Were you, like me, alwaays vaguely aware of Mother Jones, but ignorant of exactly who she was and what she did? This book filled some important gaps in my general knowledge, and inspired me with the stories of women who were able to see through the injustices of their time (slavery, unfair labor practices, denying women the vote, polluting, etc.) and work toward a boader view of justice and dignity, often at great personal cost. Nies is a thoughtful and measured writer, letting her own anger at injustice shine through these women's stories rather than using her subjects to advance her own agenda. Highly recommended.

like the title says, it's a great referrence book for those who wish for a brief overview of native history in the present-day united states as well as much of mesoamerica. good starting off point for further investigation. the great thing about the book is that it not only is a chronology of native events (which appear on the right side of a page), it also displays many significant events throughout the world (which appear on the left side of a page) so the reader may gain a greater perspective. also includes short articles thrown in for good measure and to expand a bit on topics such as the iroquois influence on the u.s. constitution, to tenochtitlan (present-day mexico city, site of ancient aztec capital), as well as brief introductions to certain time periods. not a thorough examination, but a nice listing of significant events in native history. recommended nonetheless.

Judith Nies presents an excellent overview of both native american and european events as they parallel and eventually coincide with one another. Until reading her book, I was unaware of the extent of the brutality of the hispanic history towards the natives of all the areas of the americas; their responsibility for the genocide of millions of natives through a combination of enslavement, warfare and disease, creating a world where the natives preferred to kill their children and commit suicide rather than to continue to live. This is followed by a second tragedy, the establishment of the african slave trade to replace what they destroyed. Perhaps what is most effective in her writing is the objective and factual presentation of a complete history, free of personal or cultural bias. Recommended reading for anyone.

Many Americans have some Indian Ancestry. We need a book such as this to give us an accurate view of history, and recognize the accomplishments and the tragedies of the Native Americans. Judith Nies did the world a great service by documenting these events in an easy to follow format.