Anton Treuer

This book was written as a resource for both Indians and non-Indians to use as an informational text while being entertained. It is filled with questions regarding Native American people and their lives which stem from stereotyping, lack of knowledge, historical misconceptions, and lack of truthful representation of Native American people. Treuer answers the questions throughout the book using Native humor to explain why while showing respect to fellow Natives and other Native nations. He uses his expertise and experience to aid understanding in an engaging way. I highly recommend this book to young adolescents and adults in every ethnic groups and in all professionals.… (lisätietoja)

Glad I picked this up. It ended up being sort of a collateral read when I was researching book titles to focus on for a class project. I didn’t end up going with this title, but having it at home, and reading There There got me curious.
The author makes it clear from the beginning that he doesn’t speak for all Indians (American Indians). A lot of history he provides encompasses the experiences of more than one nation, and it provides a good intro/overview of important topics. I appreciated what he had to say and how he said it. This book was eye-opening and educational, and it’s given me a lot to think about. I’ve seen complaints in other reviews that it’s repetitive, but I was glad that he re-emphasized things and referred back to previous passages. As I get older, I worry about retaining the nonfiction I read, so his style worked well for me.
There’s a long list of recommended reading and viewing in the back of the book for those who want to dig deeper into individual issues. I think this would be great required reading for high schools across the country.… (lisätietoja)

Extensively researched and explained

This book is such an impressive and complete documentation of the lives of Hole in the Day the Elder and the Younger. Franzoni (who wrote and produced “The Gladiator” and “Amistad”) will be making it into a major motion picture movie next year.

The book begins by telling about Hole in the Day, the father, and how he slowly came to power without having hereditary rights to do so. He was a charismatic speaker and a warrior. His death is concisely told. The next part of the book tells about how Hole in the Day the Younger quickly assumed his father’s role to help his people. The last part of the book, after his assassination, explains how difficult life became for those left behind — and why. It explains why the assassination was such a mystery for so long. Treuer pieces it all together for the reader.

… (lisätietoja)

I saw Dr. Treuer speak in Grand Marais, MN. I wanted to read this book after meeting him.
He is an excellent speaker and writer.
A quote from the book:
"Many tribal languages were never written. Why do they write them now? At one point in time, white people never used cars, so why do they use them now?"
He says we need to confront our collective past, historical trauma, and inequities.
The format of giving answers to commonly stated questions makes the reading clear and meaningful. Very informative.
… (lisätietoja)