How to Tell the Difference (analyzing books about
Native Americans for bias)
To use when presenting multiple perspectives
and doing critical analysis. I DO NOT agree that all of these are respectful or
even "good" at telling the story. However, they are all resources in
illustrating the variety of views and seeking out truths and realities.
* My personal favorites
Traditional (Pro) Columbus Perspective
Pelta, Kathy. Discovering
Christopher Columbus: How History is Invented. Lerner Publications
Company. Minneapolis, 1991.
Scott, William. The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America in the Year 1492 As Copied Out in Brief by Bartholomew Las Casas, One of His Companions. Linnet Book. Hamden, CT, 1989.
Ventura, Piero. 1492: The Year of the New World. G.P. Putnam's Sons. New York, 1991.
AMAZING CULTURE
Arawak/Taino Perspective and Culture
Alvarez, Julia. The
Secret Footprints. Dell Dragonfly Books. New York 2000.
Barreiro, Jose. 2012
Crespo, George. How the Sea Began. Clarion Books. New York, 1993. *
Danticat, Edwige. Anacaona:
Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490. Scholastic, Inc. 2005.
Delacre, Lulu. Golden
Tales. Scholastic, Inc. New York, 1996.
Dorris, Michael. Morning
Girl. Hyperion Books for Children. New York, 1992.
Fontanez, Edwin. On this Beautiful Island. Exit Studio. 2004.
Fontanez, Edwin. TAINO: Guanin's Story. Exit
Studio. 1996.
Jacobs, Francine. The
Tainos: The People Who Welcomed Columbus. G. P. Putnam's Sons. New
York, 1992.
Jaffe, Nina. The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth From Puerto Rico. Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers. New York, 1996.
Lee, Alfonso. My Island and I/Mi Isla y Yo: The Nature of Puerto Rico. Pangaea. Saint Paul, MN, 2002.
Luby, Brittany. Encounter.
2019.
Muckley, Robert. Stories from Puerto Rico. Passport Books. Chicago, IL, 1999.
Ramirez, Michael. The Legend of the Hummingbird. MONDO Publishing. New York, 1998.
Reid, Basil A. Myths and Realities of Caribbean History. The University of Alabama Press. Tuscaloosa, AL, 2009
Rohmer, Jesus, Rea, and Castillo. Atariba and Niguayona: A Story from the Taino People of Puerto Rico. Children's Book Press. 1987.
Yolen, Jane. Encounter.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. New York, 1992.
DEVASTATED CULTURE and RESISTANCE
Alternative (Con/Against) Columbus
Perspective
Chicago Religious Task Force. Dangerous
Memories: Invasion and Resistance Since 1492. Chicago Religious Task
Force. Chicago, IL, 1991
De Las Cases, Bartolomé. The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account. The John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD, 1994. *
Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An Indigenous People's History of the United States. Beacon Press. 2015. *
Hawke, Sharryl. Seeds of Change: The Story of Cultural Exchange After 1492. Addison-Wesley. Reading, MA, 1992. *
Konig, Hans. Columbus: His Enterprise: Exploding the Myth. Monthly Review Press. New York, 1991. *
Loewen, James. The Truth About Columbus. New York Press. New York, 1992. *
Mann, Charles C. 1491.
Vintage Books. 2006 (but NOT his other book 1493). *
Norman, Alma. The
People Who Came, Book 1. Longman Group. United Kingdom, 1986.
Ricci, Michael. Was It Worth It? A Collection of International Cartoons About Columbus and His Trip to America. WittyWorld Publications. North Wales, PA, 1992.
Riley, Sandra. The Lucayans. MacMillan. Hong Kong, 1991.
Small, Deborah. Monthly Review Press. New York 1991.
Zinn, Howard. A
People's History of the United States. Harper Perennial Modern
Classics. Originally published in 1980, updated in 2005 http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html
and just about the Arawak: http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html
