Book Review “Everything You Wanted to Know About the Indians But Were Afraid to Ask”

The author, Anton Treuer, shared how this book came to be. When he was younger, he heard about a lady who ran a sweat lodge and went to see her. When he arrived, there were a lot of naked people. A naked old woman hugged him and said that she was sorry for how her people had treated her people in the story. He didn’t have the heart to laugh or reject her. He politely asked her to put on some of her clothes and sat down with her to answer all of her questions. This began his journey to help non-natives understand natives.

The first part of the book covers the harrowing history that the natives endured from Columbus to the boarding schools of the 1900s. These are the stories that are not always told in educational history books.

The central part of the books answers common questions about culture and government practices. She has nine children. Only three of them are registered. Her family went to a Christmas party where “Santa” was giving out gifts and was told that only the three registered children qualified for a gift. “Santa” should not be used that way.

The end of the book includes personal experiences that he has had in his life. In first grade, Anton had long hair. His teacher took him to the front of the class and dressed him as a girl, with makeup and barrettes while she and everyone laughed. It was humiliating for him. I guess she didn’t ask him first if she wanted to do it. Teachers need to understand that they can help or hurt a child’s self-esteem with their words and actions.

I have a grandson who is mixed race. I hope that when he grows up he will not suffer any abuse. I don’t live near her, so I won’t be able to protect her from nasty words. I hope that she is raised to love all people and appreciate the kindness in people.

I look forward to seeing education begin to include the positive contributions that have been made by people of all races and the progress that has been made in the last 50 years. Our country got off to a flawed start, but we can change the future into a story we want our children to hear. Honest conversations and understanding are a good start.

The author also has an edition for young readers that I want to read too. It wasn’t in my library but I plan to find it.