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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
This book should be required reading for every US citizen.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A very emotionally hard read, but well worth it. These are the things I never learned in school. It gave me a whole new perspective on America’s horrific past and systemic oppression continuing to this day.
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Colonisation
This book is an informative, in-depth look at the history of the indigenous people of North and South America. By now we all know that the United States was founded on the genocide of the people that first existed here. It was a thriving nation whose people were well-fed and healthy before the invasion of the Europeans. Unfortunately for those first people, they had no framework which could have helped them understand the lies, betrayal, theft and genocide which would follow on the heels of the invaders like a hungry dog follows food.
Most of us also know about the numerous treaties which were broken, about the slaughter of civilians (Wounded Knee,for one,) and the forced marches (think Trail of Tears.) But the author makes me think and examine the racist tropes I've been fed my whole life. Not just the portrayal of Native Americans in television and movies, where Indians are always savages and the ones taking scalps and brutalizing poor innocent settlers. No, this looms so much larger than that as it addresses the complete fallacy which makes up the narrative of the US origin story.
You know, that story that says this country was settled by a group of poor, persecuted Europeans seeking religious freedom, who wanted only to escape tyranny. This story has it that these people came here and began to work the land, learning from the Native peoples. Think Thanksgiving. The story then goes on to say how these settlers fought courageously to gain their freedom from Britain so they could found a new nation based on principles like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Then hundreds of brave men and women continued to move westward, gradually at first, and then in droves, in search of new frontiers. The narrative continues that it was only natural and inevitable that the Indians would be removed, extinguished, terminated. It was Manifest Destiny.
The settlers had their heroes- Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, both of whom were ruthless killers of civilians as well as warriors. Note how both these men have been canonized and still are a big part of the American myth.
That we still revere any of the people who cheated, betrayed, lied to, and killed the Native Americans, US presidents included, is a shame and an embarrassment. Until we look back on our history, and own it, we will continue to repeat it. Which is exactly what we are doing. As the author says. over and over, the greed and racism that created the United States has extended across the globe via our foreign policy of imperialism.
Most of us also know about the numerous treaties which were broken, about the slaughter of civilians (Wounded Knee,for one,) and the forced marches (think Trail of Tears.) But the author makes me think and examine the racist tropes I've been fed my whole life. Not just the portrayal of Native Americans in television and movies, where Indians are always savages and the ones taking scalps and brutalizing poor innocent settlers. No, this looms so much larger than that as it addresses the complete fallacy which makes up the narrative of the US origin story.
You know, that story that says this country was settled by a group of poor, persecuted Europeans seeking religious freedom, who wanted only to escape tyranny. This story has it that these people came here and began to work the land, learning from the Native peoples. Think Thanksgiving. The story then goes on to say how these settlers fought courageously to gain their freedom from Britain so they could found a new nation based on principles like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Then hundreds of brave men and women continued to move westward, gradually at first, and then in droves, in search of new frontiers. The narrative continues that it was only natural and inevitable that the Indians would be removed, extinguished, terminated. It was Manifest Destiny.
The settlers had their heroes- Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, both of whom were ruthless killers of civilians as well as warriors. Note how both these men have been canonized and still are a big part of the American myth.
That we still revere any of the people who cheated, betrayed, lied to, and killed the Native Americans, US presidents included, is a shame and an embarrassment. Until we look back on our history, and own it, we will continue to repeat it. Which is exactly what we are doing. As the author says. over and over, the greed and racism that created the United States has extended across the globe via our foreign policy of imperialism.