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rosalindpoet's review against another edition
5.0
[read for environmental lit] listened to this on audio; this is one of those books where audio is just me getting the book at first glance/making me actually finish it. i’m sure i’ll be coming back to it many times. we were only assigned the first two chapters & the prologue for my class, in the interest of The Survey, but i ended up reading the whole thing, bc it’s Really Fucking Good.
this book is a history of oceti sakowin activism and resistance, particularly in the 19th & 20th centuries & at standing rock during #nodapl, obv. it’s also about world-building, community-making, and various solidarities. it’s about where those solidarities fail, too, and why they do.
estes says so many things that it seems like it takes other theorists entire books to say. & ofc working through it is important, but i really want to emphasize this as both a great scholarly work and a work which would be really good in an “intro to social justice” context, because it does say a lot of those things—but always in the context of indigeneity and native rights, which contemporary environmentalism does not prioritize or look to nearly as much as it should. (in general, i’d argue that leftists don’t look to the subaltern or treat decolonization as not just a branch theory but a way you need to live your life to make the world better, bc nobody wants to give up their comfy ivory towers and do some praxis. sigh.) and estes avoids resorting to ideological binaries and hierarchies while working towards a distinct political aim, which is something that’s rare in a text as coherent and accessible as our history is the future. also his treatment of queerness is *chef’s kiss*
i’ll probably add more to this review at some point, bc i’m definitely going to return to this book, but i’d like to emphasize one quote: “Poverty was only a symptom of the root problem: colonialism.” because like. shit. yeah. wish i could force the entire us political establishment to get that tattooed on their eyeballs.
this book is a history of oceti sakowin activism and resistance, particularly in the 19th & 20th centuries & at standing rock during #nodapl, obv. it’s also about world-building, community-making, and various solidarities. it’s about where those solidarities fail, too, and why they do.
estes says so many things that it seems like it takes other theorists entire books to say. & ofc working through it is important, but i really want to emphasize this as both a great scholarly work and a work which would be really good in an “intro to social justice” context, because it does say a lot of those things—but always in the context of indigeneity and native rights, which contemporary environmentalism does not prioritize or look to nearly as much as it should. (in general, i’d argue that leftists don’t look to the subaltern or treat decolonization as not just a branch theory but a way you need to live your life to make the world better, bc nobody wants to give up their comfy ivory towers and do some praxis. sigh.) and estes avoids resorting to ideological binaries and hierarchies while working towards a distinct political aim, which is something that’s rare in a text as coherent and accessible as our history is the future. also his treatment of queerness is *chef’s kiss*
i’ll probably add more to this review at some point, bc i’m definitely going to return to this book, but i’d like to emphasize one quote: “Poverty was only a symptom of the root problem: colonialism.” because like. shit. yeah. wish i could force the entire us political establishment to get that tattooed on their eyeballs.
murphinusa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
mscalls's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide
mcbibliotecaria's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent and comprehensive overview of Indigenous people in the U.S. and historical context for their current status. More inspiring than heavy narratives which is needed when talking about over coming such incredible obstacles just to exist.
lindseyhuber's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
kateofmind's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
obliviawelch's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
isaisaisaisa's review against another edition
4.0
very informative and interesting read about the history of indigenous resistance in the US, how it continues today, and its importance.