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.

Destiny of the Republic, Candice Millard

Destiny of the Republic:  A tale of madness, medicine, and the murder of a president by Candice Millard is a book that I decided to read after hearing Ms. Millard on NPR.


Started:  6/26/2013
Completed: 7/3/2013
Recommendation:  This book got the Best Book awards for a reason.  It is great.   Read it.
Recommended By:  NPR

Review:

When thinking of presidents, Garfield rarely jumps to mind.  Frankly, I only knew his name because he was assassinated.  Equally obscure to me was Chester Arthur (his VP who became president upon his death).  This book is not really a biography of Garfield although it covers the basics.  It is, however, a good character sketch and also gives a great look into the leading figures of the day.  I love the way that I got surprised at all the coincidences and the people tying into the president.  In some ways, I think that this story is the intersection of the American Ideal with Reality.  The boat crash which partly opens the story is a wonderful metaphor for what everyone thinks will be the good side of the American dream crashing into the reality of people with too much power.  This book is remarkably well written, carefully engaging, and myopically fascinating.