I hesitate to say that I found this book boring and rambling, as if its primary purpose is to entertain, but even as someone who reads an epic amount of nonfiction I found this book boring and rambling. ( )

The authors chose to frame this as 21 "myths" for marketing purposes, kind of like a ZergNet list for serious people, but it's really just 21 topics they wanted to write about. In 2016, do we still need to debunk the "myth" that Columbus discovered America? And who says Indians are anti-science, or more anti-science than the general public, which admittedly in the current era, seems pretty anti-science? Some chapters in this book are good and provide nice summaries of complex issues. The chapters on genocide, sports mascots, and cultural appreciation are decent. On the other hand, some chapters are train wrecks that lack direction. The chapter "Indians are wards of the state" contains some good reference information, but it's a snore to read. And Myth #20, called "Native Americans can't agree on what to be called" is funny, since it pretty much concludes that Native Americans can't agree on what to be called. A very mixed bag. ( )

A series of chapters, each "busting" one myth about Native Americans. For the most part they were very good. While I was already at least partly aware of the truth behind each myth, I still learned a lot of facts from each chapter. Generally, my biggest quibble would be that there was a lack of primary sources being cited, it was mostly secondary sources. Why quote Howard Zinn quoting Bartolome de las Casas when you could just quote de las Casas himself?

The exception to my overall agreement with the book was chapter two, which deals with the myth "Native Americans were the first immigrants to North America". The authors' thesis for this chapter was not explicitly stated, but I believe they are arguing that Native American religion and oral tradition asserts that they have always lived in North America. This could be framed as a "respect Native religions (including creation myths)" argument, which I agree is important, but in the case of land rights one would have to also consider that the invading colonists' religion (Christianity) told them that North America was their right as well. "Native Americans were here first" is a good argument for Native land rights because it is a fact; "their religion says this land is theirs" is not a good argument because it can equally be used against them. Aside from religion, the only argument against Native American immigration is the same argument seen from Christian creation arguments as well - scientists & historians aren't sure if the immigration happened 10,000 years ago or 20,000 years ago, and thus all science and history must be wrong. This chapter was very early in the book, and left a bad taste in my mouth for subsequent chapters. If the authors thought it was important to include in the book, that is fine, but I wish it hadn't been at the beginning.

I think I would prefer to read shorter-form works by these authors, like essays or newspaper columns (or even these chapters on an individual basis). They were interesting, I learned things, and I like their point of view! But I thought this book was just okay. I'm not sure what the intended audience is. ( )

A necessary primer on many myths that USians are brought up believing about Native Americans. Reading books like this just makes me angry about how miseducated I was as a child, and how that miseducation continues to this day. I think it covers some really necessary topics about how racism and white supremacy has conspired over the years to try and eliminate the presence of indigenous peoples on this continent. There were definitely some things I would have liked to have read more about, but I guess this just means I'll have to find some more related books! ( )

I received a copy of All the Real Indians Died Off by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker from LibraryThing's Early Reader giveaway program in exchange for an honest review. The current skirmish over the Dakota Access Pipeline makes this book even more timely. The authors address and array of stereotypes about Native American Indians, from Thanksgiving proves the Indians welcomed the Pilgrims to Indians should move on and forget the past. They substantiate their perspectives with research and provide context regarding the issue. Another bonus in the book is the historical timeline that features the history of the people prior the European colonization and since the United States became a country.

This book is recommended for anyone, but especially schools and colleges to supplement existing curricula. ( )