An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

     This is an adaptation of a book written for adults, but this version is written for you, the YA crowd! Often times I like the YA version of a book better because it's still chock full of info but with a lot of the added, super specific material taken out. So I get the good stuff without the fluff. Like the filling of the Oreo without the cookies. Or without one cookie maybe...

    Many years ago a writer named Howard Zinn wrote A People's History of the United States. It was a brilliant book that told about major events in U.S. history, but from the perspective of the regular people, like you and my human, and not from the usual perspective of those who benefited from the event in some way. In other words, rather than tell about the March on Washington during the civil rights era from the government's viewpoint, it was told from the viewpoint of people who were actually participants of the march. What readers discovered is that the same story is very different when told from these different perspectives.

    Indigenous Peoples' History by Dunbar-Ortiz tells the story of the United States, but from the viewpoint of Native Americans. Same events that you learn about in school and in textbooks, but from the perspective of those on the receiving end of hundreds of years of broken promises, lies, oppression, violence...it's not a light read, for sure. But an important one. It's important for all of us to get as many perspectives as we can about the things that have - and do - shape our world. The more information we have from different sources and voices, the better we really understand what has or is happening, and we can craft our own opinions about it. 

    This book does not read as fluidly as a Steve Sheinkin book would (perhaps my favorite non-fiction author!). And at times it seems a little textbook-y. But this will give you a perspective on the history of this nation like none other you have ever read. It mostly presents information in a non-biased way, only occasionally slipping into opinion or bias, as far as I could tell. Even though it is a lot of information, and it won't likely read like a fiction book would, I still recommend it to you, and everyone, young and old. We need this information as citizens of this country so that we continue to be an informed nation, and not one that simply believes everything we hear and see as absolute truth. In this increasingly digital age, more and more of what we see and hear is not the truth. It is our responsibility to be informed. This book is an important step in that lifelong process. Read this. 4 paws!