Customer Reviews

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. Dee Brown (Arena Books)

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The historical account of what happened to the native Americans during the white settlement of the United States of America. This ranges from resettlement to out and out slaughter, rape and massacre. It also goes into detail about the propaganda, legal systems and economic problems of the time, as well.

Brown's chronicle of the systemic slaughter and betrayal of American Indians at the hands of the US government is the highly readable and heartbreaking history your social studies teacher never told you about. Dee Brown single-handedly turned back the American myth of the noble settlers fighting the savage Indians and his unimpeachable documentation to original sources has made this the definitive classic of Native American history.

Many people don't remember how important this book was in the Indian movement of the early '70s. It is an excellent overview of many of the major atrocities inflicted by white people and the government on Indians, beginning with Columbus (murdered or let die an entire nation) to Wounded Knee (another, another, another round 'em up and kill them action by the army). As Vine Deloria points out, the government had a perfect record in dealing with Indians: 600+ treaties made; 600+ treaties broken. An excellent starter book for anyone interested in learning about why Indians dislike state and federal governments.