.jpg)
Title: The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present
Author: David Treuer
Genre: Non-fiction
In looking at what happened after the massacre at Wounded Knee, and with the closing of the frontier and the end, at least in the public's imagination, of a certain Indian life, Treuer sets a huge task for himself. The history is complicated not only by the sheer scope of Indian life in the US, but also by the diverse way that the various tribes interacted with the US government. Overall, the theme that made me cry most is summed up in this question he asks: "At what point do we cease to be Indian and just be people descended from Indians?" He eloquently and heartbreakingly exposes the deep philosophical questions of what it means to be Indian today, and how some people are trying to understand that. This is a beautiful, important book.
