By Dwight Jon Zimmerman
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 224 pages

Every so often it helps to remember the low points in history. Saga of the Sioux is an edited version of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the history of the Indian Wars, detailing how the United States government broke treaty after treaty and disregarded the rights of Native Americans. Although edited so as to be more kid-friendly, the abuses detailed in the book are nonetheless a stark reminder of how not to treat other civilizations.

The book focuses on Red Cloud and the Sioux, but it does justice to the other tribes involved. Although it does tend to get a little dry in areas, it does an excellent job of showing how those within the government sought to use the American Indian for their own ambitions, and how those ambitions brought down the tribes. It points out how those governing the reservations were more interested in keeping the Indians under control than in safeguarding their welfare, as well as the final injustices through re-education. It covers a lot of territory for its size and should be on the shelves of all those interested in history; it also illustrates why all governments require checks and balances.

Reviewed by Jamais Jochim