean ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener, Roscoe Lee Browne / Audio Cassette / Published 1989

Caribbean ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1991

Centennial ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1993

Centennial ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

Centennial TV Mini-Series Complete ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

12 Volume Box Set, James Michener / VHS Tape / Published 1997

Chesapeake ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1978

Chesapeake ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1990

Chesapeake ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1986

The Child Who Never Grew ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

Pearl S. Buck, James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1992

Covenant ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1987

Creatures of the Kingdom : Stories of Animals and Nature ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1995

The Dangerous Summer ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

Ernest Hemingway, James A. Michener (Introduction) / Paperback / Published 1997

The Dangerous Summer; Ernest Hemingway ~ Ships in 2-3 days

Ernest Hemingway, James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1986

The Drifters ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1986

E.L. : The Bread Box Papers : The High Life of a Dazzling Victorian Lady/a Biography of Elizabeth Chapman Lawrence

Helen Hartman Gemmill, James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1998

The Eagle and the Raven ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener, Charles Shaw / Hardcover / Published 1990

Fires of Spring ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener/ Paperback

The Floating World ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener, Howard A. Link / Paperback / Published 1989

The Genius Belt : A History of the Arts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania ~ Ships in 2-3 days

George S. Bush (Editor), James A. Michener (Introduction) / Paperback / Published 1997

The Genius Belt : The Story of the Arts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania ~ Ships in 2-3 days

George S. Bush (Editor), James A. Michener (Introduction) / Hardcover / Published 1997

Gone With the Wind ~ Ships in 2-3 days

Margaret Mitchell, James A. Michener (Introduction) / Hardcover / Published 1996

Hawaii ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener, Philip Basco / Audio Cassette / Published 1990

Hawaii ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

Hokusai Sketchbooks Selections from the Manga ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1958

Iberia ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1989

Indian Life in Texas ~ Ships in 2-3 days

Charles Shaw, James A. Michener / Leather Bound / Published 1987

Journey ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1989

Journey ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1989

Journey ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

Kent State : What Happened and Why ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1982

Legacy ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1990

Literary Reflections ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

Literary Reflections : Michener on Michener, Hemingway, Capote, & Others ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1993

Love Your Body : A Positive Affirmation Guide for Loving and Appreciating Your Body/103A ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener, Louise L. Hay / Paperback / Published 1989

Mexico ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

Mexico : A Novel ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1992

Miracle in Seville ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1995

Miracle in Seville (Random House Large Print) ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener, John Fulton (Illustrator) / Paperback / Published 1995

Mountains in the Mist : Impressions of the Great Smokies

Roger Bansemer, James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1993

My Lost Mexico ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1992

My Lost Mexico : The Making of a Novel ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1993

The Novel ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1992

Poland ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1990

Rascals in Paradise ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1987

Recessional ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1995

Return to Paradise ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1993

Sayonara ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1990

Six Days in Havana ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener, John Kings / Hardcover / Published 1989

The Source ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1990

The Source ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1992

South Pacific ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener, Michael Hague (Illustrator) / School & Library Binding / Published 1992

Space ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1988

Space Part 1

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1994

Tales of the South Pacific ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1989

Texas ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1994

This Noble Land : My Vision for America ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1996

This Noble Land : My Vision for America ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener, Arthur Addison / Audio Cassette / Published 1997

This Noble Land : My Vision for America ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1997

This Noble Land: My Vision For America

James A. Michener / Audio Cassette / Published 1997

Three Great Novels of World War II the Pacific : Tales of the South Pacific, Mister Roberts, Cry, Battle ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

Marc Jaffe (Editor), et al / Hardcover / Published 1996

The World Is My Home ~ Usually ships in 24 hours

James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1998

Years of Infamy : The Untold Story of America's Concentration Camps ~ Ships in 2-3 days

James A. Michener (Introduction), Michi Nishiura Weglyn / Paperback / Published 1996

Bridges at Toko Ri

James A. Michener / Turtleback / Published 1989

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1953
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Caravanas/Caravans

James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1986
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Caravans

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1963
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Caribe Caribbean

James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1997
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Creatures of the Kingdom : Stories of Animals and Nature (Wheeler Large Print Book)

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1994

Creatures of the Kingdom; Stories of Animals and Nature

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1993

The Eagle and the Raven

James A. Michener / Turtleback / Published 1991

Espacio/Space

James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1983
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Hawai

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1986
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Hawaii

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1959
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Hawaii

James A. Michener / Library Binding / Published 1995
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Hijos De Torremolinos/the Drifters

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1986
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

Iberia : Spanish Travels and Reflections

James A. Michener / Hardcover / Published 1968
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

James A. Michener : The Beginning Teacher and His Textbooks

G. L. Dybwad, et al / Hardcover / Published 1995

James A. Michener on the Social Studies (National Council for the Social Studies, No 85)

James A. Michener / Paperback / Published 1991
(Publisher Out Of Stock)

James Michener at Work

James Michener / VHS Tape / Published 1997
(Special Order)