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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
Important information, not my favorite audiobook narrator
An absolute must-read, especially for those who feel that their education lacked a full narrative of what has happened on this soil.
"The late Native historian Jack Forbes always stressed that while living persons are not responsible for what their ancestors did, they are responsible for the society they live in, which is a product of that past."
"The future will not be mad with loss and waste though the memory will
Be there: eyes will become kind and deep, and the bones of this nation
Will mend after the revolution."
"The late Native historian Jack Forbes always stressed that while living persons are not responsible for what their ancestors did, they are responsible for the society they live in, which is a product of that past."
"The future will not be mad with loss and waste though the memory will
Be there: eyes will become kind and deep, and the bones of this nation
Will mend after the revolution."
As several people have mentioned here and in other reviews, the book's contents were not exactly what I expected. I would have titled the book, "The History of the United States as Experienced by Indigenous Peoples". I, too, was looking forward to a book that shut down the narrative that indigenous peoples do not have a history. When I reflected on this, though, I had to admit that writing such an account would neatly side-step the damning truths about the United States' shameful, illegal, and cruel treatment of the people who lived here before Europeans arrived to colonize this portion of the world (as they did nearly all other places). We will only be able to accept fully the history of indigenous people when we acknowledge our (European) responsibility for the genocide of peoples, their traditions, their language, their relationships with the environment and each other, and all other aspects of their culture. Some day, I hope this author - and others - can begin to give a fuller accounting of the true history of the place where I live. It will begin with the history and stories of the indigenous people who lived here. My rating reflects my personal response to the book, and should not be interpreted to rate the value and quality of the book. In that regard, I would rate it highly valuable, thoroughly researched, and brilliantly written.
depressingly informative, particularly re: ways in which the modern military pays knowing tribute to historical perpetrators of native genocide. narration unnecessarily repetitive in places.
I thought that Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz did a great job of bringing attention to many of the historical wrongs that the US government performed against the Native Americans. The only reason why I would not have rated it higher is that her organization of the book seems to be all over the place. There's parts where you are analyzing history and then jumping to modern politicians in almost the same breath. I feel like the argument would have been much stronger if she created a narrative by establishing the line of history and the constant betrayals of treaties and the active warfare against native americans and their culture while populating the West and then followed up with the modern implications afterwards. I felt like it was somewhat distracted and could have used a better editor.
informative
slow-paced
Horrifying. That said, I certainly learned a lot from this book and so could a many others. I believe it was an "everybody reads" choice for Native American Heritage Month at MultCoLib so it was immediately available.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced