Indigenous America (True History) by Liam McDonald

Indigenous America (True History) Reviews

• 
  Levi

  About 30% in to this book, I felt like there was something off with the book. Strange claims were being made; particularly about Depp being non-Indigenous which made me follow a research rabbit hole about Depp’s genealogy (turns out, Depp is part Cherokee) and further into who Liam McDonald is. There is no known biography of Liam McDonald save that: he is a musician and supposed activist. He addresses Indigenous people in a tone apart from himself, not as a member which is strange. Further research shows that McDonald was challenged at least once on his claim of being Mohawk and has denied to respond. There are no sources in this book, only “exclusive interviews” with an archaeologist and professor.
  
  Because there is no known information on this author’s genealogy, I plan to DNF this book and find a better book on this same subject, one that is written by an Indigenous person. In the interest of avoiding Indigenous history and culture narrated by a non-Indigenous author, I don’t recommend this book.
• 
  Brooke - TheBrookeList

  I wholeheartedly support the idea of correcting biased history and searching for truth in our past. As society evolves, our view of history is ever-changing. This adjustive/corrective text re-examines portions of American history as relate to Indigenous peoples. Much of the information is crucially important.
  
  I struggled with the tone of the book. I also felt the lack of illustration or graphic interest kept the book overly dense, which would leave youth wanting for engagement.
  
  Read as a nomination in the non-fiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
• 
  Mel

  Kids history book about Indigenous [North] America. It was interesting and it definitely left me wanting to know more. Despite having done a year of US history in an American high school, and WA state history in Junior High. There was a LOT here that you don't get taught.
  I'm giving it 4 out 5 stars as a historian I found the chapter/structure to be all over the place and a little bit confusing. Though that was probably something for the age it was aimed at. Rather than trying to be a comprehensive history it was little snippets from here and there. I would have like more history from the Pacific Northwest where I used to live. But still definitely recommended and now I want to go and read more.
• 
  Bethany

  I skimmed this book to decide whether or not to include it in a Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving-adjacent booklist for my library.
  
  Firstly, the overemphasis on Eastern tribes gives the book a slant. There is limited information about Plains tribes and little to no information on West-coast tribes. I would have liked to see a more well-rounded representation.
  
  The book doesn't seem to really cater towards middle grade readers. Yes, there is good spacing on the page, but I would have like more pictures, maps, sketches, and more to fully engage these visual readers. Plus, some of the vocabulary is too advanced. Yes, there are some in-line definitions, but to just throw out "Manifest Destiny" and other specialized terms and jargon does a disservice to readers who are approximately 10-13 years old. I didn't even learn that term until AP US History as a junior in high school (~17 years old).
  
  My biggest problem, though, is that the author's tone is quite vehement. I understand and agree that how Indigenous peoples were treated (and continue to be treated) by Americans and the American government is unacceptable. However, down here in Texas, the tone needs to be lighter and less accusatory A) because it is aimed at kids/tweens who are just learning about these injustices and B) if it is being previewed by a parent, the tone will not be taken well and will not be allowed to be read by their kid. Which defeats the whole purpose of the book-- correcting the wrongs so that the future is brighter for Indigenous lives and representation of Indigenous history.
  
  Additionally, I did not realize there was controversy regarding the author's Mohawk ancestry. The American Indians in Children's Literature blog covers it very well:
  https://americanindiansinchildrenslit...
  
  I will stand by my decision to have added this book to the collection based on the vendor's description just because there is a massive lack of quality information. I am glad it is there, and I hope it will find a reader. But if it finds two readers before it is to be weeded, I will be over the moon.
• 
  Beth

  2022 Cybils Nonfiction nominee
  
  I like the True History series in general, and this one had good information in it. But I felt it wasn't as controlled as it could have been, mostly in when it was talking about particular tribes and when it was talking about all Indigenous America. It made some generalizations about religion that I know don't apply to some of the Northwest tribes I'm familiar with, and maybe it was talking about the Plains Indians then, since it was in context of the boarding school tragedies, maybe even the Carlisle school in particular, but it wasn't clear. The idea of seeing the history through a different viewpoint was good, but sometimes the implementation left me confused about things that I thought fairly important.
  
  It didn't help that as I was reading this book with its constant beat of "and then the white people came in and took more land, and we all agree that there is no excuse for that kind of evil" I was also reading
  The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories which had a story about tribes in conflict because one was moving into the other's territory. The genocide of Indigenous peoples in North America is clear enough that fuzziness isn't really needed.
• 
  Alicia

  This is a series I've been following and enjoy the perspective it provides for telling a history that might not yet be found in textbooks. It's a middle grade friendly version of what
  An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People does for teens but it also doesn't give a meaty history of a full Indigenous history because he uses his descendants of the Mohawk to center the story more around the Eastern United States and Canada though he does use other examples from around the country and Mexico to provide some perspective on details from wars fought to genocide to residential schools. And as a person who grew up in the Mohawk Valley his focus made it more meaningful though others might want a fuller picture.
  
  It's easily understood and like the others in the series includes definitions inserted right into the text and questions at the end of the chapters to get young readers thinking about their own responses to what they've read.
• 
  Sandy Brehl

  This TRUE HISTORY series includes another title I've read, THE LEGACY OF JIM CROW. This title, Indigenous America, is similarly effective in examining a complex and necessary topic with strength and a bit of depth. For the target age and as an introduction to the study of the topic, this provides the language, framework, and accessibility needed for young readers (late elementary/early MG).
  In not cases there is a certain degree of shallowness, but that seems unavoidable, to me, given the breadth and depth of the study intended.
  In this case, the title (Indigenous America) takes a fully NORTH American perspective, mainly focusing on Native nations within the now geographic USA. That allows young folks some reference points, but I would have welcomed a more thorough commitment to expanding awareness of the advanced and assaulted native people throughout both continents, even though the scope of details might be more limited.
• 
  Stevie Carroll

  This book is one I bought to include in my classroom and I believe, upon reading it, should be included in the upper elementary/middle school history classroom as an introduction to thinking about the true history of Indigenous peoples. I learned so many things that I had simply either never heard of or that I was taught the myth version of. Books like this are so important to read, especially in our current political and environmental standing where so many things need to be done to protect our world for future generations. I recommend this book to anyone, not just middle level readers, to get a little bit of insight into the real history of Indigenous peoples. Plus, there is a selected bibliography to point you in the direction of further learning! I’m excited to continue to read the books in this True History series.
• 
  Jenny

  My gripe with a lot of middle grade nonfiction is how it doesn’t cite sources and generalizes too much. While this book gives a basic overview, it suffers from both of those problems. I’ll keep it in my classroom library but won’t draw upon it as a source for our class to read together as much as I’d hoped.
• 
  Erin

  I picked this up at the library and found it a valuable read. The author covers a lot of ground and especially the last few chapters are very thematic. It does a good job of explaining words and concepts for its intended school aged audience. I appreciate the effort to not water down but still give an age appropriate history lesson.
• 
  Sunnee

  A lot of great starting points for deeper research. A lot of eye-opening adjustments. Would benefit from having more visuals or graphics of some sort considering the age demographic this is meant for, to break up mass of text.
• 
  Lesley

  A well written book for young people to introduce them to the true history of European colonization of North America.
• 
  Troy Borst

  The truth of this book hurts my heart and further opens my eyes.
• 
  Stacy

  Too often overlooked, this is the history of America. This isn’t an either or situation. Middle schoolers should be reading what the textbooks say AND this book. Told in a conversational tone with pictures too.
  
  It’s not only middle schoolers, adults can also become more educated with this 176 page history. I’ve studied indigenous history over the years, starting all the way back in high school when I chose the topic for a research paper, but there was still plenty for me to learn. And it’s current, even noting a few issues as recent as the beginning of the Biden presidency.
• 
  Kathy

  Most history books ignore or gloss over Native American experiences, this provides a counterpoint of their experiences with both the extreme pain of genocide, ethnocide, and general racism on one hand, and resilience (though scarred) on the other. I had some organizational issues with the book, but otherwise a clear and very needed overview.