Tom's Reviews > Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

An important book, but depressing... and hard to read for that reason. A sad summary of the injustices done to the original occupants of this country. Unfortunately, they were a perceived barrier in the mad land grab that took place in the mid to late 1800s.

It's hard to comprehend the degree of evil done to them. So just imagine this from a modern day context.

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- One day, you're sitting around, watching Oprah or whatever. Suddenly, there's a knock on your door. You answer and there are a bunch of gun-toting immigrants, saying they want to be your new friends. They've just moved in down the street. You say, "Great! See you around! Here, take some food with you! Welcome to the neighborhood!"

- The next day... They noticed you have some apple trees. They like apples. Could they please have some? You say, "Sure! We're friends and neighbors, right?"

- The next day... Their kids REALLY liked the apples, so they are just going to have to take ownership of the trees (waving their guns). They tell you that you don't really know how to take care of the trees anyway. They say they can do better & everybody will be happier, right?

- The next day... They want to use the rest of your yard to plant more trees. Sorry about the kids swing set and your garden, those things will have to go. Say say, "Could you start clearing your yard off? Like, right now?" (pointing guns).

- The next day... They saw you taking an apple from one of "their" trees. They wonder why you can't understand that those trees aren't really YOURS anymore. If they see you taking apples again, there is going to be trouble!

- The next day... you're ready. You're pissed off. You've got your own gun. When they come, you tell them those apple trees are on YOUR property. You've been neighborly long enough. You tell them to get lost.

- The next day... They bring along local cops. The cops tell you that you've never had any rights to those trees and these new immigrants need them. They warn you that you better not be a "trouble maker." Some of the cops are the same guys with guns who came to your house the first time.

- The next day... The cops/immigrants bust down your front door. They gather your whole family and tell you, for everybody's safety, you just have to move to a new place a couple hundred miles away. They are taking your house & your cars. You can take a blanket and whatever food you can carry. They shoot your pets and set fire to the rest of your stuff in the middle of the yard. They tell you better start walking. Your new home is a loooong way off.

- As you trudge away, you see that this is happening at all of the houses in your neighborhood. You watch as one of your friends throws a punch at the cops. In a rage, they murder him and his entire family, calling him a "savage." They joke to each other and high-five after the deed is done.

- When you finally arrive at your new "home" after weeks of walking, there aren't any jobs and there isn't any food. You rely on the same immigrants that did you such injustice to feed & clothe your family. As they toss you scraps that barely keep you alive. They say, "You should be thankful! We're taking care of you out of the goodness of our hearts!"

"And by the way, all that complaining about where you used to live? That's in the past! Why can't you just get over it already?"

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That scenario is played out in each chapter of the book, a different tribe as victim, recurring white generals/politicians/soldiers/settlers as villains. These are stories that are never mentioned in "traditional" American history, which is, in itself an immense injustice.