Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternate History of the U.S.Dakota War of 1862 by Colin Mustful

Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternate History of the U.S.Dakota War of 1862 Reviews

• 
  Annette

  Reclaiming Mini Sota weaves of a story of two individuals who come from different backgrounds. While they search for meaningful life, their paths cross. It’s a sad time of war where they stand on opposite sides. Despite that there is something that unites them.
  
  In 1850, Waabi, from Ojibwe tribe, is ten when his father takes him hunting for the first time, when his people experience famine for the first time in his native Minnesota. He is taught to respect the land and its natural resources; to take only what is needed from the land for them to survive. Soon after, he experiences the first unjust treatment from the hands of white people, when they’re being relocated to a different piece of land. This results in anger growing among Indians.
  
  In 1859, Samuel is fifteen when tragedy strikes his family in his native Vermont. When his family struggles to survive, he learns about the frontier land that’s open in the middle west. In the new territory, one of their encounters with the Indians teaches them that they’ve taken more from the land than they should have, and ends tragically. The life in the new territory turns out to be pretty challenging. Samuel needs to make another hard decision in his life.
  
  This fascinating story brings two interesting characters that show how we can live peacefully despite our differences; respect. It is steeped in history that doesn’t overwhelm the story. It is engaging from the first pages and holds to the very end.
  
  Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
• 
  Blaine DeSantis

  Colin Mustful has done a very good job in writing what he calls an "alternate" historical fiction novel. Not revisionism, but rather a thoughtful book that turns history upside down.. At its heart, this is a story of two young men. Waabi is seen as a young Ojibwa Indian who goes to a missionary school and whose family tries to live in accordance with the peace treaties. Samuel, is the son of a Vermont family who moves to Minnesota after the promise of free land and great prospects for prosperity. We follow these two through alternating chapters of the book and the author gives us a very good and sympathetic backstory for each young man and their respective families. Samuel's family relies on government claims about life in Minnesota, while Waabi's family does the same with regard to the numerous peace treaties which move the Ojibwa tribes out of their traditional lands and onto smaller and smaller areas, as well as the hardships they encountered due to decreased allotments of money and food from the government. Something has to give and this leads us to the Dakota Wars of 1862 in which Waabi now becomes part of a Native American Army and Samuel is in the US military - something neither of these two really wanted but are put their by circumstances beyond their control.
  I will be the first to admit that while I knew a lot about numerous battles and wars in the midwest and southwest, the Dakota Wars is something that I know very little about, but despite that it is a book about humanity and lack there of by both sides. Both young men and their families are innocent victims in this War. The author has given us an authentic and well thought out book. Yes, it is alternative history, but the focus is on the individuals and not so much the reversal of history. Also we see natural resources come into play as both the Ojibwa people and Samuel's family had a tragic episode over who has the right to cranberries grown in that territory, the epilogue fast forwards to today where a lawsuit once again tries to figure out who has the right to the cranberries grown in that region. A very good, and very easy read that is hard to put down until we come to the very end!
• 
  Marilyn (recuperating from hip replacement surgery

  I was lucky enough to have been given a paperback copy of Reclaiming Mni Sota by author Colin Mustful in exchange for an unsolicited honest review.
  
  Reclaiming Mni Soto: An Alternate History of the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862 was a very well written historical fiction novel by Colin Mustful. He brilliantly reimagined the events and outcome of the Dakota War of 1862. I had known little to nothing about this tragic war before I read this compelling book. It was a time in U.S. history when struggling white men and their families decided to travel west to seek new lives and better opportunities in the Minnesota territory. Samuel Copeland’s family was one of those families who left their home in Vermont and made the long and dangerous journey to make a new life In Minnesota. As Samuel Copeland and his family began their journey across the United States to Minnesota, a young boy, WasabishkiMakwa, known as Waabi to all who knew him, a member of the Ojibwe tribe, became another victim along with the members of his tribe of the false promises made by the United States government. The people of the Ojibwe tribe were promised that they would never have to leave their land and homes if they allowed the U.S. government to mine the copper found on their lands. In exchange for the copper, the U.S. government promised the Ojibwe people that they could stay on the land they resided on and that they would give them food, clothing, ammunition and anything else they needed for survival. Now they were reneging on that promise. A representative of the United States government informed the people of the Ojibwe tribe that “the Legislative Assembly of the newly created Minnesota Territory determined that the Lake Superior Ojibwe living upon the ceded territory should be removed to the unceded territory.” Both Samuel and Waabi would be forced to fight for the land where they lived. The Dakota War of 1862 was long, violent and difficult for all involved.
  
  Reclaiming Mni Soto was the story of both Samuel and Waabi told in alternating chapters. Both Samuel and Waabi lost their fathers when they were young and in tragic circumstances that ended up haunting both boys throughout their lives. Eventually, their paths crossed in a way that was both meaningful yet painfully tragic. Colin Mustful’s research for Reclaiming Mni Sota was impeccable. He allowed his readers to glimpse a “what if” situation. Although it never happened, Colin Mustful gave his readers a glimpse into what might had been if only the Ojibwa and Dakota tribes had put their differences aside and fought together to persevere their land. If they had fought the United States Army together, history might have been completely different. Reclaiming Mni Sota was that story.
  
  Reclaiming Mni Soto was a very thought provoking book. It really made me reflect upon the way Ingenious people were taken advantage of by the United States government all those years ago. I can not even begin to imagine how the Ingenious people feel about the way they were treated and all that was taken away from them. Reclaiming Mni Soto made me think about those things in a deeper sense. As a nation, we must fight harder to educate all and provide a better understanding about people that are different from us. Racism, discrimination, antisemitism and ignorance must be eliminated from our lives. Hopefully, someday we will find a way for that to happen. I really enjoyed reading Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternate History of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 by Colin Mustful and highly recommend it. Publication is set for October 10, 2023.
• 
  Eric Weintraub

  Reclaiming Mni Sota explores the question “What if the Native Americans won the US-Dakota War of 1862.” Rather than creating a merely speculative what if, Mustful approaches this account of alternative history with much thought and empathy, providing great depth and attention to detail in this under-explored moment in U.S. history.
  
  The novel is told from the dual-perspectives of Samuel, a white settler who has moved west to Minnesota with his family, and Waabi, an Ojibwe who has grown up among natives and white settlers alike. Mustful uses the first part of the novel to set up these characters, allowing us to see them grow, and experience the most significant moments of their lives prior to the U.S.-Dakota War. This character-focused approach made the people and time period feel all the more real. When the war began, I was so engrossed in these characters’ lives that I couldn’t put the book down, eager to learn whether they’d survive.
  
  The genocide of the Native Americans is one of the darkest events in U.S. history. Though this novel is alternative history, it remains honest about portraying the horrors of this event. The novel provides no easy answers, instead giving the material the nuanced approach it deserves. As a result, Mustful shows the human cost of two groups of people going to war and the hellish casualties this causes on both sides, regardless of the outcome.
  
  In addition to the exceptional character work, I highly recommend reading this book for the level of detail and research that’s gone into portraying the customs and traditions of the Ojibwe, as well as the visceral battle scenes–the kind of writing I come across all too rarely in fiction being published today. This novel is a must read for anyone interested in U.S. history!
  
  Thank you to History Through Fiction for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Beth

  I will admit I went into reading this with minimal awareness of this tragic period in history- and, realistically, mostly of the narrative told from the white/ conqueror’s perspective, which is all we were ever taught in school. Something I definitely want to address and rectify. So I appreciate the perspective provided in this work of historical fiction, which seeks to provide a more balanced view as it works towards an outcome skewed away from what actually happened and more towards somewhere between Native American victory and peaceful coexistence. If only. This definitely leaves the reader with much to ponder.
  
  Thank you Colin Mustful, History Through Fiction, and NetGalley and for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
• 
  Antoniette

  This book offers an interesting take of how differently the US - Dakota War of 1862 could've turned out.  It's told through the alternating perspectives of Waabi, a Native American, and white farmer, Samuel. 
  I liked this audiobook enough to keep listening, though admittedly, there were times the writing felt a bit disjointed. I especially liked Waabi's character, learning about the language and cultures of the Ojibwa and Dakota peoples, and seeing two different perspectives of the westward expansion of the US government. 
  I hope this author continues to explore alternate histories in his future writing. 
  3.5 stars
  
  Thank you NetGalley and History Through Fiction for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 
• 
  Gela

  “Goodreads Win”
  
  I really enjoyed this book because of the prospective of two cultures in a favorable light. The book is not about good versus evil, wrong or right, or pointing blame like a lot of books and the current media and American culture. Instead we see how worlds can collide and how human struggles, sacrifices and ones search for the meaning of life is something that unites people. If only we ALL can look at the past and not see it as a reason to hold onto anger but a study guide to make sure we do not repeat the past and to be thankful for what we have now despite our painful past as well as not create problems that don’t exist in order to feel vindicated for our ancestors hardship no matter your background.
  
  To me a book review shouldn’t be a brief synopsis of what the book is about per se, but how it makes you feel, what you take from it, whether it left you in a better place or not.
  
  Definitely a must read… and please feel free tell me how you feel after reading this book and what you take from it!
  
  HAPPY FALL READING
  🍁 ☕️ 📚 🍁 🍃 🎃 🌲
• 
  Jan

  Alternating the story between Waabi, an Ojibwe youngster/family in Minnesota/Wisconsin and Samuel, a EuroAmerican youngster/family in the middle years of the nineteenth century.
  Dakota War of 1862 was bloody and demeaning to the people who were there first, but this book offers an alternative view and resolution. The book was meaningful and very good.
  Scott Fleming did an interesting interpretation in narrating the audiobook.
  I requested and received a free temporary audiobook from History Through Fiction, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks via NetGalley. Thank you!
• 
  Taylor Faulkner

  I had a really hard time with this book. If it hadn't been an arc for a review I would have dnf'd around 10%. The first half of the book drug on painfully and did nothing to capture my attention with Samuel's POV. There was no one in Samuel's family that I thought was a strong or likable character and the time spent with them felt like a waste.
  The second half of the book was much better but was still not enough to make me thoroughly enjoy reading this story.
  
  I was so excited for this book. You can tell that it was extremely well-researched and a significant amount of time and thought was put into the portrayal of the Native Americans with a more favorable outcome to US Dakota War. But, it really landed flat. I did like the ending and the peak into what part of our country would have looked like with a true mesh of two worlds.
• 
  Janette Valantine

  This is now one of my favorite books!
  
  The story follows 2 young men from adolescence to adulthood; both from completely different lifestyles. Waabi is growing up in his Indian tribe, learning all the ways of Indian life while also learning the ways of the white man. Samuel is growing up in a mill town in Vermont.
  
  Samuel and Waabi eventually meet after many trials and battles. They discover that, even though they are completely different, they are also the same.
  
  The second story within this story is the reimagined outcome of the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862. The author draws the reader deeply into the two lives in a way that allows us to see and feel the hearts of the people of the time. More than just reading about history and knowing the facts and dates, the author shows us the day to day struggles on both sides.
  
  As the author says, “This story is an alternate history of the U.S.” I say … it’s a good one! Everyone should read this book. It will pull on your heart strings.
• 
  Nix

  This is a fascinating alternate history of the US - Dakota War of 1862. Historic events are cleverly used to tell the stories of Samuel (the white man) and Waabi (the native Ojibwe) who are growing up and finding out how the world works and how they fit in.
  
  Waabi is striving to protect his homeland and maintaining his traditions, and Samuel is trying to create a life of freedom, prosperity, and abundance with his family by relocating from Vermont to Minnesota to settle on land previously used by the Ojibwe and rivalling groups.
  
  Informative, eye-opening and thought-provoking, especially for someone like me who's never heard about this part of American history as it just wasn't part of my European school curriculum.
• 
  Matthew

  Colin Mustful is a writer and historian who has already written several novels set in the 19th century, exploring the lives, displacement, and genocide of indigenous peoples – particularly in the area of Minnesota and the American Midwest. His website states that they are meant as “compelling stories that also act as educational resources”, and he is the founder of the publisher History Through Fiction.
  
  Reclaiming Mini Sota: An Alternative History of the U.S. – Dakota War of 1862 is his first work of alternative history, and his introduction touches on his motivations and goals. As a lifelong non-Native resident of Minnesota, he acknowledges the benefits he has gained from the history of violent displacement and wishes to approach his years of research in a new way, highlighting history’s conversation with the present
  
  The Dakota War of 1862 was a small conflict with large repercussions – a regional uprising of several Sioux bands that resulted in several hundred recorded deaths, the forcible removal of the many Dakota from Minnesota and the hanging of thirty-eight Dakota men, the largest mass execution in United States History.  In his novel, Mustful follows much of the documented history, but also speculates on how things may have gone differently if several of the major figures had taken different paths.
  
    Reclaiming Mini Sota does not follow any of those historical figures, but charts how two characters become involved in the conflict – Waabi, a young Ojibwe who loses almost everything in the lead-up to the war, and Samuel, a white Vermont boy who convinces his family to go out West to the promise of free and open land. Most of the first half of the novel charts their path to that moment, bound together only by loss and a love for Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Mustful gives a great deal of context of their ways of life and does an excellent job illustrating the motivations of settlers to move and the displaced to push back. No one is exonerated for their actions, but likewise we have sympathy for why many did as they did.
  
  The narrative does drag in the middle third, and the dialogue occasionally veers into the didactic and instructional rather than organic. The turn from historical to alternative-history does not occur until almost three-quarters of the way through the book, and the final denouement comes on rather suddenly. I wish he spent more time on some of the later plot-threads, particularly the groups whose actions brought about the alternative present, who I feel were underrepresented. I was also initially shocked by the endings for a couple pivotal characters, but sitting in it, I think I better understand the sadness and injustice that Mustful was trying to relate. In all it was enjoyable on its own, but I think it would be well-placed along with reading on the history (of which the author makes many suggestions) or as part of a class. It would certainly be appropriate for young-adult students learning about the United State’s history of forced displacement, and looking forward to how the future could be a better, more just place.  
• 
  Fran

  "We are like two leaves fallen from separate trees but blown by the same wind."
  "I will help protect your brother, the one you carry with you...who gave you the words found in 'Leaves of Grass'."
  
  Wasabishki Makwa (Waabi), age ten, had never hunted. His father, Giizhigoon told his son, "if we are steadfast together, the Great Spirit will end our famine." The winter camp of five families (near Bad River, Minnesota in 1850) had been surviving on rice, blueberries and seeds. After shooting a deer with bow and arrow, Giizhigoon explained, "We do not kill the deer...we allow the deer to give itself to us...We are grateful for the deer of the forest...we ask for happiness and long life, here, where our ancestors are buried...where our fathers and grandfathers, mothers and grandmothers, lived before us, free from the dangers of war, protected from the growing presence of the white man and his hunger for our land." Survival required taking only what was needed from the land and its animals and providing an offering of tobacco for the gifts received.
  
  Starting in the 1850's, the United States Government Treaties signed with the Dakota Sioux ceded vast acreage of Indian territory to the U.S. in exchange for money and supplies. The land was sold for pennies and a promise. Money and supplies earmarked for the Dakota was siphoned off by Indian agents who were in charge of distributing annuity payments to those now on reservations. By 1862, funds were often diverted to coffers to fight the Civil War. In August 1862, a clash of two cultures, the U.S.- Dakota War, would be fought in Minnesota. Both Waabi and Samuel's families endured the kind of conditions and hostilities leading to the conflict.
  
  In 1850, an entourage of canoes traveled to Sandy Lake, Minnesota Territory to receive their yearly family annuity payments. The government agent who promised payment in October did not arrive until late November. Canoe travel home was made impossible by frozen waterways. Many Dakota died, including Waabi's father.
  
  Samuel Copeland's family lived in Londonberry, Vermont. The family was just scraping by when his father was injured at the sawmill. Samuel, a young teenager, worked hard to ensure the family's survival. A stranger who came to town handed out flyers about frontier land, free land in the middle west. Millions of acres were open for settlement. All one had to do was claim it! Was this really unencumbered land?
  
  After a grueling wagon journey to Minnesota, Samuel's family found an expansive parcel of unsurveyed land near a shallow creek. A nearby cranberry marsh would provide fruit for the winter with enough to sell at market in the spring. The cranberries, according to the Dakota, were not theirs to take.
  
  Told in alternating chapters, Waabi and Samuel, each share their perspective leading up to, and including, the U.S.-Dakota War. "Reclaiming Mni Sota" by Colin Mustful is a reimagining of the outcome of the war, a look at Manifest Destiny challenging a traditional, ecological way of life. What would Minnesota look like if the Indians had won? Author Mustful presents a sensitive, empathetic perspective as seen from both sides of the conflict. A highly recommended read.
  
  Thank you Colin Mustful and History Through Fiction for the print ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  F.M. Deemyad

  As an avid reader of classic works of literature, I was very much impressed by Colin Mustful’s recently released novel, “Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternative History of the U.S.- Dakota War of 1862.” I was also impressed by the novel’s message of peace as we follow the lives of two young men, Samuel and Waabi, on opposite sides of a futile war.
  Educated in the field of history, Mustful’s research into this segment of Minnesota’s past is quite remarkable. Vivid descriptions bring to life the violent encounters of the natives with the pioneers as well as moments when former enemies embrace the idea of coexistence. With detailed imagery, the author follows the events of 1862 from the perspectives of natives as well as the settlers. The natives have a culture of respect for nature that is quite impressive. At the same time, the immense challenges young Samuel and his family face in the untamed frontier and their struggle to survive are aptly described. The enormous task facing the pioneers as they settle in uncultivated terrain as well as the challenges the natives face as they watch more and more settlers taking over their lands and resources, are brought to life in striking colors.
  Waabi mourns his father’s loss. He has learned from his father to respect nature and give back to it as he harvests its offerings. He even learns to respect rival tribes and to live in harmony with them. Waabi is witness to decisions that are hard for him to comprehend and force him and his tribe to leave their beloved land. Waabi watches helplessly as wigwams are replaced by wooden structures and the inhabitants become Europeans, making him feel like a stranger in his ancestral land.
  Dramatic moments based on actual history are aptly depicted as the Ojibwe leader addresses a crowd of his supporters: “Negotiation leads to nothing but suffering and loss. Our time is slipping away. Like the buffalo of the plains or the timber of our woodlands.”
  Young Samuel and his family have challenges of their own to face. Ultimately, poverty forces them to move from Vermont and seek a new life in the vast prairies of Minnesota. Samuel’s role is instrumental in this move, and for that, he blames himself when trouble comes.
  The drama reaches its peak when Waabi and Samuel meet under unexpected circumstances. This is a must-read for lovers of American history. I highly recommend this unforgettable novel.
• 
  Stephanie

  Waabi is a Dakota living in the land his people call Mni Sota. In 1850, the white settlers were part of Waabi's life for a while. The settlers have asked to mine on the Dakota's land for resources in return for winter provisions. One year, the government officials were late with the provisions, causing Waabi's father and many others to perish. Waabi struggles with the changes happening around him, especially as the United States goes to War against itself. Samuel Copeland and his family lived a peaceful life in Vermont, but after an injury to his father's leg, they go into debt. When Samuel hears of free land in the new state of Minnesota, he convinces his family to relocate. Living in Minnesota isn't as easy as the Copeland's imagined and tensions soon arise over resources with the settlers and the Dakota who never gave up their land. As War rages between the North and South, another revolt is rising as the Ojibwe and Dakota combine forces to reclaim their land and attack Fort Snelling. Together, Samuel and Waabi find a way to fight for a better future.
  
  Reclaiming Mni Sota is an alternate historical fiction story recounting the Dakota War of 1862. The author is clearly passionate about this time period and while not a Native American himself, has put in a lot of effort into bringing their story to light and to think about what would have happened if the outcome of the war was flipped. With alternating points of view of both Samuel, a white settler in Minnesota and Waabi, a Native Dakota, the struggle of both groups to survive with one another is apparent. As the characters say, it is a war that was put in motion long before the men fighting were born. Though from different backgrounds, Waabi and Samuel are both young men trying to find their way in a quickly changing world. They both carry anger and grief from incidents stemming from interactions with the other's culture. However, they both find killing unfulfilling. I was intrigued by Waabi and Samuel's alliance to fight for what they thought would help them move forward. With an alternate ending to the war, with Mni Sota Makoce becoming a Sovereign Independent Nation, we are reminded of the ways we have come to own land and be stewards of that land as well as what land ownership means in modern times.
  
  This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
  
  
• 
  AlohaKarina

  This book, an alternate history of the removal of indigenous people from the Midwest, was one I was really eager to read. It is well-researched, and the inclusion of native language and settler-colonialism attitudes of that time and place are excellent. The second half of the book was brilliant, and the connections between Samuel and Waabi was both unexpected and heartwarming…and heartbreaking. I particularly appreciated the final chapter as a look at “what if…”
  
  That said, the first third to half of the book seemed to drag. Samuel’s time in Vermont seemed, and still seems, totally superfluous to the story. I didn’t like his father or his mother, and neither one seemed particularly strong or sensible. Samuel seemed more of an adult than either of them. As for Thomas, he was kind of a jerk. The other siblings were sort of background dressing and didn’t do much to improve the story. While others might disagree, to me, that portion of the book was tedious. Well-written for certain, but I just wasn’t invested in that part of the story.
  
  As the second half of the book unfolds, and the horrors that the people are enduring play out, it is painful to remember that this actually happened to the indigenous peoples of America. From south to north, from east to west, they were forced from their lands, herded up, mistreated, and their culture, language, and way of life, stripped from them. So many were killed, all in the name of “civilization.” And this happened all because they wanted to continue the life they had lived for tens of thousands of years, while newcomers came along and decided they had more of a right to the land than the people who had been its stewards for 25,000 years.
  
  The book is really excellent, and if I could read it solely on the second house, or at least the second half Waabi’s story for background, I would. The last half of the book is five stars for certain.
• 
  Shelley Anderson

  This is a well-researched historical novel that looks at the pivotal US-Dakota War of 1862 through the eyes of two main characters, the white settler Samuel and the Ojibwe man WasabishkiMakwa (known as Waabi).
  
  The main action occurs in the last third of the book, in a fertile area of Native land now called Minnesota. Most of the action takes place during the early 1860s, when indigenous groups rose up to resists more exploitation and forced evictions. Samuel has fled with his poverty-stricken family from Vermont to settle in the area, ignoring the fact the land already belonged to various Native nations. Unable to provide for his family, he joins the US army and is caught up in the war against the Dakota and Ojibwe. Waabi has seen the lies and greed of white settlers all his life, and wants nothing more than a return to a traditional way of life. Both men are sickened by the killing and violence.
  
  In reality the Dakota and Lakota uprising was lost, and 38 Dakota men were hanged in the largest execution in US history for their part in the rebellion. This is an alternate history, however, where the Dakota, Lakota and Ojibwe successfully come together to defend their lands and cultures and throw the white settlers off their land.
  
  This is the short of historical fiction that you read for context. It lacks dramatic tension but is full of interesting details about both Native and white lives of the time. I found both main characters somewhat stilted at times, and would have appreciated the development of the minor female characters. It is, however, an honest and well-documented attempt (the extensive bibliography at the end is worth exploring) to set the historical record a little straighter. Given the intense censorship around what is taught now around American history, the non-Native author is to be commended for this.
• 
  Pamela Schoenewaldt

  In 1862, the Ojibwe and Dakota tribes of what is now Minnesota were being forced off their land despite solemn treaties with the U.S. government. Facing starvation, the tribes united and attacked white settlers and U. S. Army outposts. An estimated 500 military and civilians were killed, as well as an estimated 200 Native Americans, including 38 men hanged, the largest one-day execution in U. S. history.
  
  Colin Mustful offers an “alternative history,” based on facts but “not meant as an indictment on any one person or group of people.” To accomplish this aim, he gives us two protagonists, WasabishkiMakwa, called Waabi, a young boy of the Ojibwe tribe, and Samuel Copeland, whose family can no longer survive in their played-out patch of Vermont farmland and heads for what they’re told is rich “free” land in the Minnesota territory—free because it was taken from Waabi’s people.
  
  Inevitably, Waabi and Samuel’s fates collide in battles marked by atrocities on both sides. The fact that these two decent young men, both fatherless and sharing the same dream—living off the land—create a sacrificial friendship doesn’t blunt the irreconcilable opposition of their people.
  
  Mustful exaggerates the numbers and suffering of settlers held hostage by the tribal forces and doesn’t cover the ferocity of the U.S. government’s reprisals: the Dakota tribes driven to reservations, losing their homeland forever. However, in paring the personal tragedies of Samuel and Waabi, we can experience a constant, tragic theme of human history, that there is never enough land for all and the stronger will ignore any semblance of justice by taking it from the weaker.
  My review originally posted in Historical Novel Review
  
  
• 
  Donna Bull

  ARC provided by History Through Fiction.
  
  As someone who is always wanting to explore and learn more about Native American history, I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this novel. Growing up in Colorado, I have learned about the tribes and history in my area, but I was not familiar with the Dakota War of 1862, so this was an additional reason to want to read this novel. This alternate history of this important time period is told through two perspectives, Samuel, a boy from Vermont and Waabi, an Ojibwe growing up in what is now Minnesota. We see the important life events that set both Waabi and Samuel on a collision course that greatly changes each of their lives and the lives of the people closest to them.
  Choosing to take on the task of writing an alternate history of this time period and the resulting conflict really takes a deft hand at presenting the possibilities in a truly plausible way that does not play into stereotypes for either the Native tribes or the white settlers. Colin does a really wonderful job of avoiding this pitfall and giving us two protagonists that are not only believable but allow you to understand the developments in this time period and how the Dakota War happened. As someone who has seen the ramifications of the settlement of tribes on reservations, seeing this story play out in this way is both uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. It does make you wish you could take a visit to this alternate reality to see Mni Sota as it is portrayed here. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Native American history.
  
• 
  Alina Rubin

  I didn't remember the the Dakota War of 1862 from my US History classes. I doubt we spent more than one hour on it. But this book brought it to life for me from the point of view of Americans looking to fulfil Manifest Destiny, and the indigenous people wishing to hold on to their lands. The story features well-developed and likable characters, page-turning action, and vivid descriptions. It makes the reader think what's fair, and how actions have unintended consequences that may present and future for many generations. I applaud Colin Mustful for his detailed research, as well as the passion and respect he gave this subject.
• 
  Rita

  I was given a free copy of "Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternate History of the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862" via LibraryThing. I love to read, and I love history. Having said that, I loved reading a book about history and being in suspense. I did not know what was going to happen to the characters that I had grown fond of. This was a great book. Well-developed characters. It told emotional stories from both sides. I admit, I knew little about the true history and I feel I understand it better now.