The Complete Idiot's Guide to Native American History (Paperback)

by Walter C. Fleming (Author) "Probably no other group in the United States is and has been so misunderstood as Native Americans..." (more)
Key Phrases: code talking, boarding school system, tribal colleges, United States, Tribal Truths, Code Talking (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book is a comprehensive overview of the history and culture of the peoples who are now known as the First Americans. Author Walter C. Fleming covers the many different tribes that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific, including compelling biographies of their greatest leaders. He examines the beliefs, customs, legends and the myriad contributions Native Americans have given to modern society, and details the often tragic history of their conquest by European invaders, their treatment-both historical and recent-under the U.S. government, and the harsh reality of life on today's reservations. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 311 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028644697
• ISBN-13: 978-0028644691
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #339,436 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whining? Hardly. , February 15, 2005

By	Trisha Rose Jacobs - See all my reviews

This book is as complete as any single volume can be in spanning Native American History. It covers terminology, law, and culture as well as an account of the United States government's treatment of Native Peoples.

And it does so without belaboring the obvious, that killing people and stealing their land is wrong. In fact, the author was restrained and in no single spot that I can recall did he resort to outright moralizing. Instead, he remained fairly neutral, making the topic approachable.

I would reccomend this book to any literate person.

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a survey book..., April 25, 2009

By	K. Lyman "Paul D Trigger" (Bozeman, MT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A basically a glance at everything from pre-columbian to the present. Obviously, this can be broken down into 1000s of subtopics. It's a good introductory book to the basic aspects of Native American studies.

The tone set by Fleming is obviously a native perspective. That's great, as we already have plenty of white perspectives. Regardless, some of the things he says are objectionable, but i highly doubt any of the facts are false. Ironically though, some of the things in this book are claimed false by other books. That's just the nature of this topic.

This book is best to be accompanied by other books. It's difficult finding accurate information on this subject though. It's best to stay away from scientific and anthropological books, which can be very inaccurate and biased.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Waste Your Time or Your Money, June 8, 2007

By	Along Red River of the North "JMS" (Moorhead, MN) - See all my reviews

While the concept and format are good, this book is so riddled with errors that it will not help anyone learn more about American Indian history.