Book #66

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by Dee Brown

Yeah, so we suck. I started reading this book, hmm, two summers ago, I think? Maybe only last year. But I had to put it down because it was too depressing -- and also too boring, at times, with the dry descriptions of tribal movements and the huge cast of characters, too huge to keep track of. But I'm glad I read it all this time, because it gave me some interesting ideas for writing essays about, and it was a lot of history that I didn't know and should know -- because this is the stuff that we are doomed to repeat, and doomed if we repeat. This is the history that we have to bear in mind because it still echoes in our institutions and culture today: there are innumerable places named after Indians, we have Indian themes everywhere we go, from sports teams to movie characters to Columbus day protests, and once again, white Americans are resentful of what the Indians have: now we want their casinos and their tribal payments. Because we suck. A lot. I knew it already, but now I have even more reasons why we suck. It's good to know.