Not "A Nation of Immigrants": Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion

This is a fantastic book. I have read other books by this author & she is a brilliant historian & a great writer. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in American history. Well researched, well written & deeply understood by the author.

This book, like the author's other books, takes a relentlessly critical, even apocalyptic view of Americans and American history. I wouldn't recommend it, although it is the kind of book that appeals to a surprisingly large segment of the population. Her specialty is puncturing the American Dream in the name of "truth." It's a religious conviction really, and her view of American history is very narrow, and almost completely damning. I sincerely wonder what the point of writing this book might be, since not much of what she presents is actually news. That Native Americans are now equal to every other American citizen does not matter, either; in her world, the glass is always half empty. Her solution, if you want to call it that, is for descendants of European settlers/immigrants to finally own up to their forebears "original sin" of colonizing America, and then, well, I don't know what happens after that. I think most Americans would agree that past abuses, such as what some Native children endured in boarding schools should be investigated and any crimes unearthed and acknowledged. And that tribal governments and existing rights should be respected. However, I think the author has something more extensive in mind. But mostly, it seems, she just wants to declare the whole Euro-American settlement project as a criminal enterprise. As a result, she definitely does not want the descendants of immigrants to be happy about being here, and she is very ambivalent about anyone of any ethnic background claiming a common, modern American identity at all, which in her view is not worth claiming. This book is certainly not a positive contribution to bringing the country together and completely fulfilling the Founder's vision of justice for all. I have read a couple of the author's other books, and I have struggled to get through them for the same reasons I struggled with this one. I do like to read books from various viewpoints so I try to give her a fair reading, and American history is certainly a mixed bag and shouldn't be whitewashed. And I have seen her speak, and she seems like a nice woman. But her view of the country, in my opinion, is really so skewed, and so extremely negative that it is quite destructive, which might just be what she intends.

So far, I find the book enlightening and feel it would be a good read for those that see others as immigrants!! Until we Americans know our true history, divisiveness and racism will continue. The truth should be told about the conquers who overcame and took control of land belonging to the Native Americans already living here. The truth should be told about the horrors of selling people into slavery. Then and only then could we embrace each other equally as fellow human beings each wanting equalityand justice for all.

History readings should get this to update their knowledge. Good first chapter that compares the show to the reality of history, told by a meticulous historian. The other chapters are as good. A MUST READ.

This book is real well-documented history that can be relied on. I have lived some of it and I know many who also have. Read it yourself and find out. Roxanne, you have made history!

This book follows and expands upon her first, An Indigenous People's History of the United States, and like it offers readers an opportunity to rethink all they have been taught, reconsider all the myths and legends we were brought up with, and look upon our founding and expansion with clear eyes. Helps us to imagine the impact of "Manifest Destiny" in today's world, and to reconsider where our "rights" came from. Perhaps it will bring the reader to better understand our obligations to our country's peoples and each other.

Not a nation of Immigrants challenges the idea of American being a nation of immigrants and over romanticization of American immigration and settler colonialism.

This book pulled few punches. It is not the sanitized version of US History that is taught in school or even college. It is brutal and unflinching, which will not sit well with the fascist White Supremacist Right wing in the US.A tough read but worth the time. This book takes a moral inventory of the US and finds it lacking.

This is a very disturbing work and well researched. If you are really interested in truth about our American historical identity, then this is a must-read. Dunbar-Ortiz has made a major contribution to our understanding of American history.