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nclar17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Felt like a very good overview of American contributions to the modern world, but perhaps a bit vague at times.
janetll's review against another edition
It lost me at the bit about the overweight women . . .
jdintr's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me proud to be an American--and even more aware that my family's migration from Europe to America may have stemmed from the dramatic innovations of Native Americans!
There are so many fascinating wrinkles to history this book brings out, I can't recommend it highly enough. I think I learned more about my European roots through Weatherford's reflections on Native American advancements than I could have from any history of Europe. From metals to agriculture to medicine, Native Americans revolutionized the world and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.
I was particularly taken with Weatherford's insights into the influence of the Iroquois Nation on the U.S. Constitution. I had always wondered about the unique form of federalized democracy we had here, which I had previously ascribed to the genius of the Founding Fathers. Weatherford brought out many parallels with the Iroquois (who were among the first to recommend that American colonists unite--if for any other reason than that the Indians could negotiated with one State/Colony rather than multiple ones.
My own family's flight from Germany to the United States in 1898 may have had its seeds sown in the Andes Mountains, where Native Americans developed various forms of potato. Weatherford points out how German rulers encouraged/forced German peasants to adopt the potato (a better, more reliable, more calorie-dense food source) by taxing and closing mills for grinding flour. From family history, I know that my ancestors were millers at one point, although the family slipped into more working-class jobs right around the time of Frederick the Great (who, by the way, didn't rule the Badener region where we lived).
Either way, this is a fascinating book. It is a little dated, with references to the Soviet Union and marxist revolutionary movements, but it's insights are still important today.
There are so many fascinating wrinkles to history this book brings out, I can't recommend it highly enough. I think I learned more about my European roots through Weatherford's reflections on Native American advancements than I could have from any history of Europe. From metals to agriculture to medicine, Native Americans revolutionized the world and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.
I was particularly taken with Weatherford's insights into the influence of the Iroquois Nation on the U.S. Constitution. I had always wondered about the unique form of federalized democracy we had here, which I had previously ascribed to the genius of the Founding Fathers. Weatherford brought out many parallels with the Iroquois (who were among the first to recommend that American colonists unite--if for any other reason than that the Indians could negotiated with one State/Colony rather than multiple ones.
My own family's flight from Germany to the United States in 1898 may have had its seeds sown in the Andes Mountains, where Native Americans developed various forms of potato. Weatherford points out how German rulers encouraged/forced German peasants to adopt the potato (a better, more reliable, more calorie-dense food source) by taxing and closing mills for grinding flour. From family history, I know that my ancestors were millers at one point, although the family slipped into more working-class jobs right around the time of Frederick the Great (who, by the way, didn't rule the Badener region where we lived).
Either way, this is a fascinating book. It is a little dated, with references to the Soviet Union and marxist revolutionary movements, but it's insights are still important today.
colettieb's review against another edition
3.0
This is definitely pop history, and I felt that a great deal was oversimplified. Also, I kept feeling weird that this was a white historian’s voice rather than a native historian. That said, i learned quite a lot that I didn’t know before, and it helps to have something easily digestible since I know so little about native history. I’d recommend this for anyone trying to start their journey of learning about Native American cultures (ie, me)
elsiebrady's review against another edition
4.0
We have certainly taken for granted the gifts of the Indians to our world. And yet in our marginalization of the native populations we have lost much knowledge and opportunity to both grow and develop in ways that could have improved life for many in today's world
nightwater32's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up years ago and never got around to reading it until now. I'm glad I finally did. Fascinating look at what the natives of the Americas were able to offer the world that Europeans 'discovered', exploited, and went on to mostly screw up. I have a better understanding of just how much change happened in the rest of the world and how much we really do owe to the American natives as well as how much is really left out of our history books.