Deceit; compromise; and betrayal were the painful costs of becoming American for many families. For people of Indian; African; and European descent living in the newly formed United States; the most personal and emotional choices--to honor a friendship or pursue an intimate relationship--were often necessarily guided by the harsh economic realities imposed by the country's racial hierarchy. Few families in American history embody this struggle to survive the pervasive onslaught of racism more than the Graysons. Like many other residents of the eighteenth-century Native American South; where Black-Indian relations bore little social stigma; Katy Grayson and her brother William--both Creek Indians--had children with partners of African descent. As the plantation economy began to spread across their native land soon after the birth of the American republic; however; Katy abandoned her black partner and children to marry a Scottish-Creek man. She herself became a slaveholder; embracing slavery as a public display of her elevated place in America's racial hierarchy. William; by contrast; refused to leave his black wife and their several children and even legally emancipated them. Traveling separate paths; the Graysons survived the invasion of the Creek Nation by U.S. troops in 1813 and again in 1836 and endured the Trail of Tears; only to confront each other on the battlefield during the Civil War. Afterwards; they refused to recognize each other's existence. In 1907; when Creek Indians became U.S. citizens; Oklahoma gave force of law to the family schism by defining some Graysons as white; others as black. Tracking a full five generations of the Grayson family and basing his account in part on unprecedented access to the forty-four volume diary of G. W. Grayson; the one-time principal chief of the Creek Nation; Claudio Saunt tells not only of America's past; but of its present; shedding light on one of the most contentious issues in Indian politics; the role of "blood" in the construction of identity. Overwhelmed by the racial hierarchy in the United States and compelled to adopt the very ideology that oppressed them; the Graysons denied their kin; enslaved their relatives; married their masters; and went to war against each other. Claudio Saunt gives us not only a remarkable saga in its own right but one that illustrates the centrality of race in the American experience.
#926793 in Books 1997-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.75 x .96 x 11.31l; #File Name: 0195212703256 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Its thematic organization provides a unique perspective on Ancient EgyptBy doc petersonOrganized by theme; Silverman's _Ancient Egypt_ provides an unusual approach to the topic. Divided into three parts (The Egyptian World; Belief and Ritual; Art; Architecture and Language); the subsequent chapters are written by a variety of scholars; each an expert in their fields (to name a few: Fekri Hassan a geo-archeologist formerly of Washington State; more recently at the Egyptian Ministry of Culture writing on commerce; Gay Robbins of Emory University on Women in Ancient Egypt; Ian Shaw of University of Liverpool on urban centers; Zahi Hawass - former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities on the Pyramids). These scholars provide a fresh take on Egyptian history.I was particularly struck by the chapters on "The Celestial Realm" and "Tombs and Temples" as both provided unique details about Egyptian cosmology and the evolution of funerary architecture. The number of color plates and maps are also helpful and illustrative in connecting details to the larger historical narrative. However; I had problems with the historical narrative itself; in a few words; it was simply too brief. The opening chapter; "Three Kingdoms and Thirty-four Dynasties" covered the entirety of Ancient Egyptian history in 20 pages. While the ebbed flow of history was discussed well; one cannot adequately write a political history of the 2000 + years of Ancient Egyptian history in so few pages.Further; the thematic nature of the book also meant that events or issues would be repeated in chapter after chapter. For example; the reign of Akhenaten is discussed several times: in the political history of the 18th dynasty; again in a chapter about cities and capitals; yet again in the discussion of art and architecture; and still again in the chapter about temples and tombs. While events and individuals like Akhenaten are repeatedly highlighted; other significant facets are overlooked or given short shrift (the Naqada period or the Second Intermediate Period).While _The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt_ remains unrivaled in terms of its scholarship and depth; the strength of Silverman's thematic approach is the variety of perspectives is provides beyond the exclusively political. For those who already have a passing familiarity with Ancient Egypt but are searching for interesting details and a more social history approach to the time; this would be my recommendation.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This book has the best of the expert writing on their areas of expertiseBy CatPawsThis book has the best of the expert writing on their areas of expertise. They all know how to tell you everything in a concise way in language that the average person can understand. The pictures; many I'd not seen before; are for the most part clear enough to make out things; maps and plans of ancient forts and temples homes; etc. are excellent with clear keys and explanations. If you wanted only one good book to read on Ancient Egypt; I would not hesitate to recommend this book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Information in the book provides a good overview of Ancient EgyptBy Ann F. RappInformation in the book provides a good overview of Ancient Egypt. The writing style is clear; concise; and easy to understand. The print is quite small which makes it hard to read; especially in the inserted boxes and sidebars. Recommended to go along with the Coursera course on Ancient Egypt.
