An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People

by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Jean Mendoza, and Debbie Reese

This history of the place, people, and politics of this land from an Indigenous perspective... read more

This history of the place, people, and politics of this land from an Indigenous perspective rather than through a lens of American exceptionalism will offer a provocative shift for the majority of young readers. It emphasizes Indigenous agency, resistance, and resilience to colonialism across centuries of racist, rationalized violence against Native peoples, whose cultures and identities are numerous and complex. This adaption by Mendoza and Reese of Dunbar- Ortiz’s adult book strikes a tone remarkable for its invitation to consider rather than desire to lecture, even as it definitively challenges the way middle and high schoolers are typically taught to understand the conquest of this land. A final chapter looks at the 21s -century Standing Rock resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline, which underscores that this history is still playing out today. End matter includes a recommended reading list of Native-authored books for children and teens. Source notes and index are included in this exceptional challenge to the dominant narrative of U. S. history. (Age 12 and older)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020

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