Indigenous Voices Book Club: "An Indigenous Peoples' History of the U.S."

Join Elsie Souza each month to read and discuss compelling books by Indigenous writers across genres, generations, and traditions. The Indigenous Voices Book Club is devoted to reading and discussing books by Indigenous writers, bringing together fiction, memoir, history, poetry, and more. Each month, we'll encounter stories and perspectives that deepen our understanding of Indigenous experiences, histories, cultures, and contemporary life. This month, we're reading Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People, adapted by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese—a powerful reexamination of American history that places Indigenous peoples and their experiences at the center of the story. Adapted from Dunbar-Ortiz's acclaimed An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, the book challenges familiar narratives about the founding and expansion of the United States, tracing centuries of resistance, survival, and resilience while examining the lasting consequences of settler colonialism. Accessible, thought-provoking, and designed to invite questioning and conversation, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People asks us to reconsider not only what we know about American history, but whose stories have shaped the way that history is told. ABOUT THE BOOK: 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Young Adult Honor Book 2020 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People,selected by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council 2019 Best-Of Lists: Best YA Nonfiction of 2019 (Kirkus Reviews) · Best Nonfiction of 2019 (School Library Journal) · Best Books for Teens (New York Public Library) · Best Informational Books for Older Readers (Chicago Public Library) Spanning more than 400 years, this classic bottom-up history examines the legacy of Indigenous peoples’ resistance, resilience, and steadfast fight against imperialism. Going beyond the story of America as a country “discovered” by a few brave men in the “New World,” Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals the roles that settler colonialism and policies of American Indian genocide played in forming our national identity. The original academic text is fully adapted by renowned curriculum experts Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza, for middle-grade and young adult readers to include discussion topics, archival images, original maps, recommendations for further reading, and other materials to encourage students, teachers, and general readers to think critically about their own place in history. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma in a tenant farming family. She has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than 4 decades and is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international social justice issues.