The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee (Young Readers Adaptation) - by David Treuer (Paperback)

About the Book

"Since the late 1800s, it has been believed that Native American civilization has been wiped from the United States. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee argues that Native American culture is far from defeated--if anything, it is thriving as much today as it was one hundred years ago. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee looks at Native American culture as it exists today--and the fight to preserve language and traditions"--

Book Synopsis

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is a story of Native American resilience and reinvention, adapted for young adults from the adult nonfiction book of the same name.

Since the late 1800s, it has been believed that Native American civilization has been wiped from the United States. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee argues that Native American culture is far from defeated--if anything, it is thriving as much today as it was one hundred years ago.

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee looks at Native American culture as it exists today--and the fight to preserve language and traditions.

Adapted for young readers, this important young adult nonfiction book is perfect educational material for children and adults alike.

Review Quotes

★"Utterly vital in its historical prowess, essential in its portraits of lived experiences."--Kirkus (starred review)

★"Ojibwe author Treuer unblinkingly depicts 'Indian life rather than Indian death' in this young readers adaptation. . . Using approachable language and eye-opening firsthand accounts, Treuer unfailingly puts Indigenous people at the center of their own history to prove that 'Indian cultures are not dead and our civilizations have not been destroyed.'"--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★ "[T]his one is special, for it offers an examination of an essential subject: life in Indigenous America. The Ojibwe author seamlessly addresses his material in a hybrid fashion that's part history, part reportage, and part memoir, and Keenan ensures all is accessible to a younger audience...[F]ascinating. . . excellent. . . The history related here is necessary for all Americans to understand, and Treuer's personalized accounting ensures that readers will learn it with both their minds and hearts."--Booklist (starred review)

"A well-researched approach to North American history that features personal narratives from Indigenous-Americans."--School Library Journal

About the Author

David Treuer is an Ojibwe Indian from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. His book, the New York Times bestseller The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, was a finalist for both the 2019 National Book Award and the 2020 Carnegie Medal. He is also the author of four novels and two other books of nonfiction, as well as essays and stories that have appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, and Slate, among others. Treuer divides his time between his home on the Leech Lake Reservation and Los Angeles, where he is a professor of English at the University of Southern California. He is also an editor at large at Pantheon Books, where his focus is on Native writers and emerging voices. Visit him at DavidTreuer.net.