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fairchildone's review against another edition
5.0
This took me time to finish because I would read a chapter before bed and then just lay awake, devastated and heartbroken, and it would take me a couple weeks to build up the mental fortitude to read the next chapter. That said, this should be mandatory reading for everyone in the US. This belies so many of the United States' claims: being a nation that respects the rule of law, that holds moral high ground, that is honest and respects its treaties. We are a nation that massacres men, women and children, including when they have surrendered or are just saying hello or otherwise peaceful. We are a nation that repeatedly and brazenly breaks treaties and refuses to hold its own citizens to account when they break the law. We are a nation that lies and steals and cheats and does so under the pretext of moral and cultural superiority, even when we're too stupid to contemplate or understand other cultures. And if we don't learn that history, we will continue to repeat it. Indeed, we are repeating it in our support of other nations that commit these atrocities. We need to repent.
This book is just the facts of what happened, with minimal to no editorializing, and it is still absolutely devastating. Compellingly written. Incisive quotes. Historical context. This is a book that absolutely merits the 5 stars I've given it.
This book is just the facts of what happened, with minimal to no editorializing, and it is still absolutely devastating. Compellingly written. Incisive quotes. Historical context. This is a book that absolutely merits the 5 stars I've given it.
ethan0lsen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
The history of the Native Americans is one often glossed over in modern American history classes, so Dee Brown’s study filled in a major hole in my education.
The unfortunate fact is that the history is repetitively bleak as individual nations were repeatedly terrorized by the same systems, tactics, and people who only sought to take everything of importance from them.
Though an incredibly difficult and often depressing read, the experience is still rewarding as the care with which Brown approached this project is obvious in the immense detail given to each nation. Photographic collections are compiled for each group and for each nation we mourn, there are even some of their main songs included so you can get a more complete picture of their character.
If there was a way to make this required reading for all Americans at some point during our education, I would
The unfortunate fact is that the history is repetitively bleak as individual nations were repeatedly terrorized by the same systems, tactics, and people who only sought to take everything of importance from them.
Though an incredibly difficult and often depressing read, the experience is still rewarding as the care with which Brown approached this project is obvious in the immense detail given to each nation. Photographic collections are compiled for each group and for each nation we mourn, there are even some of their main songs included so you can get a more complete picture of their character.
If there was a way to make this required reading for all Americans at some point during our education, I would
evilchocho's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
dilly_bar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
ddeblieck_13's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-paced
3.75
I understand that history has probably moved beyond this book. Its language is somewhat dated, and there are certainly times where the author is too paternalistic towards American Indians. It also depicts Wounded Knee as the end of the American Indian, which it certainly was not. However, it was (as far as I am aware) one of the first books that rejected the narrative of civilized whites with a destiny to control North America and instead more accurately depict the treachery of the US government in its treatment towards Native Americans. For that, I still think it is worth reading.
Fast paced, quick read (despite its length). Another book that would be a great first semester of college read to break 18 year olds out of the rah-rah-Go-America mindset that a lot of people get taught in high school. A ton of this book occurred in Nebraska so I'm surprised I haven't heard any of my students talk about it being required reading. Not that they would probably read it even if it were assigned, but oh well.
Fast paced, quick read (despite its length). Another book that would be a great first semester of college read to break 18 year olds out of the rah-rah-Go-America mindset that a lot of people get taught in high school. A ton of this book occurred in Nebraska so I'm surprised I haven't heard any of my students talk about it being required reading. Not that they would probably read it even if it were assigned, but oh well.
adrimarnusc's review against another edition
4.0
Not so much a Native American history but definitely an army story of how we systematically pushed people out of their own country. Heartbreaking story that was extremely difficult to get through at times.
w8godot32's review against another edition
5.0
An important book-- and just crushing as you see the inhumane treatment time after time with the greed and the prejudice. It was disheartening to follow along and know what the fate of these people was destined to be. I always believed that good people outnumbered evil ones. Maybe that rule was skipped for this episode of our history. Or maybe the good ones just chose to look the other way while the American exterminations took place.
"The more Indians we can kill... the less will have to be killed the next war, for the more I see of these Indians, the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers." William Tecumseh Sherman
"The more Indians we can kill... the less will have to be killed the next war, for the more I see of these Indians, the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers." William Tecumseh Sherman
harlando's review against another edition
4.0
Awesome! This was a great book and really enjoyed it.
I don't think I was taught (public school, midwest, mid 80s to mid 90s) much about the Indian wars outside to the little bighorn and a passing mention of the trail of tears. It probably should have occurred to me that something was going on. The history texts made it seem like there were lots of native Americans around when Louis and Clark crossed the continent and that they somehow disappeared by the end of the civil war.
Clearly, they didn't just disappear. They were harried and harassed in a long series of military and civilian actions that did leave Native American's vastly depleted and dispossessed by the 1860s with those last battles of the Indian wars just around the corner.
I think the colonization of the Americas is the closest real world analogue to a sci-fi invasion from another planet. Cultural differences between Europeans and native Americans were deep. They were the same species, but I think that the two were about as far apart as one could get. The same would be true of European-aboriginal contact in Australia.
I don't think I was taught (public school, midwest, mid 80s to mid 90s) much about the Indian wars outside to the little bighorn and a passing mention of the trail of tears. It probably should have occurred to me that something was going on. The history texts made it seem like there were lots of native Americans around when Louis and Clark crossed the continent and that they somehow disappeared by the end of the civil war.
Clearly, they didn't just disappear. They were harried and harassed in a long series of military and civilian actions that did leave Native American's vastly depleted and dispossessed by the 1860s with those last battles of the Indian wars just around the corner.
I think the colonization of the Americas is the closest real world analogue to a sci-fi invasion from another planet. Cultural differences between Europeans and native Americans were deep. They were the same species, but I think that the two were about as far apart as one could get. The same would be true of European-aboriginal contact in Australia.