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A review by alex_ellermann
Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War by Lisa Brooks
2.0
'Our Beloved Kin' is a grind.
This book doesn't read like a popular history. Rather, it reads like a doctoral dissertation that someone figured was good enough for a small run at a collegiate press. Every chapter begins with an "In this chapter, I will show ..." Rather than immerse the reader in the history of the war, it makes said reader want to bust out a red pen and start marking. Further, the author spends a fair amount of time on the kind of synthesis, digression, and academic cross-talk that's great for a scholar bulking up her submission to a committee, but is agony for the recreational historian who just wants to know what happened, where, and why.
Nevertheless, 'Our Beloved Kin' has some real value in reshaping the narrative of King Philip's War. While most histories of the war rely primarily on English sources, this history strongly draws on the oral and written traditions of the Native American tribes involved in the conflict. By rethinking the war in terms less bounded by the perspectives of the invaders and more by the invaded, the author challenges our assumptions about the inevitable march of progress that most
American readers are taught represents U.S. history.
So, while I didn't particularly enjoy listening to 'Our Beloved Kin,' I think it was a productive use of my time. I recommend it to those with a particular interest in the history of New England, provided that individual has a stomach for contemporary academic writing.
This book doesn't read like a popular history. Rather, it reads like a doctoral dissertation that someone figured was good enough for a small run at a collegiate press. Every chapter begins with an "In this chapter, I will show ..." Rather than immerse the reader in the history of the war, it makes said reader want to bust out a red pen and start marking. Further, the author spends a fair amount of time on the kind of synthesis, digression, and academic cross-talk that's great for a scholar bulking up her submission to a committee, but is agony for the recreational historian who just wants to know what happened, where, and why.
Nevertheless, 'Our Beloved Kin' has some real value in reshaping the narrative of King Philip's War. While most histories of the war rely primarily on English sources, this history strongly draws on the oral and written traditions of the Native American tribes involved in the conflict. By rethinking the war in terms less bounded by the perspectives of the invaders and more by the invaded, the author challenges our assumptions about the inevitable march of progress that most
American readers are taught represents U.S. history.
So, while I didn't particularly enjoy listening to 'Our Beloved Kin,' I think it was a productive use of my time. I recommend it to those with a particular interest in the history of New England, provided that individual has a stomach for contemporary academic writing.