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britanygayle's review
5.0
I'm a proud Cherokee but I grew up in a white household and didn't learn any of my culture, history, or what it meant to be Cherokee. I didn't even become enrolled in my tribe until I was 21. so I'm very late in learning exactly who I am. but I'm working very hard to remedy that. this book taught me so much about the cherokees and native Americans in general. plus I gained a new hero. I highly encourage everyone even non natives to read this just to gain a new perspective and a new respect for what my people were put through and honestly still being thru by our federal government. of course this went on my buy list.
rsm_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Wilma Mankiller is the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation with an incredible story to tell. She rose to the leading position within her tribe, all while dealing with chronic health problems and structural injustices in her life and the lives of her people. Chapters alternate between personal narrative and tribe history, with each beginning with a Cherokee teaching. It’s a beautiful interwoven tapestry of legend, communal account, and individual story.
I learned about pieces of our history I have never known about, like how American colonists destroyed 50 Cherokee towns during the Revolutionary War. And how the Eastern Band of Cherokee (those who hid in the mountains during Removal) and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma reunited for the first time after Removal in 1984. 1984. What a tragically long wait to be united as one people again. I also learned that Jefferson was the original architect of Indian Removal through the lens of “Western expansion,” and Jackson was simply the one who had the gall to carry it out.
I also got to delve deeper into well known pieces of Cherokee history, from the syllabary of Sequoyah to the Treaty of New Echota and the Dawes Act. And hearing about beauty of the Smoky and Rocky Mountains through indigenous eyes was revelatory.
Mankiller’s family was one of those affected by the Indian termination and relocation policies of the 1950s, as her family was relocated from their family land on Mankiller Flats in Oklahoma to San Francisco. Away from family. Away from tradition. Away from other Cherokee. What they found in the city was life piled into a cramped ghetto apartment, long hard days of work in a factory, and no culture to ground them. Wilma speaks of the isolation she felt at her new school and neighborhood, and it is gutting.
She experiences renewal of identity and purpose during the Occupation of Alcatraz and it is there on that island that she finds her political voice. After this, she becomes convinced that she needs to move back to her ancestral homelands in Oklahoma and does so, beginning her successful career in tribal politics.
Wilma Mankiller is a fierce woman who was raised to know her worth in a world that inherently discredits her. It’s a beauty to read her story of triumph and leadership, and the heartaches along the way. Highly recommend the autobiography of this powerhouse of a woman.
I learned about pieces of our history I have never known about, like how American colonists destroyed 50 Cherokee towns during the Revolutionary War. And how the Eastern Band of Cherokee (those who hid in the mountains during Removal) and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma reunited for the first time after Removal in 1984. 1984. What a tragically long wait to be united as one people again. I also learned that Jefferson was the original architect of Indian Removal through the lens of “Western expansion,” and Jackson was simply the one who had the gall to carry it out.
I also got to delve deeper into well known pieces of Cherokee history, from the syllabary of Sequoyah to the Treaty of New Echota and the Dawes Act. And hearing about beauty of the Smoky and Rocky Mountains through indigenous eyes was revelatory.
Mankiller’s family was one of those affected by the Indian termination and relocation policies of the 1950s, as her family was relocated from their family land on Mankiller Flats in Oklahoma to San Francisco. Away from family. Away from tradition. Away from other Cherokee. What they found in the city was life piled into a cramped ghetto apartment, long hard days of work in a factory, and no culture to ground them. Wilma speaks of the isolation she felt at her new school and neighborhood, and it is gutting.
She experiences renewal of identity and purpose during the Occupation of Alcatraz and it is there on that island that she finds her political voice. After this, she becomes convinced that she needs to move back to her ancestral homelands in Oklahoma and does so, beginning her successful career in tribal politics.
Wilma Mankiller is a fierce woman who was raised to know her worth in a world that inherently discredits her. It’s a beauty to read her story of triumph and leadership, and the heartaches along the way. Highly recommend the autobiography of this powerhouse of a woman.
debv23's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
The most comprehensive history of Native Americans I've read. Glad I finished as the last few chapters were the individual autobiography I was craving.
lynzobergs's review
5.0
Truly an inspirational woman who believed she could make a difference for the Cherokee people - and who definitely did while she was principal chief. I'm not sure I had much knowledge of that Nation's people outside of the Trail of Tears, and I was glad to learn more.
Wilma Mankiller's life was also fascinating - from being born and raised in Mankiller Flats in OK, to her family's relocation to the SF/Bay Area, to her time at Alcatraz. And the very real changes for the betterment of the Cherokee Nation she made before, during & after her tenure. I am definitely adding Wilma Mankiller to my list of badass women I look up to.
Wilma Mankiller's life was also fascinating - from being born and raised in Mankiller Flats in OK, to her family's relocation to the SF/Bay Area, to her time at Alcatraz. And the very real changes for the betterment of the Cherokee Nation she made before, during & after her tenure. I am definitely adding Wilma Mankiller to my list of badass women I look up to.
mfkelly323's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
charleslane's review against another edition
5.0
An extraordinary story from a woman who cherishes her culture and made an incredible positive impact on the world. I really appreciate how Mankiller frames her own story within the entirety of the history of her Cherokee people. A must read for all Americans to learn our own history in relationship to Native Americans.
plaidpladd's review against another edition
4.0
The scope of this book really surprised me: it's both a personal memoir and a broader history of the Cherokee. I learned a lot.
rmwh's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book for a Women & Gender Studies class and it opened my eyes to the full Native American experience in California, not just the footnotes we're given in history classes. We tend to think of the trail of tears as the end of Native relocation, but it continues in many insidious ways. As for the author herself, she does an excellent job of sharing personal details and connecting her family to the overall Native experience. Highly recommend.