Comprehensive and well-written books about contemporary Native issues are hard to find, and they tend to lose their contemporary relevancy very quickly in the bright light of rapid changes in Native affairs. Johansen's attempt to provide a solid book (actually, two books) in the face of such conditions is laudable. His essays range across a stunning variety of issues and details: economic revival, identity conflict, political and environmental justice, self-rule, revival of traditional food systems, federal fraud, and linguistic and cultural revitalization. The fact that the discussion does not stop at the arbitrary national borders of the US is a plus. It is also more than time that the discussion focuses on contemporary reality rather than histories of traditions. Johansen has written a guidebook to the contemporary revival process. By its very subject matter, the book, part of Nebraska's Native America: Yesterday and Today series, will demand updates as the revival process takes novel forms. This is a hopeful sign; all books about Native issues must adapt to the dynamics of the present and the future. Essential. All levels and libraries.

Choice

There are precious few books written about this renewal of American Indian cultures. The author brings deep knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and commitment to this challenge. In addition, he has brought Indian voices to each page….Finally, there is a book that both acknowledges the complicated issues facing Indian cultures and provides vivid examples that provide strong evidence and hope for solutions and survival. It should be mandatory for school and academic libraries.

American Reference Books Annual

This well-written, extensively researched two-volume set is designed for the college/university level reader. Students will learn about the issues facing American Indians and gain new perspectives about the history of the Americas' first inhabitants. This two-volume guide provides detailed information about the resurgence of Native American issues throughout North America. The first volume deals with the legal, cultural, and environmental dimensions of this resurgence. The second volume focuses on the revival of Native American languages, ethnic identities, and economies….Each book has its own introduction and comprehensive index.

MultiCultural Review

Johansen offers students, scholars, and interested general readers a collection of essays and stories exploring the contemporary Native American revival of Native American traditions. The first volume examines the revival of indigenous languages; efforts to recover from pervasive poverty and reassert economic independence; ethnic revival, and the problems related to determining identity strictly in a multiethnic world; and the controversy over Indian sports mascots and place-names. The second volume focuses on legal traditions, including banishment; the conviction of Leonard Peltier; cultural revival through educational organizations and community centers; the reclamation of traditional diets and age-old agricultural systems; struggles with environmental issues; and achieving sociocultural survival and criticism of the dominant culture through contemporary Native American political humor.

Reference & Research Book News

Part of the publisher's Native America: Yesterday and Today series, this installment is a compactly sized two-volume set. Despite a title that suggests broad subject matter, these volumes focus specifically on current revitalization efforts within Native American life and culture.

Catholic Library World