The Horn Book Guide

HISTORY

Cooper, Michael L.

Indian School: Teaching the White Man's Way

104 pp. | Clarion | September, 1999 | Trade ISBN 0-395-92084-1 $$15.00

(2) 4-6 Despite some gaffes, only the most dogmatic will fail to appreciate this enlightening account of Indian "education." In an 1879 meeting with the Sioux, Captain Henry Pratt proposed "taking their sons and daughters back east, where they would... be taught how to live like white people." Acknowledging Pratt's ideals, Cooper is cognizant of the racism therein, and honest about the horrors faced by the children. The many historical photos are often arresting. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2000