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A review by elisekatherine
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
2.0
As I commented while I was reading, I agree with the overall thesis of this book: that the US acted as a colonizer to the Indigenous nations of North America, and perpetrated a campaign of genocide against those nations. That said, I found this book immensely frustrating in execution.
When talking about Native history specifically, Dunbar-Ortiz was quite strong. My problems with this book were twofold, both related:
-The low-key liberal antisemitism that cropped up, especially in descriptions of Israel (most notably comparing it with the Afrikaaner apartheid in South Africa, which completely disregards the very distinct historical circumstances of those two nations, and the complicated history of Israel's founding.
-The tendency to play loosely with historical fact for rhetorical force.
The description of Obama as a "typical descendant of settlers" also made me raise my eyebrows a little, considering that "mixed-race and half Kenyan" does not exactly describe the "typical settlers" Dunbar-Ortiz was referring to.
I wanted to like this book. I'm very interested in being more informed about Native American history and discussions of US usurpation of Native lands continues to be incredibly relevant - the "Indian wars" are not over. But I cannot recommend this specific book as a good place to find that information.
When talking about Native history specifically, Dunbar-Ortiz was quite strong. My problems with this book were twofold, both related:
-The low-key liberal antisemitism that cropped up, especially in descriptions of Israel (most notably comparing it with the Afrikaaner apartheid in South Africa, which completely disregards the very distinct historical circumstances of those two nations, and the complicated history of Israel's founding.
-The tendency to play loosely with historical fact for rhetorical force.
The description of Obama as a "typical descendant of settlers" also made me raise my eyebrows a little, considering that "mixed-race and half Kenyan" does not exactly describe the "typical settlers" Dunbar-Ortiz was referring to.
I wanted to like this book. I'm very interested in being more informed about Native American history and discussions of US usurpation of Native lands continues to be incredibly relevant - the "Indian wars" are not over. But I cannot recommend this specific book as a good place to find that information.