The nation's earliest inhabitants continue to experience disproportionate levels of poverty, alcoholism, and other problems while struggling to retain their tribal identities. Chapters Is Native American Culture Threatened? Is Indian Gaming Beneficial to Native Americans? How Should Tribal Resources Be Used? Should Indian Sovereignty Be Restricted?
Bruno Leone earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Arizona State University and the University of Minnesota, respectively. He was a lecturer at the University of Minnesota and assistant professor of history at St. Francis University, Joliet, Illinois. Recipient of a Woodrow Wilson Graduate Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship and two National Science Foundation Grants, he has authored numerous books, articles, and anthologies including, Origin: The Story of Charles Darwin (2009) and Disease in History (2016). He is currently adjunct professor of humanities at California State University, San Marcos where he lectures for the Osher Foundation.
A lot has happened since this book was published in 1998. One chapter, for example, includes a 4-page excerpt of the testimony of President Trump (then "a real estate investor who owns three casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey") before the House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Native American Affairs on October 5, 1993: ....[A]lthough a lot of people seem to think I know little about the business, I am the largest individual casino operator in the world. I say that modestly as you would expect."]
Each short chapter consists entirely of a short primary source selected on the basis of how well it represents a "current controversy," which is why Mr. Trump is included. It would be useful to have an updated edition of the book, but as exposure to the issues of Native rights, it's useful as is. It's disproportionately about money-related issues, but to a lot of people, that's really the only thing that matters. I originally rated this book as a 3, but that's because the Goodreads rating system's anchors are geared toward pleasure--liked it, really liked it, "amazing." From a pleasure point of view, "liked it" is as far as I can go. But from a "thought-provoking" point of view, it's almost "amazing."