The Westerners

by Dorris Alexander "Dee" Brown

Dorris Alexander (Dee) Brown [1908 - 2002] was widely known for his work, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) which changed world's thinking about westward expansion on the American continent.

Genres: History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Rory]

Well worth a read for anyone interested in the American frontier and the characters that shaped the history of the West. This book spends more time on the people of the frontier than it does on the history and that makes it more readable and informative than most texts out there, I reckon anyway.

That said this is among the saddest things I have ever read.

The expolitation of the America(s) and it's peoples is really heart breaking stuff. Add to that that the exploiters where such a bunch of greedy, ignornant and abusive scumbags, they were devoid of compassion, understanding or sympathy for the new land or it's people. I know, values change and they were just acting out the "norms" of their day and I can't (shouldn't) impose the values of our time on them etc. But, alas, I will anyway.

That the Native Americans lost everything is one thing, sadly the reality of war and conquest among our speices is that the conquered get smashed and possibly exterminated in the process of empire building, there is nothing new or unique in that. It has been the modus operandi of nearly all conquering cultures, always was and probably always will be.

My main grief stems from the fact that the new Americans had so little respect for the Nature of their new country, it just boggles the mind at the short sightedness of it all. They seemed to see the natural world as nothing more than an open source of wealth to be exploited for their own personal benefit (trappers, miners, ranchers, clergy etc.). And as for the companies...the less said about their rutless cut-throat behavior the better. It would seem that America has always had it's greatest trouble, in regards to the treatment of people and landscapes, from their big companies. This book give a clear history of their beginings.


Looking back, and this book helps to clarify a lot, you can clearly see how much was lost and how much "better" things might have been had a little restraint and compassion been shown in those early stages of expansion, we might have had something far more interesting than the mono-culture and fairy-tale heros we see in the US of today.

[Daniel]

Just found this used - a wonderfully illustrated history of the American West & those who populated it. don't think its any longer in print... by Dee Brown of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" fame. Chronicles early exploration up til the "true" end of the Cowboy era: the 1900s & the complete dispossession of the American Indian.

[Mike]

I tried getting into this book but unfortunately I just found it boring.It could just be the fact that the book was written 50 years ago and that there are better books out there or I just lost interest and finishing it would feel like a chore.

[Geraint]

This book was a gift from my mam & dad almost 50 years ago, took me a bit of time to get around to it 😃

[Tim Carter]

Excellent walk through through the history of the development of the western US. Highly recommend this one.

[Crissy]

A very good, interesting book. I expected a more general approach but very much enjoyed ‘seeing’ the expansion of the USA through someone else’s eyes, many of whom I had never heard of. I have read other Dee Brown books but found this a lighter and very informative read.