jmckendry's review
3.0
Let me preface this review with the fact that I know very little about Native American history, and I knew even less before reading this book.
As far as the writing goes, it could have been better, I think. The way the author wrote sometimes felt very unintuitive and more complex than it needed to be. That being said, after I got used to the author's writing style (which took about a third of the way through the book) I was able to truly enjoy the narrative.
As far as the history goes, wow. I knew very vaguely how terribly Europeans and then Americans treated Native Americans, but I did not know how much Native Americans still struggle in this nation. Policies up to the 1950s and beyond worked to dismantle the culture and beliefs held by Native Americans, hoping they would assimilate into Anglo American culture without retaining their own cultural identity. Some American policies still retain remnants of this today.
This book talked extensively about the rich history and highly complex cultures and societies that Native Americans had long before Europeans arrived. While the book is very general and does not really focus on any specific culture of Native Americans, it was a great introduction to the history for someone who previously knew very little about the subject. So glad I got the chance to read this, and I will be reading more books about the true First Americans in the future.
As far as the writing goes, it could have been better, I think. The way the author wrote sometimes felt very unintuitive and more complex than it needed to be. That being said, after I got used to the author's writing style (which took about a third of the way through the book) I was able to truly enjoy the narrative.
As far as the history goes, wow. I knew very vaguely how terribly Europeans and then Americans treated Native Americans, but I did not know how much Native Americans still struggle in this nation. Policies up to the 1950s and beyond worked to dismantle the culture and beliefs held by Native Americans, hoping they would assimilate into Anglo American culture without retaining their own cultural identity. Some American policies still retain remnants of this today.
This book talked extensively about the rich history and highly complex cultures and societies that Native Americans had long before Europeans arrived. While the book is very general and does not really focus on any specific culture of Native Americans, it was a great introduction to the history for someone who previously knew very little about the subject. So glad I got the chance to read this, and I will be reading more books about the true First Americans in the future.
amarj33t_5ingh's review
5.0
In the Hands of the Great Spirit was my first comprehensive introduction to the Native American peoples. It was love at first sight.
Page traces the history of the early humans who settled the American continent in Prehistory; their cultural, religious and societal development and their proliferation across North America. The latter forms the backbone of his narrative as he charts the tragic interaction of these indigenous peoples with the Occident and what subsequently transpired.
One can easily see that compressing the most essential of historical points in a 480 page compendium is bound to have its own recurring challenges. While Page treads already broken ground-Geronimo, Sitting Bull etc-he also explores lesser known figures such as Joseph Medicine Crow and the Pueblo Pope.
The most conspicuous element of In the Hands of the Great Spirit besides its scope is the fluidity of its prose. It is comprehensible for expert and lay alike owing to its avoidance of heavy jargon and this makes it a page turner given that Page narrates rather than relates; something which involves the reader in a mental learning process rather than constantly depending on the author's own perceptions (we forget that Page is the narrator here after all given the value of what he narrates).
Overall, in the grand scheme of things, Page makes no secret of the fact that the history of any society can only be effectively explored through the history of its great men and women. He is a Carlylean in this sense, selecting to focus on the leaders of various Native American peoples and their achievements/failures to chart the fate of subsequent generations rather than kowtowing to the post-structuralist line of contemporary factors and contemporary factors alone influencing a people and history being the study of these factors .
This is an invaluable piece of literature and should grace the bookshelves of all amateur and expert historians alike.
Page traces the history of the early humans who settled the American continent in Prehistory; their cultural, religious and societal development and their proliferation across North America. The latter forms the backbone of his narrative as he charts the tragic interaction of these indigenous peoples with the Occident and what subsequently transpired.
One can easily see that compressing the most essential of historical points in a 480 page compendium is bound to have its own recurring challenges. While Page treads already broken ground-Geronimo, Sitting Bull etc-he also explores lesser known figures such as Joseph Medicine Crow and the Pueblo Pope.
The most conspicuous element of In the Hands of the Great Spirit besides its scope is the fluidity of its prose. It is comprehensible for expert and lay alike owing to its avoidance of heavy jargon and this makes it a page turner given that Page narrates rather than relates; something which involves the reader in a mental learning process rather than constantly depending on the author's own perceptions (we forget that Page is the narrator here after all given the value of what he narrates).
Overall, in the grand scheme of things, Page makes no secret of the fact that the history of any society can only be effectively explored through the history of its great men and women. He is a Carlylean in this sense, selecting to focus on the leaders of various Native American peoples and their achievements/failures to chart the fate of subsequent generations rather than kowtowing to the post-structuralist line of contemporary factors and contemporary factors alone influencing a people and history being the study of these factors .
This is an invaluable piece of literature and should grace the bookshelves of all amateur and expert historians alike.
caitlin_doggos's review
4.0
This book provides a very broad overview of Native Americans in North America. Of course, spanning 20,000 years in less than 500 pages leads to an overload of information. However, the stories and facts shared by the author are discussed in great detail throughout. Being from the Midwest region of the U.S., I'm already quite familiar with important figures and events that occurred in this region (i.e. Tecumseh versus William Henry Harrison), so I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about European/American and Native relations throughout the rest of the country. It was a very enlightening read!
librarianonparade's review
4.0
This is a fairly concise account of the '20,000-year history of American Indians', going right from the very first inhabitants of the continent all the way up to the present day. It's very thorough and broad-ranging but, as is inevitable, it lacks depth in a lot of places, if only because there's just so much material and history to get through. It's well-written and engaging, if a little too colloquial at times. It's not quite as heart-wrenching as Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which I'd heartily recommend, but it's good nevertheless.
bookworm_mommy's review
Very interesting. \n\nPacked with information. I'm sure I didn't really absorb a good portion of it.
librarianonparade's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fairly concise account of the '20,000-year history of American Indians', going right from the very first inhabitants of the continent all the way up to the present day. It's very thorough and broad-ranging but, as is inevitable, it lacks depth in a lot of places, if only because there's just so much material and history to get through. It's well-written and engaging, if a little too colloquial at times. It's not quite as heart-wrenching as Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which I'd heartily recommend, but it's good nevertheless.
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