This is a revised and expanded edition of a popular 1991 booklet that changed the way "the discovery of America" is taught in classroom and community settings. The new edition has over 100 pp. of new material, including a role-play trial of Columbus, materials on Thanksgiving Day, resources, historical documents, poetry, and more. It will help readers replace murky legends with a better sense of who we are and why we are here -- and celebrates over 500 years of the courageous struggles and lasting wisdom of native peoples.
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The original edition made educational history by introducing a startling new view of Columbus. In the revised edition e get even richer material, a marvelous compendium of history, literature, original sources, commentary ... an exciting treasure for teachers and students. --Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
About the Author
Bill Bigelow is a widely-published author and editor of the award-winning journal, Rethinking Schools. He teaches high-school history in Portland, Oregon. Bob Peterson is a founding editor of Rethinking Schools and teaches 5th grande at a bilingual Spanish/English school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By J. Mathew
Format:Paperback
As a history teacher who feels it is my responsibility to teach histories that have been marginalized and to teach truth that has been denied, Rethinking Columbus (and other books put out by Rethinking Schools) is tremendously useful, not only for the practical ideas for lesson plans and activities (which are wonderful), but also for the general message of the importance of critical thinking among students and teachers. I wish curriculum of this sort had been shared with me in my teacher education program.
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By A. Gold
Format:Paperback
Rethinking Columbus provides a variety of resources, includign articles, essays, poems, song lyrics. lesson plan ideas, maps, lists, book reviews, and itnerviews. All around the central theme of finding an accurate interpretation of the Native American experience in the Americas since Columbus landed here in 1492. It is especially useful as a place for alternative resources that might be used in the classroom in the form of copyable pages that could be read to or by students, depending on their reading level. The status quo in our system is to teach about Columbus as a hero who "discovered" America. This book gives us an alternative version, where Columbus's actions instigate mass genocide, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and issues of opression that Native American's still suffer today.
The book does not contain fully detailed lesson plans, but has several pages of ideas for lessons with appropriate resources. There is an elementary and a secondary section, the secondary section covers mroe modern issues Native Americans face, while the elementary section covers more of the history. The book has two articles that review children's literature surrounding Columbus. The article on traditional literature shows the massive dismissal in a majority of the books of Native People as human beings of worth, only the white people have names, they are heroes, it is told from only their point of view. The second article reviews books that attempt to be more culturally relevant, while all of these also have problems. I was frustrated reading this, because it did not review books that were completely apprppriate, and maybe there aren't many. They did list a few in the back of the book. But by having the reviews of where there could be problems with the literature, teachers can still use the resources and discuss with their students how the author might have gotten it wrong.
Since the book is comprised of a series of articles, it is not one you have to read front to back. You can pick it up and easily read a section, and it could be something you could come to with a specific topic and easily find a resource without dredging through long passages.
The book could go into further detail about connections outside social studies, such as the accomplishments of native peoples in the areas of science, math, and other areas.
The book does not contain fully detailed lesson plans, but has several pages of ideas for lessons with appropriate resources. There is an elementary and a secondary section, the secondary section covers mroe modern issues Native Americans face, while the elementary section covers more of the history. The book has two articles that review children's literature surrounding Columbus. The article on traditional literature shows the massive dismissal in a majority of the books of Native People as human beings of worth, only the white people have names, they are heroes, it is told from only their point of view. The second article reviews books that attempt to be more culturally relevant, while all of these also have problems. I was frustrated reading this, because it did not review books that were completely apprppriate, and maybe there aren't many. They did list a few in the back of the book. But by having the reviews of where there could be problems with the literature, teachers can still use the resources and discuss with their students how the author might have gotten it wrong.
Since the book is comprised of a series of articles, it is not one you have to read front to back. You can pick it up and easily read a section, and it could be something you could come to with a specific topic and easily find a resource without dredging through long passages.
The book could go into further detail about connections outside social studies, such as the accomplishments of native peoples in the areas of science, math, and other areas.
39 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I always thought that there was another story to every history event. They always just told us about the preditures doings and not what happened to the victims. I never knew the whole truth about the Columbus aventure. I also never heard of the way they treated Native Americans when they came into our country. I recommend this book to all school systems. All students and adults should know the truth about their hero. This book also made me look at other events in the past that the regular history books left out. I hope to learn more about the truth from other history events that happened. This is the best book that I read in a long time.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truth be told...
More Americans (and the world) should read this! It's shameful to continue to see how Columbus continues to be celebrated as some sort of American hero when the facts are that he... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ruben Lopez
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poor quality control
I have not finished the book, but from what I have read I would not suggest the book to Anglos unless they are very open minded as the book is definitely a frontal assault on those... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Scott Pridie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rethinking Columbus:The Next 500 Years
I think everyone should read this book! I think they should teach this in schools.It is an excellent book and I'm proud to own it!
Published 5 months ago by Jamie DesChenes
2.0 out of 5 stars
Columbus
Columbus was a man of his time, obeying the laws of the time. Judging him using the laws of today isn't something an educator should waste time on. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dorothy P. Niemi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
I had seen on a website that this book had been banned from some schools in Arizona. So I immediately had to get it and see what the fuss was. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ken
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely necessary
This is an outstanding book and necessary component of every young, and older, person's education. I've used it at both the middle and high school levels, and it sets up for great... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jesse Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now Banned in AZ schools
I hope that being one of the most widely assigned among the books recently banned in AZ public schools will result in a surge of interest toward it.
Published 16 months ago by Justin Gross
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Very interesting"!!
I attended a worshop on Native Americans. The leader used quite a bit of information from 'Rethinking Columbus'. Read more
Published 20 months ago by anson
1.0 out of 5 stars
Revisionist
This book is unfortunately an unfair and biased interpretation of American history. I recommend more centrist, unopinionated material.
Published on February 24, 2010 by john washington
1.0 out of 5 stars
drivel........
Bigelow seeks to shamelessly use the schools as the propaganda arm for his obsolescent pseudo Marxist horse hockey - despite having absoltuely no democratically mandated authority... Read more
Published on June 5, 2006 by Indigenous wise man
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