Very well written and super eye-opening! Many times reading this book I had one of those “that sounds familiar... that makes sense!” moments. I was able to connect the information in this book with what I know of world (largely European) history. The story of Native Americans as told by Weatherford is both enlightening and sad, and as the book concludes: the Americas were found 500 years ago but have yet to be discovered.

Fun moment reading this: written in the early 90s, Weatherford mentions the American quinoa crop as mostly unknown to Western people. Now, quinoa is ubiquitous!

Nice introductory book, the citations/syllabus were a little light but still gave me plenty of follow up material after this whet my appetite. A rare author that successfully balances the human interest narratives with historical scope, i.e. tying in the daily of life of indigenous Bolivians now with the vast changes from the prehispanic, colonial and modern periods. Full of fun little factoids. The chapters on plants (food, medicine, drugs) and their associated technologies (farming, healing, etc) were the strongest, political chapters were the weakest.

We used many of Weatherford's details to help shape our American Studies curriculum more than 15 years ago. The real history of North America is almost unknown in the United States. This book is an good place to begin.

I am stunned by the scope of this book. There was so much to take in that I feel I need to start at the beginning and listen to it all over again. I would like to obtain a hard copy to underline. I could study this for the rest of my life, in fact. The author covers so many topics that have profoundly influenced our contemporary world and that I have never heard of before. In fact I would have to admit my head is spinning. Just reflecting upon, for instance, the background of quinine's use to relieve millions of malaria sufferers each year, even now, outdoing anything in the European tradition's medical armory. How did the South American Indian groups discover these things? Amazing book.

¨Really cool read for anyone traveling through the Americas, or anyone curious how indigenous cultures rock the house¨

This book does a great job reminding readers just how much we owe to the native people of the Americas, especially in like of colonization and such. It's always good to be reminded of the richness that others add to your life.

I really liked the information and how it was written. If you are interested in Natives culture and contributions natives have made to the current world, this is a nice starting point.

Loved this book. Reminded me of how much is owed to America's Native Americans. I like Jack Weatherfords writing. Enjoyed his Genghis Khan as well.

My father is Arawak, indigenous to the Amazonian forests of South America. I fear this book will haunt me for a long time, because of all I didn’t know despite all the things my father has taught me. This book taught me the etymological reasons for the words he uses, the explanations of why he cooks what he does and so much more. It is devastating to learn what we have lost and what we stand to lose with the decimation of Indigenous people and their culture.

Sometimes a little dense to get through, this book nevertheless brings up so many interesting and important points about the native communities that continue to shape our world. I was drawn to it originally by the title, and I think Weatherford did a good job packing a lot of interesting information concisely.

This is a very readable and insightful history. A perspective I had never read before, and have never forgotten.

Love this book! I need to read it again to soak in all the information. So many interesting details about Native American & World History, and how much we owe to Native Americans for so many aspects of our present day culture. Eye opening!