Book Cover - An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

Review – An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

Posted on September 18, 2026

𝐴𝑛 πΌπ‘›π‘‘π‘–π‘”π‘’π‘›π‘œπ‘’π‘  π‘ƒπ‘’π‘œπ‘π‘™π‘’π‘ β€™ π»π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘ˆπ‘›π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘‘ π‘†π‘‘π‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘ . Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. 2014. 

Non-fiction. American history. Indigenous history. Controversial due to issues surrounding the author’s identity claims. 

𝐴𝑛 πΌπ‘›π‘‘π‘–π‘”π‘’π‘›π‘œπ‘’π‘  π‘ƒπ‘’π‘œπ‘π‘™π‘’π‘ β€™ π»π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘¦ reinterprets more than 400 years of American history from the perspective of Indigenous peoples exploring such themes as settler colonialism, state violence, and native resistance. 

Strong words are used in its telling, words that, for some, are uncomfortable to hear. Words like imperialism, settler colonialism, white supremacy, genocide, and looting. It rejects America’s consensual national story, calling it a smoke screen. 

More than anything, Dunbar-Ortiz’ version of American history lays a heavy emphasis on oppression and historical trauma. This is not the manifest destiny typically taught in US schools. It is a story of the subjugation of indigenous people, of resistance to settler colonialism put down by brutal white supremacist violence. 

I have no opinions to express on whether or not the author had a right to tell this story, but I will say that it was an interesting perspective to read. 

AUTHORS – I write short book reviews that focus on voice and vibe. They are useful to querying authors searching for comp titles. There are more like this on my website.

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