James Wilson (1) (1948–)

This is a groundbreaking, critically acclaimed history of Native Americans struggle for survival against the tide of invading peoples and cultures. Spanning over 500 years – from the first European contact to the campaigns of Indian activists today – Wilson's narrative incorporates insights from ethnography, archaeology, Indian oral tradition, and the authors years of original research in charting the epic story of a clash that would reduce the Native American population from an estimated 7 to 10 million to only 250,000 today.… (more)

Litt oppmanning før jeg entrer denne boken. Forordet er som ment, ganske klargjørende. Veldig tidlig blir det tydelig hvor store utslag de kulturelle og ideologiske brillene de hadde med seg fikk for europeernes analyser vedr. det de møtte. En ting var kontrastene mellom europeiske og "amerikanske" levemåter, noe annet var de begrunnelser som lett kunne anes i funn rundt antallet som bodde der, manglende inkludering av utryddet befolkning (sykdom og nedslakting) og svak forståelse av hvordan deres landbruk var og hvordan arbeidsdelingen mellom kjønnene var - dvs hele bildet av hvilke samfunn møtte de der. Deres form for rettsforståelse ble ikke anerkjent, ei heller det at 2 -regimentslæren til Luther ikke var etablert hos dem.… (more)

I think I appreciate the project of The Dark Clue more than I admire its actual execution. It takes (beloved) characters from The Woman in White and does some awful things to them... but doesn't it need to? The project of the novel is such that showing the darkness in a character I already know, admire, and love is essential to its success. If it had been about two other Victorian investigators, I wouldn't've cared-- but this novel needs me to be horrified.

Unfortunately, in the execution it doesn't quite come off. My front cover blurb says "Read 50 pages and you will be gripped" and calls it "A Novel of Victorian Suspense," but at page 50, all that's happened is that Walter Hartright has been asked to write a biography and he's talked to John Ruskin. Riveting! More significant, there's a point about halfway through the novel where Walter and Marian both start to despair based on what they've learned... but they haven't learned a thing! Later, they learn (and do) stuff worth despairing over, but the events don't justify their reactions at the point they actually have them.… (more)