by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The most frequent question readers ask about An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States is “Why hasn’t this book been written before?” I’m flattered by that question, because it’s the one I ask about texts that deeply move me; at the same time the information, argument, or story is new to me, it seems that it was already hidden in the recesses of my brain or heart, a truth. I knew the story I wanted to tell when I set out to write the book, part of Beacon Press’s ReVisioning American History series, but that didn’t make it easier to transfer to paper. Writing and rewriting, I discovered the story, just as my readers do as they read it.

Read more on the Powell’s Books blog.