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dandelion323's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
heidisreads's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting guide to learning about Indians. I appreciate the lengthy list of resources in the back of the book.
ceegee's review against another edition
I’m interested in the subject matter, but this presentation was tedious and hard to engage with. Probably better as a textbook/reference guide for when questions come up than a book to read straight through.
bsmorris's review against another edition
5.0
If you haven't yet gone out of your way to educate yourself about Native Americans/Indians beyond the likely biased and certainly over-simplified stuff you learned in your K-12 education, then this book is a MUST-READ. Treuer is an expert on Ojibwe history and language, so many of the examples provided in the book are from Minnesota and Wisconsin. He doesn't claim to speak for all Indians, but offers a good primer on a variety of cultural, historical, and political issues. The book also includes a fairly extensive list of suggested readings/viewings for further study.
Final note: I'm not very good at maintaining focus on non-fiction books, but this was engaging and easy to read for me.
Final note: I'm not very good at maintaining focus on non-fiction books, but this was engaging and easy to read for me.
jennielanz's review against another edition
3.0
Very similar content to his brother David's book [b:Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life|12227044|Rez Life An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life|David Treuer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1322973951s/12227044.jpg|17200579], but more in a question-answer format. Good information, but liked the way Rez Life flowed better.
bookherd's review against another edition
4.0
As the title suggests, this book contains answers to common questions non-Native people have about Native Americans--everything from "What are coming of age ceremonies?" and "Should Leonard Peltier be freed?" to questions that seem downright rude, like "Why do Indians have so many kids?" The questions are answered by the author in a personal tone. He is careful to say that he is answering from his own perspective and that if you ask a different person the same questions, you are likely to get some different answers. The book is divided into chapters on terminology, history, religion and culture, education, politics, etc., so you can skip straight to the topics that interest you, or you can read straight through (like I did).
I enjoyed reading this book. I learned plenty that I didn't know (and that I would have been afraid to ask), and I appreciated Treuer's matter of fact approach to all of the questions he addresses. In fact, I would say this is a gracious book. In his conclusion, he writes, "Don't imagine Indians, understand them. Keep asking questions, reading, listening and advocating for change. Don't tolerate stereotypes, and don't be afraid to ask everything you wanted to know about Indians. And if you're native, give a meaningful response to those questions rather than an angry rebuke. It really does make a difference." This book models that spirit of welcoming honest questions and giving meaningful answers.
I enjoyed reading this book. I learned plenty that I didn't know (and that I would have been afraid to ask), and I appreciated Treuer's matter of fact approach to all of the questions he addresses. In fact, I would say this is a gracious book. In his conclusion, he writes, "Don't imagine Indians, understand them. Keep asking questions, reading, listening and advocating for change. Don't tolerate stereotypes, and don't be afraid to ask everything you wanted to know about Indians. And if you're native, give a meaningful response to those questions rather than an angry rebuke. It really does make a difference." This book models that spirit of welcoming honest questions and giving meaningful answers.