Review of 'Everything you wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
No single individual can fully speak for a large and diverse group, but a first-hand account can go a long way toward increased understanding of that group, especially when such accounts seem few and rarely noticed, and even more so when uninformed mythology about the group from outsiders is prevalent. This book offers that valuable internal insight into the experience of American Indians, and it presents the information and the author's views in a format that is generally very easy to read and understand. Ample resources are provided in the back of the book for further reading for those who would like to learn more and/or become active regarding issues addressed in the book.
I think this book, or at least books like it, should be considered "required" reading for residents of the Americas, at an early age, to better understand the actual history of the land and its peoples, …
No single individual can fully speak for a large and diverse group, but a first-hand account can go a long way toward increased understanding of that group, especially when such accounts seem few and rarely noticed, and even more so when uninformed mythology about the group from outsiders is prevalent. This book offers that valuable internal insight into the experience of American Indians, and it presents the information and the author's views in a format that is generally very easy to read and understand. Ample resources are provided in the back of the book for further reading for those who would like to learn more and/or become active regarding issues addressed in the book.
I think this book, or at least books like it, should be considered "required" reading for residents of the Americas, at an early age, to better understand the actual history of the land and its peoples, rather than the glossed-over histories written over the centuries by immigrant (e.g., European) populations and their descendants. Whether or not you agree with the views the author presents, it is useful for immigrant descendants like myself to have an understanding of how our neighbors see us, and it is useful for Indians to see the bigger picture beyond their everyday experiences.
Because this book was written to be read either linearly or in pieces, there is some repetition that is more noticeable when reading it linearly (front to back, as I read it), but I don't think it seriously detracts from the book.
