My high school U.S. history lessons left much to be desired, and one critical subject on my list of seemingly endless things to better educate myself on is Native American history. I had read Indigenous fiction that pulled from history but not nonfiction work that got into the meat of the true stories behind events about which I knew too little, that is, until I picked up this much-praised 2024 book.
By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca NagleI live in Asheville, North Carolina—Cherokee Nation land. In our first year here, my husband and I went to the Annual Eastern Band Cherokee Powwow in the Smoky Mountains. Watching the dances and admiring the regalia, I considered how little I knew about this nation whose homelands stretch so far and wide. Rebecca Nagle is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who can trace her lineage back to an abhorrent event most of us (I hope) know about: the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Nagle confronts her family legacy as unflinchingly as she does the murder trial at the heart of a recent battle for tribal land and sovereignty, and the history of manipulation, violence, and biased and exploitative policy that shapes the U.S. and harms indigenous communities. Of personal interest to me, she also challenges our understanding of slavery and racism in Native American history. Nagle charts a course to show us how all of these stories are inextricably linked. It’s this hard look at history and her keen reporting skills that set a strong foundation for understanding what happened to Native Americans and their land as a result of greed and colonization. What was missing from my lessons about this country was its history from a Native American perspective—from those who had a very different experience with manifest destiny and its reach across time and country. By the Fire We Carry, is an earnest and nuanced recounting of the ghastly acts that made the country what it is today. It was important to get this story from someone with deep ties to the history, and I came away from the reading experience with eyes wide open. |
What have you been reading lately? Let’s chat in the comments!