My Book Project

First - a big Wado! (thank you!) to all those in NDN Country for your outpouring of encouragement!

Osiyo, relatives! Many of the articles and blog posts (at Memories of the People) I’ve shared in the past few years come from a rather massive book project: a collection of stories, spanning 1491 to the present, coast to coast, hundreds of tribes - and, obviously, from a Native perspective.

The stories, some familiar, others long-forgotten, range from the killing of Ponce de León to the kidnapping of Pocahontas, the Pueblo Revolt to the leasing of Manhattan, Wounded Knee (both of them) to Standing Rock. Together, these stories form an arc from independence to resistance to loss to resilience and, finally, to renaissance.

Many ask for a Native history book that is accessible to the public and from a Native perspective. This is that book. Though this covers much of the same ground - and some of the same stories - as Ned Blackhawk’s The Rediscovery of America, it does so in a unique and different style. See the example chapters below.

All profits will go to tribal charities and needs.

Status Update

I began this project in 2010. As of 2024, I have a complete draft manuscript (which I’m always tweaking, revising, and updating, of course).
There is no book deal yet. There is an agent who is very interested and supportive, but they say I need to show more support from Native historians.

I’m currently seeking some help from the Native community as reviewers of draft sections. Thank you already to Calvin Spotted Elk and Thomas Gannon (Lakota), Christy Lofink (Menominee), Joe Whittle (Caddo/Delaware), and Micheal A. Palma (Seminole Nation/Mvskoke/Sac and Fox/Cheyenne), and to all the others who have reached out.

I am still looking for more. See below…

Reviewers

You can be a part of it! I’m looking for tribal sensitivity readers – reviewers – to read the sections that apply to their tribes, reviewing for accuracy, terminology, spelling, etc. The sections are short — made up of half-page chapters in the spirit of Eduardo Galeano (see example chapters below). If you aren’t into reading and commenting, we can just chat over the phone. I will pay you. I’m happy to receive feedback from young people and students as well as elders, journalists, and academic historians.

I’m especially looking for reviewers familiar with the histories of these peoples: Anishinaabe, Apache, Comanche, Haudenosaunee, Navajo, Nez Perce, Pueblo, Shawnee, and Wampanoag. Wado, relatives. I hope to hear from you! (Click ‘Contact’ below.)