Sponsored by IDW Publishing.
Experience the riveting, powerful story of the Native American civil rights movement and the resulting struggle for identity told through the high-flying career of West Coast rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Redbone. You’ve heard the hit song “Come and Get Your Love” in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance. Part biography and part research journalism, Redbone provides a voice to a people long neglected in American history. “This book will introduce a new generation to the music and impact of Redbone.” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred review)
This past Monday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day beginning to be more and more recognized across the United States. Here are some nonfiction reads for the rest of your October. To learn more about the LANDBACK movement, check out their website.
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Part of the Revisioning History series by Beacon Press, this “challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how policy against the Indigenous peoples was colonialist and designed to seize the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them.”
As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
The protests at Standing Rock put a spotlight on American Indian environmental activism, but it has been going on for decades and decades. This is a history of “Indigenous resistance to government and corporate incursions on their lands and offers new approaches to environmental justice activism and policy.”
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
A finalist for the National Book Award, this is Treuer’s response to the idea that American Indian history ended with the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. The book tells their story from that point onward, making the point that “the story of American Indians since the end of the nineteenth century to the present is one of unprecedented resourcefulness and reinvention.”
Mankiller: A Chief and Her People by Wilma Mankiller & Michael Wallis
Mankiller was the first woman elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. In her memoir, she tells her story along with the history of the Cherokees. Growing up among the American Indian civil rights struggle, this chronicles her journey to leadership and her fight for their rights.
That’s it for this week — you can find me on social media @itsalicetime and co-hosting the nonfiction For Real podcast with Kim here at Book Riot. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.