BOOK REVIEW

Author: Trask, Kerry A.

Title: Black Hawk: the battle for the heart of America.

In ten words or less: Sauk Nation forced into exile; massacre follows.

Review: The Sauk Nation was one of the largest Indian settlements, with a population of 6000 in 1822, located east of the Mississippi River in Illinois. After years of encroachment by white settlers, the Sauks were forced into exile in the west. In the spring of 1832, Black Hawk and his followers crossed the river to reclaim their lands. The uprising ended three months later, in a tragic massacre. Trask examines the actions of Black Hawk and those of his contemporaries in light of white idealization and prejudice about Native Americans.

Why bother? Excellent and very readable examination of a part of American history that gets swept under the rugs in textbooks.