Indian School : Teaching the White Man's Way

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Summary: Indian School: Teaching the White Man's Way
Review: 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.

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Summary: School of Tears
Review: The story of the US Government's misguided effort to assimilate native amercian children into the white man's world. Cooper gives us a clear account of the personal tragedies suffered by the children. The concise narrative is easy to understand and should help todays children understand the injustices that were inflicted on their peers over a hundred years ago. The unbiased telling of this tragedy from american history is much more than bland history, it is the story of American do-gooderism gone amuck. The stories of children who willed themselves to die rather than remain in the Indian Schools separated from family and friends and from their centuries old cultures and heritage. This book is very informative and should motivate readers to find out more about the subject.

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Summary: Review of Indian School
Review: 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 American children in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. Balanced and sensitive to the past, Cooper acknowledges that the founder and teachers generally had good intentions and opened opportunities for some students. There is even a delightful chapter on "Pop" Warner's successful program 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 outsatnding job telling the story from the students' point of view. The photographes of dailylife at the schools are wonderful. Rich in personal details, Indian School will engage young readers.

Rating:
Summary: Review of Indian School
Review: 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.

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Summary: The worst educational book about native americans.
Review: 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.

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Summary: Would give it a 0 if I could
Review: This book is HORRIBLE! If you want to educate yourself or students or children - please skip this book. It will only fill your head with inaccurate and stereotypical information. This book is poorly researched and written without any Native American input at all (I know this is true because when asked during an interview if he talked to Native people about their experiences, he said Native people dont want to talk about it). He writes only from collected pieces of information that cover up boarding school crimes such as molestation, severe abuse and murder. Boarding schools were not happy times. Just because some great people came out of it does not mean it benefited them - it just means that these children would survive anything thrown at them. PLEASE do not read this book to children! Please!