The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, David Treuer

 

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee:  Native America from 1890 to the present by David Treuer is a book that I came across in several places and the recent fight with the water protectors and the XL Pipeline (I was part of that protest in DC) just emphasized to me how much I had to learn.  This book was also on President Obama's list.

Started: 7/13/2021
Completed: 7/19/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Lots of sources, but no one in particular

Words for which I Sought Help:

exogamy -- the social norm of marrying outside one's social group

Review:

This book has to move anyone who reads it.  This is a good book that helps put the experience of the Indian into perspective.  The time span is huge.  It is impossible to read this book and not be moved.  Treuer writes well and his story is remarkable.  Makes one ashamed to be an American...how can we all be better together?

When describing the traumatic loss of a still born child, "...this is a time in your life when the whole page turns..."  What a wonderful turn of phrase that captures so much.