The new edition of the author's primer should be required reading for all Americans.
Anton Treuer has devoted his career to educating crowds of all stripes about Indigenous culture, tradition, history, and modern life. We’ve previously featured the works of the Ojibwe scholar, professor, author, and speaker in C&I — including the epic nonfiction book The Indian Wars: Battles, Bloodshed, and the Fight for Freedom on the American Frontier. Treuer imbues his research and cultural commentary with both humanity and style. An astonishing depth of knowledge and insight complements his conversational writing voice.
Treuer’s latest release should be on every American bookshelf — and in every American history classroom. He has updated and reworked his groundbreaking 2012 primer, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask, for a brand-new “young readers” edition. Don’t let a label throw you off, though: The updated contents will fascinate, educate, and enrich readers of any age or reading level.
Treuer does amazing work communicating the breadth of Indigenous experiences and beliefs in this part of the world. You’ll come away with a better understanding of the spectrum of thought on tribal languages, Indigenous terminology, history’s great tragedies and moments of progress, ongoing cultural controversies, Native traditions and their authentic meanings, and more. All this is framed with purposeful bits of personal background and biography.
The new edition closes with a chapter called “Finding Ways to Make a Difference” — a practical nudge that reminds us to strive to do more.
Excerpted from the Editor's Note in August/September 2021 C&I featuring actor Michael Greyeyes on the cover — order the print issue. Order Treuer's book on Amazon.
