From The Heart: Voices of the American Indian [Paperback]

Lee Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 1996

Excerpts from Native American speeches--by Moctezuma, Tecumseh, Cochise, Sitting Bull, and others--accompanied by commentary by non-Indian observers, provide an eloquent overview of five hundred years of fateful encounters between Europeans and Native Americans. Reprint. AB.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is a very sad tale (more properly, tales) of the gradual yet relentless persecution of the American Indian by white settlers and adventurers from the first contacts until the late 19th century. To set the record straight ("to destroy the flawed image of the Indian created so long ago"), editor/narrator Miller offers excerpts of speeches and brief statements from both Natives and whites to illustrate their respective attitudes toward each other. Organized into 12 major geographical regions, the stories of white brutality are presented without relief, and the reader is likely to experience various emotional responses, including horror, anger, outrage, and dismay. Documentation, however, is nil. Apart from individual names and tribal affiliation, little is known of the Indians whose voices are raised; nor is any source material cited (or, in some cases, identification made) for the corresponding voices of whites. Recommended for those libraries that strive for comprehensive coverage of the American Indian.?Charles E. Perry, East Central Univ., Ada, Okla.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Miller has expertly culled hundreds of remarkable excerpts from Native American speeches given over the course of four tragic centuries. From 1500 to 1900, as explorers, settlers, soldiers, and government agents attempted to eradicate Indian civilization from the North American continent, a rich cultural legacy of endurance, pride, and resistance was forged by outspoken and heroic representatives of virtually every Indian nation. Arranged by region and chronology, these extraordinarily moving extracts are placed into appropriate historical context by Miller's descriptive narrative. In addition, pertinent quotations of non-Indian witnesses are also included. A haunting and eloquent anthology that serves as a testament to the courage and the nobility of Native Americans in the face of physical and spiritual genocide. Margaret Flanagan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (April 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679768912
• ISBN-13: 978-0679768913
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,214,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read, July 12, 2000

By 

Leslie Fiscella (Millsboro, Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From The Heart: Voices of the American Indian (Hardcover)

An inspiring, colorful, and well-written account of the history of Indian people. Ms. Miller has a unique and riveting way of presenting the material, in story form, through the vast testimonies of people who actually experienced it. We are given glimpses of a way of life and a relationship with the earth that are scare among modern people. I highly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An experience of native American emotions., February 19, 2002

By 

Mr S.Campbell (Belfast, Northern Ireland, G.B.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From The Heart: Voices of the American Indian (Hardcover)

To study the history of the demise of the native Americans at the hands of the white settlers, is to hurt, to hate, to mourn and to wonder. This book, if nothing else, brings those feelings into sharper focus, makes them raw and gives us an insight into the sheer desolation and sense of hopelessness experienced by those Indian victims of so long ago.
Though slightly repetitive in it's format and content, it still managed to hold my attention by the solemnity and the wisdom of those true heroes of the wild west.
My advice would be, to read such books as, "Bury my heart at wounded knee" by Dee Brown, to gain a reasonably comprehensive knowledge of the process of America's "ethnic cleansing" policy, prior to reading this book. Following this, you'll be suitably depressed enough to tackle this necessary literary insight into the native American psyche.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Heart: voices of the American Indian, June 26, 2000

By 

M. Richardson (New York, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From The Heart: Voices of the American Indian (Hardcover)

A compassionate, inspiring book about the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Set against the backdrop of the European/American/Indian wars, we are able to hear the stunningly eloquent and heroic words of Indian people themselves who fought with tremendous courage for a lifestyle worth keeping. This is an inspiring book - if these leaders can have such strength in the face of such numbing sadness, certainly we can take a lesson from this and better face our much smaller problems of today. Also surprising and never seen before are the number of Indian nations whose speeches are included in the book - from the Assateague to the Tolowa - many, many nations are heard.