Celebrated novelist David Treuer has gained a reputation for writing fiction that expands the horizons of Native American literature. In Rez Life; his first full-length work of nonfiction; Treuer brings a novelist’s storytelling skill and an eye for detail to a complex and subtle examination of Native American reservation life; past and present.With authoritative research and reportage; Treuer illuminates misunderstood contemporary issues like sovereignty; treaty rights; and natural-resource conservation. He traces the convoluted waves of public policy that have deracinated; disenfranchised; and exploited Native Americans; exposing the tension and conflict that has marked the historical relationship between the United States government and the Native American population. Through the eyes of students; teachers; government administrators; lawyers; and tribal court judges; he shows how casinos; tribal government; and the Bureau of Indian Affairs have transformed the landscape of Native American life.A member of the Ojibwe of northern Minnesota; Treuer grew up on the Leech Lake Reservation; but was educated in "mainstream" America. Treuer traverses the boundaries of American and Indian identity as he explores crime and poverty; casinos and wealth; and the preservation of his native language and culture. Rez Life is a strikingly original work of history and reportage; a must read for anyone interested in the Native American story.
#1009963 in Books Johns Hopkins University Press 2004-06-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.06 x .79 x 6.40l; .98 #File Name: 0801878993328 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy godmotherx4A great addition to my family history library3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. tackles an ignored subject at the center of colonial lifeBy Gray oneMy sixth great grandfather was a tavern keeper in colonial Reading; PA. Other than the well known complaints by famous travelers such as George Washington; it is difficult to find much about colonial taverns. I never suspected the full range of activites regulary conducted in the colonial taverns. As a scholarly study; this isn't always an easy read; but I learned a lot. As usual with colonial works; it focuses on the English; ignoring the Germans such as my ancestor; but I am still well satisfied with it.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. GREAT BOOK ON EARLY AMERICAN TAVERNSBy VINTAGE VIC'S PRIMITIVESGREAT BOOK; VERY INFORMATIVE ON EARLY AMERICAN DRINKING HABITS AND TAVERNS
