33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
revisionist distortions, January 16, 2006
This review is from: If You Lived With The Iroquois (Paperback)
I am fascinated by the cultures of the Iroquois, the Algonquins, and the other nations of New York State. Therefore, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that any well-read adult will note the many historical inaccuracies in this book. It paints a too-rosy picture of Iroquois life; indeed, they seem like the perfect people with a civilization far outstripping ours in their peacable ways. There are subtly misleading statements regarding religious toleration, women in government, and many other politicaly correct topics. And there was no mention of the continual wars waged by the Iroquois league upon all of the neighboring tribes - a huge omission.
I will point out only one particular error: on page 70, the book states: "There was no such thing as slavery." Unfortunately, the Iroquois were just as human as Europeans and the rest of mankind, and were well known middlemen in the slave trade between their eastern and western neighbors.
I have a great respect for the Iroquois and the other peoples that lived here before us. I don't think we are treating them respectfully by whitewashing their very humanity. Nor do I think we are treating our children respectfully by omitting certain unpleasant facts and prettying up others.
I gave this book more than one star because it did contain some useful information about food, clothing, and ceremonies.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If You Lived With The Iroquois, September 21, 2000
This review is from: If You Lived With The Iroquois (Paperback)
Ellen Levine and illustrator Shelly Hehenberger have created a delightful book that takes the young reader into a historical look at life as an Iroquois Indian. The eighty page book is divided into subtitles which concisely tell the story of daily living for the early Iroquois people. As the book is written in second person, the reader is drawn into the story and feels as if he or she is experiencing tribal life. The soft muted colors of the illustrations give the book a feeling of serenity while the writing covers an extraordinary amount of information for young readers.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If You Lived with the Iroquois, February 22, 2006
This review is from: If You Lived With The Iroquois (Paperback)
This is a great book for middle school aged children. I used it to study the Iroquois in my social studies classes. It is very informative without overwhelming younger children with too much information. The book was fun to read, and held the interest of my students. Also, I made my own worksheets/tests by dividing the book into different sections. The students all enjoyed this unit on the Iroquois and learned a great deal about the Native Americans.
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