What I'm Reading During National American Indian Heritage Month

Given that this month is National American Indian Heritage Month, it is only fair to point out that, sadly, there aren't many literary works that try to keep the First Americans from becoming a mere foil for the narrative of the American Revolution.

Because we are so regularly conditioned to look at them as either villains or victims in old and contemporary works, respectively, their own perspective seems to be effectively peeled off from both sides of the political spectrum. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the First Americans are rarely the central characters and enduring protagonists of mainstream fiction or nonfiction works, even in this age of DEI.

From my perspective, Pekka Hämäläinen's—a Finnish white guy (!)—Lakota America is a rare exception. It is enjoyable to read and incredibly informative while conceptualizing a period in the history of the First Americans better than any other work I have seen or read. He already has another book this year, which I have just picked up. It is titled Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America.

These are good books to start reading this month.