title! i want to learn more about american history, but through an indigenous perspective rather than the eurocentric, whitewashed version of history we’re taught. black af history was amazing and i learned SO much. i’m taking an intro to native studies class in college right now, and figured i’d look for a book that’s similar to that one. please let me know if you have any recs!
by thatsagoalie
3 Comments
I thought that “Heartbeat of Wounded Knee” gave me a good perspective of more modern native American history and provided a lot of “aha!” moments
Sherman Alexie and his semi-autobiographical novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” .
The novel follows a fourteen-year-old protagonist named Arnold (nicknamed “Junior”) who was born with disabilities including encephalitis and grows up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington . When he transfers from the reservation school to an all-white school 22 miles away, he faces rejection from his community who view him as a traitor, while he struggles with questions of identity and is determined to overcome poverty .
The book won many awards but has also been one of the most frequently challenged and banned books due to its mature content . It has been challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author . The book has been removed from schools in multiple states over the years.
Despite the challenges, it’s considered an important and critically acclaimed work that addresses the realities of Native American life on reservations.
I took a peek at the sample of Black AF History and it looks like a lot of personal memoir mixed with history. I’d recommend Whiskey Tender by Deborah Taffa, which is a memoir heavily mixed with southwestern Native American history.