Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life
    Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life
    Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life
    Audiobook10 hours

    Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life

    Written by David Treuer

    Narrated by Peter Berkrot

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Celebrated novelist David Treuer has gained a reputation for writing fiction that expands the horizons of Native American literature. In Rez Life, his first full-length work of nonfiction, Treuer brings a novelist's storytelling skill and an eye for detail to a complex and subtle examination of Native American reservation life, past and present.With authoritative research and reportage, Treuer illuminates misunderstood contemporary issues of sovereignty, treaty rights, and natural-resource conservation. He traces the waves of public policy that have disenfranchised and exploited Native Americans, exposing the tension that has marked the historical relationship between the United States government and the Native American population. Through the eyes of students, teachers, government administrators, lawyers, and tribal court judges, he shows how casinos, tribal government, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs have transformed the landscape of Native American life.A member of the Ojibwe of northern Minnesota, Treuer grew up on Leech Lake Reservation, but was educated in mainstream America. Exploring crime and poverty, casinos and wealth, and the preservation of native language and culture, Rez Life is a strikingly original work of history and reportage, a must listen for anyone interested in the Native American story.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 29, 2012
    ISBN9781452678375

    Related to Rez Life

    Related audiobooks

    Social Science For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Rez Life

    4/5

    57 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      nonfiction (history of Indian reservations) I only got to page 75 or so; would have liked to learn more but got frustrated with the meandering narrative (interspersed between long bouts of legal and political history). I would have had an easier time if there'd just been individual histories--Ojibwe talking about their experiences and their families' experiences, or if the legal/political history could have been expressed more succinctly.
    • 4/5
      In the author’s notes of Rez Life, David Treuer calls his book a combination of memoir, journalism, and history, and that’s exactly how it reads. Treuer grew up on an Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota, and he uses his personal background and knowledge to explore the Native American experience. He illuminates many of the modern circumstances with historical information and relates it to his family and friends in a way that feels very connected and real. Rez Life is an excellent read for those looking for an introduction to the Native American struggle in the United States.
    • 5/5
      A 4.5, it loses a half point for some organizational issues, but otherwise this is stellar. Treuer addresses not just the problems on the reservations, though he does not ignore those, but also so much that is vital about these communities. While focusing primarily (but not solely) on his own Ojibwe community on the Red Lake rez in Minnesota and the nearby reservations in the parts of this that look at modern life for Indians, Treuer also tackles a good deal of the history of Native Americans after the arrival of Europeans on US soil in a way that shows Indians as victims and warriors, as statesmen and isolationists, and as people of generosity and greed. There is a grit, an honesty, and a historical rigor here that is admirable, but its also a super enjoyable read. I have never read anything like it.
    • 3/5
      This book does an excellent job of explaining the physical, legal, and congressional abuse suffered by many Native Americans. It gives a tiny glimpse into the lives of people living on the reservations, but that sliver wasn't enough to satisfy my need for understanding. Very good book! I really needed to know the history behind the distrust and hate and this book helped.
    • 3/5
      Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life by David Treuer is part memoir, part interview, and part history of the Ojibwe and the Leech Lake Reservation.Individually these pieces of Ojibwe life are well written, fascinating views into a piece of Native American culture. Where the book falters is in its organization. With little or no segue, the narrative jumps around through memoir, interview and history.This book would be best suited for readers familiar with the Ojibwe and / or Northern Minnesota. There's not enough by way of introduction or logical structure to aid the uninitiated reader. I would recommend reading this book in conjunction with other texts.