I listened to this book on tape, unabridged, and afraid IN THIS FORM it was drawn out and rather boring, hard to keep track of characters too. It is a much better "paper" read. Had hoped for more Native American cultural and religious education through this fiction; instead it was a who-dunnit like almost any other. Did like the twist of having the downtrodden fight back with modern technology and means, though.

I am an 8th grader and this book was a very quick read. It was very gripping and well written! I never got bored with it, and I finished it in two days. I reccomend this book to anyone 5th grade and up who likes mystery or action books!

The Indian Boarding School is one of the most horrific ideas anyone could have come up with to rid them selves of people. Children, often at very young ages, were taken, sometimes kidnapped, to a school far from their homes and families. As if this wasn't enough they were not allowed to speak their own languages, wear their own clothing, and practice traditions that had been in their cultures for countless generations. They were forced to become Christians, forced to speak English, and forced to wear Victorian-style clothing, and many more things. If they broke a rule they were severly punished. We are still feeling the affects of this today. Many tribes have or nearly have lost their language and traditions, and with them their sense of being unique. Of course none of this is told in Michael L. Cooper's "Indian School: Teaching the White Man's Way."
Mr Cooper wrote, "When they were teenagers Native Americans married, had children and went on the warpath." But Mr. Cooper fails to mention that many cultures married and had children as teenagers. They had to, life expectancy was so short, if they didn't they would die out. Many cultures still marry as teens today. It wasn't until just a few decades ago that many people stopped doing this.
And not all Native Americans thought the Black Hills were "the holiest spot on earth." I mean really in pre-Columbian times North America was covered with indigenous peoples, it is very hard to belive that all of them thought that the Black Hills were/are sacred.
I could go on and on about this book but the review has a maximum of 1,000 words so I will cut it short. This book stinks! I do not recommend it. Mr. Cooper could researched a lot better. I hope this book is never used as a reference to Indian Boarding School life. Thank You for your time.

this book is awful. we are not called indians. We are native americans. this book has so many stereotypes. My grandmother was taken from her family when she was 7 years old. she did not see her family until she was 16 years old. i am truly afended by this book because i am a native american and my family did go through the bording school era. All i have to say is that Michael L. Cooper should have researched more and thought about how we would be afected by this book.

This absorbing book addresses the issue of cultural imperialism in thoughtful ways. It explores how federally-funded schools sought to teach "the white man's ways" to Native Americans children in the late-nineteeenth and early twentieth century. Balanced and sensitive to the past, Cooper acknowledges that the teachers generally had good intentions and opened opportunities for some students. Thre is even a delightful chapter on "Pop" Warner's successful football program a the school in Carlisle PA. Yet, without resorting to heavy-handed editorializing, the author uses the evidence to establish that the inability to accept cultural differences harmed the youths. Cooper does an outstanding job telling the story from the students' point of view. The photographs of daily life at the school are wonderful. Rich in personal details, Indian School will engage young readers.

I have read all of Louise Erdrich's books and have thoroughly enjoyed them and became involved with the characters. However, I labored with this book. Maybe it was too long, maybe the main character, Agnes, was too unbelievable. Erdrich gave her the voice of a wizened educated old man/woman. But her past indicates otherwise. And if you're Catholic, you will definitely have issues with this book. The story jumps around a lot leaving you desperate for her to tell a story, any story so that you can become deeply involved. I would recommend Love Medicine or Beet Queen if you are new to Ms. Erdrich.

I had to read this book for a Anthropology class. The Modern
Blackfeet is a Anthropological book that reviews the economic,
political and social situation the Blackfeet were in on the reservation in Browning, MT in the 1970s. It talks about many
different aspects of Blackfeet life on the reservation but it's
main overall theme is that the Blackfeet are divided into two
sides. The Indian oriented meaning those Blackfeet who participate in traditional Blackfeet cultural activities on a daily basis and carry with them the beliefs of the pre-reservation Blackfeet and the White Oriented meaning those Blackfeet who participate in Euro-Ameri activities and carry
mainstream societies values like the Christian work ethic of hard work,consumerism and the accumulation of wealth. I grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, MT from 1980 to 1994 and am enrolled there as a decendent which means im not a fully enrolled member because I don't have a high enough degree of Blackfeet Blood to get enrolled but my parents do. I can't vote in tribal elections, receive per capita payments from the tribe or run for tribal political office but I get all the other benefits like health care, college money, ect. I think Mcfee makes some significant points that are still relevant in his book
such as the degree of Blackfeet Blood meaning nothing in terms of
cultural knowledge. Just because you have a high degree of Blackfeet Blood doesnt mean your living a traditional Blackfeet's
life. Iv'e seen people on the Blackfeet Reservation with a high
degree of blood who do not speak the Blackfeet Language or know
very little about the culture mainly because cultural shame forced their post-reservation ancestors to stop teaching it to
them hence their family knows little or nothing about the traditional Blackfeet ways. Mcfee doesnt mention that in his book but that's the reason many Blackfeet families are neither fluent in their language or knowledgeable about their culture. And that I would argue is one of the weaknesses of his book. Too
often he does not go into the reasons how the Indian Oriented and
White oriented got their values and why the Blackfeet economy is
bad. But I guess to do that would invite controversey and many
writers in Native American Studies are afraid to go there. Overall I would say in some parts this book is outdated since like all Human societies things change and time marches on. The
line between Indian-Oriented and White-Oriented is becoming increasingly blurred in my opinion since it is now cool to be indian and more Blackfeet are making the effort to learn their language and culture. Today there are new dividers in our tribe
such as the coming political battle between enrollees and decendents who want to be enrolled, tribal employee versus the trustee and tribal government versus the state and federal government. Mcfee's book doesn't go into any of that but if your
looking for a good book on the 1970s Blackfeet or are just interested in the Blackfeet Tribe this one is worth your time and
money.

This book provided a view into the Warm Springs Reservation, whether or not it is a realistic view remains to be seen. The "voices" the authors chose to include in the book were not the best "voices". Some of the people interviewed were newcomers to the reservation, had only lived on the reservation for a short period of time years ago, and a couple were bigots who lived in the border town. Since the authors seemed to focus a lot on educational issues and youth issues, it would make sense to include interviews of youth. None were included. Also lacking in the book were the "voices" of tribal elders and leaders. Where were they? The authors give no explanation for the lack of these "voices". I believe that they would have provided important and informative viewpoints. Perhaps if the authors had included a list of interviews they tried to obtain, I might not have such a harsh opinion of the authors and their work.

I can almost smell the dry red clay and see that beautiful blue sky as I read this book. This book is a quick read but has some interesting twists to it. I can close my eyes and remember traveling a small state highway along the Great Divide on my way to see the V.L.A. near Datil, NM. I had read only a couple of the Jim Chee/Leaphorn books when I visited Gallup, New Mexico in 92 and 93 but I almost expected to see one of the books' characters appear at the Giant Truck Stop coffee shop or one of the tiny diners we saw on Hwy 36. Jim seems to be taking a big step in this book so I will wait patiently for another of these charming suspensful novels and I hope my husband gets me this one on tape too. Thank you Tony Hillerman.

I hadn't been expecting to hear from Tony Hillerman again so soon. It hasn't been that long since THE WAILING WIND.
This one is a very rapid read, with much of the action happening away from the Navajo reservation (Always a bad move, Tony). The plot centers around the murder of a retired CIA operative who's investigating the theft of billions of dollars in Indian oil, gas, coal, and timber royalties for a United States senator.
Bernie Manuelito has taken a job with the border patrol to get away from Jim Chee, her pushy boss, when she stumbles across a suspicious construction project in the middle of the desert. Unknowingly, she has become embroiled in a smuggling operation and her picture is being spread around by Mexican drug traffickers as a DEA agent to be on the lookout for. Meanwhile, Chee is pining away for Bernie, trying to think of a reason to go get her and ask her to marry him. This is where Joe Leaphorn enters the picture. He gets out his maps and is able to tie the original murder scene to some abandoned oil and gas pipelines leading from Sonora, Mexico, to the site of the murder. The Sinister Pig of the title is a device used to clean the insides of the pipelines. Joe quickly grasps the possibilities.
Hillerman uses multiple viewpoints to help us follow the action. There's a billionaire drug smuggler, his former CIA pilot (the most interesting character in the book), and a corrupt border patrol supervisor and of course our friends Joe, Jim, and Bernie.
I'd be surprised if this book is over 70,000 words it reads so fast. I liked a couple of things about it, besides Chee and Leaphorn of course, two of the best characters in the mystery genre: the factual basis of the book, the royalty money which the Department of the Interior lost or stole and the great character, Budge C. de Baca, the billionaire's pilot, a romantic felon I haven't seen anywhere else. I also like Cowboy Dashee, a recurring character in the Leaphorn/Chee series, who is now working for the Bureau of Land Management. He and Chee add comic relief to what might otherwise be a pretty conventional mystery.

It is always wonderful to open another Hillerman and follow the latest law enforcement adventure in the Four Corners. Meeting up with Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn is just like meeting up with old friends. And reading this newest Hillerman brings one quite up-to-date with each of the men, their current love life, and their efforts to solve a mystery of international intrigue.

This is not Hillerman's best novel, but one can forgive him because he does present a fast page turner and educates along the way. Chee's romantic interest, Bernie Manuelito has gone to work for the Feds in the Border Patrol, and unlikely as it may seem, she becomes linked to a murder in the Four Corners.

The pig involved takes on several meanings, but would be especially familiar to anyone in the pipeline trade. The double meaning, of course, indicates the greed that leads to corruption within governmental bodies.

This tale involves Washington, D. C. subterfuge, and enlists the Navajo Tribal Police, U. S. Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Border Patrol, the F. B. I., and the Office of Homeland Security. Hillerman skillfully sets his tale in the midst of the real world worries of the 21st century.

Will "third time's charm" work for Chee in his stumbling romance with Bernadette? The romance and the mystery intertwine for a comfortable quick read and satisfying solution.

Can't wait for the next Hillerman in order to meet up Leaphorn and Chee once more. If you are a Hillerman fan, this is a must read.