Not a Nation of Immigrants

You're not going to read this for fun. You're probably not going to read it at all, are you? You might think you already know or have a sense for what she writes about — the nonstop history of aggression and genocide by white settlers against non-white everyone in North America.

Plus: it reads like a cross between a doctoral thesis and a political tract. Dunbar-Ortiz writes well, but it's tough reading at times and not just because of the painful material. Jumpy timelines, inadequately explained references, and it really is too long for a nonacademic volume.

And yet: there is material here I did not know; and perspectives I hadn't fully considered. There might be something here for you too, enlightened as you may already be. Consider picking it up – you have my permission to skim through the sloggy parts. Four stars for importance, not enjoyment.