As Long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker is a book about the experiences of indigenous people throughout the history of colonization and beyond. With the main theme of environmental justice (EJ), the book recounts ways that indigenous people have been and continue to be denied EJ by colonizers and the United States government. The author gives detailed examples of the trade route interruption, displacement and relocation, forced labor (slavery), and the destruction of land that has occurred throughout history. Also discussed are the consequences of the Industrial Revolution, including the effects of railroads and dams, the use of fossil fuels, and even the Osage murders and Navajo cancer epidemic. The book also devotes a chapter to the role indigenous women have played in the fight for EJ. Finally, Gilio-Whitaker discusses how a future with EJ for indigenous people must include a confrontation of capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy. Because of the often complex language and topics presented in this book, I would say that it is best suited for a young adult and adult audience.
As Long As Grass Grows packs a lot of information into a relatively short (162 page) book, but does tend to be verbose and long-winded at times. Conversely, its logical sequence and organization into distinct chapters was helpful. The book also includes subheadings that further enhance readability. I appreciated that topics were given background and context, so that no prior knowledge was required before reading this book. Gilio-Whitaker tends to use subjective language, which reveals her passion for the subject matter, but usually accompanies it with factual explanations as well.
This book would serve as a mirror for all indigenous people as well as other underrepresented groups of people who have been victims of environmental injustice. Indigenous women in particular might see this book as a mirror, since the book includes a chapter dedicated to activism by indigenous women. Importantly, this book serves as an eye-opening window to anyone not familiar with the lesser-known details of colonization and the environmental injustice indigenous people continue to face.
To implement this book in a high school classroom, I think it would need to be broken down by chapter or even sections of chapters to make it more manageable for high school students to process. One idea I came up with was to have students read the introduction, “The Standing Rock Saga.” This part of the book gives an overview of what happened regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline and references the media attention that it received. I would have students search for and compile news media, social media, and other digital resources to combine into a visual, such as a collage, presentation, or video. We could then display everyone’s products in a gallery walk format, where students could explain their visual and answer other students’ questions. Another way I could implement this book in my classroom would be to group students to read a chapter together and then create a presentation to summarize the main issues from that chapter. Chapters 2 and 3 would be particularly well-suited to this project. We could do live presentations or Flipgrid videos where students could comment on other groups’ videos.
Gilio-Whitaker, D. (2019). As long as grass grows: The indigenous fight for environmental justice, from colonization to Standing Rock. Beacon Press.
As Long As Grass Grows packs a lot of information into a relatively short (162 page) book, but does tend to be verbose and long-winded at times. Conversely, its logical sequence and organization into distinct chapters was helpful. The book also includes subheadings that further enhance readability. I appreciated that topics were given background and context, so that no prior knowledge was required before reading this book. Gilio-Whitaker tends to use subjective language, which reveals her passion for the subject matter, but usually accompanies it with factual explanations as well.
This book would serve as a mirror for all indigenous people as well as other underrepresented groups of people who have been victims of environmental injustice. Indigenous women in particular might see this book as a mirror, since the book includes a chapter dedicated to activism by indigenous women. Importantly, this book serves as an eye-opening window to anyone not familiar with the lesser-known details of colonization and the environmental injustice indigenous people continue to face.
To implement this book in a high school classroom, I think it would need to be broken down by chapter or even sections of chapters to make it more manageable for high school students to process. One idea I came up with was to have students read the introduction, “The Standing Rock Saga.” This part of the book gives an overview of what happened regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline and references the media attention that it received. I would have students search for and compile news media, social media, and other digital resources to combine into a visual, such as a collage, presentation, or video. We could then display everyone’s products in a gallery walk format, where students could explain their visual and answer other students’ questions. Another way I could implement this book in my classroom would be to group students to read a chapter together and then create a presentation to summarize the main issues from that chapter. Chapters 2 and 3 would be particularly well-suited to this project. We could do live presentations or Flipgrid videos where students could comment on other groups’ videos.
Gilio-Whitaker, D. (2019). As long as grass grows: The indigenous fight for environmental justice, from colonization to Standing Rock. Beacon Press.