1. Bibliography
Mendoza, Jean, & Debbie Reese. 2019. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807049402. Adapted from “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States,” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, 2014, Beacon Press.
2. Plot Summary
Written like a textbook that teens actually want to read, Mendoza and Reese’s adaptation of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States is chock-full of information from a uniquely Indigenous perspective. The book begins pre-1492 with a history and celebration of the peoples and cultures who inhabited the Americas. In the following seven chapters, Mendoza and Reese highlight the calculated devastation and destruction brought about by European colonizers and the American grab for land no matter the cost. The final two chapters detail the Indigenous fight for sovereignty and rights, including the very recent Standing Rock Protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and invite readers to find ways to defend Native American rights. Each chapter includes pictures, headings, “did you know?” sections, and questions for reflection. The book also includes back matter sections for further reading, book recommendations, chapter notes and image credits, and contains a thorough index.
3. Critical Analysis
Look no further than this book to take readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Highs include learning about advanced pre-European civilizations and the victories for the Dakota Pipeline protestors. Lows include chapter upon chapter of horrific descriptions of the death and destruction incited upon tribe after tribe after tribe, and unfair killings conducted on unsuspecting, often nonviolent Native children, women, elders, and men. Chapters two through eight are heavy with traumatic events that, the authors argue, have led to intergenerational trauma for Native Americans, passed down through generations of abuse. While the lows of the Native American peoples are important to acknowledge and the decimation of entire populations is no small thing, I do wish that there were more stories of resiliency since, as emphasized in An Indigenous Peoples’ History, Native Americans are not extinct. They have overcome incredibly difficult odds and they are still here!
Still, the text is focused and understandable and the format of the book is attractive, both a huge plus for the teen target audience. Chapters are broken into short and manageable parts and images pair well with text. Sections on recommended books and topics for further reading are thoughtful and well-prepared. Footnotes are extensive, evidence of thorough research, and the index is impressive in its scope. The information found in the book is also fresh and is often illuminating, offering sharp insights: Why did settlers often have such an easy time cultivating the “new” and “wild” land? Maybe, Mendoza and Reese suggest, because the land was already being cultivated by the Native population who had lived there for thousands of years! The text also reviews treaties promising Natives land, treaties that were signed by one American president and then ignored by the next. It highlights the unfair treatment of Natives by some of America’s most highly revered presidents, men like Thomas Jefferson (who schemed up ways to make Natives secede their lands) and Abraham Lincoln (who authorized the largest mass execution in U.S. history). This Native-centered history isn’t something teens are likely to learn about in their U.S. history class, making the book invaluable as a resource for students looking to gain a more nuanced perspective of their country. All teen collections should include this book.
4. Rewards and Review Excerpts
Cybils Awards, 2019, Nominee, Nonfiction
Booklist Book Review Stars, 2019
Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, 2019
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2020, Grades 6-8
School Library Journal Best Books, 2019, Nonfiction
From CCBC: “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. . . . 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.”
From Booklist: “This adaptation of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (2014) should be required reading for all middle and high schoolers and their teachers. Dunbar-Ortiz’s scrutinous accounts of Indigenous histories are well-known among history buffs, and in this revision by Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza, the same level of detail is maintained while still accommodating a teenage audience.”
5. Connections
Invite teenagers to explore the blog written by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese and dedicated to topics related to The Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People found at https://iph4yp.blogspot.com/. Use the teacher’s guide found there to initiate discussion about the book with teens.
After reading The Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People with teens, create a display of some of the books recommended by Mendoza and Reese at the end of TIPH and allow them to browse the selection:
- Bruchac, Joseph. Hidden Roots. ISBN 9780439353588
- Charleyboy, Lisa (Ed.). #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women. ISBN 9781554519583
- Child, Brenda C. Bowwow Powwow. ISBN 9781681340777
- Hardcastle, Nick. Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Defeated the Army. ISBN 9781543504064
- Gansworth, Eric. Give Me Some Truth. ISBN 9781338268669
- Minnema, Cheryl. Hungry Johnny. ISBN 9780873519267
*Note—This book review was created as an assignment for a course at Texas Woman’s University.