2009 Reading #83: The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834

Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
81. Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz.
82. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad.

83. The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834 (also published as Dakota Life in the Upper Midwest) by Samuel W. Pond. Is what it claims to be: an account of the society and lifestyle of the Mdewakanton Sioux in Minnesota before their world was irrevocably changed. Pond was a missionary, and his account is colored by that, but not as much as I expected. Pond states his goal as that of preserving an account of a people whose way of life is being lost, but oddly, there are times when he dismisses certain details as unworthy of inclusion because they are so widely known; this weird combination of foresight and thoughtlessness is puzzling. Still, given the dearth of material on the Mdewakanton around this period, this is one of the better references I've come across so far.

2009 Reading #84: The Last American Man

Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
81. Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz.
82. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad.
83. The Dakota or Sioux in Minnesota As They Were in 1834 by Samuel W. Pond.

84. The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. I hadn't made the connection between the author of this book and the Eat, Pray, Love book that everyone went crazy for (but I haven't read) until just now. Hm. This book is about Eustace Conway, a pretty remarkable guy who's been living off the land (he owns about 1,000 acres in North Carolina) for more than thirty years and managing to have some pretty wild adventures along the way. Gilbert tries to use Conway to make observations about the American (USian, more accurately) character, concentrating particularly on the (horrifying) relationship between him and his father and the particular brand of masculinity that they share; these observations are interesting and at times apt, but don't travel that well beyond the limited scope of Conway and his context. Conway's concerns for our environment and way of life are more convincing, and his achievements are impressive and inspiring, if not to the extent of making me want to emulate him entirely.