'The Savage Mind' author says America's violent past is embedded in its present


'The Savage Mind' author says America's violent past is embedded in its present

Writer David Treuer's new book, "The Savage Mind," explores how America's violent history continues to shape the country's present, drawing on his own family's deeply divided experience of the United States.

Treuer's Ojibwe mother viewed America as a country that tried to destroy her people, carrying the weight of generations of violence against Native communities, while his father, a Jewish refugee, saw the same nation as the country that saved his life.

The contrast between his parents' perspectives forms the emotional core of the book, which argues that America's capacity for both destruction and refuge are inseparable parts of its identity.

Through personal narrative and historical investigation, Treuer contends that reckoning with the country's violent past is essential to understanding its current divisions, offering a nuanced meditation on what it means to belong to America.

Source: NPR Pop Culture

Related Articles

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vance tells Republicans to 'stop whining' about controversial Ohio attack ad

Image
Vance tells Republicans to 'stop whining' about controversial Ohio attack ad Vice President Vance has urged fellow Republicans to "stop whining" about a controversial attack ad in Ohio's governor race, dismissing concerns over the spot featuring the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. The ad, released by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, includes Acton's mother, whom she has not seen since her stepfather was charged with sexual abuse during her childhood — a history Acton says she never chose to make public. Vance's comments signal that the party's leadership is standing behind the aggressive tactic despite criticism from Democrats and some commentators who have called the ad an unacceptable invasion of a candidate's personal trauma. The controversy shows no signs of fading, with the ad continuing to dominate coverage of the Ohio race and raising broader questions about the boundaries of negative campaigning in American poli...
Read more

Blue-Collar Wages Up $2,400 a Year: What Trump's Manufacturing Push Means for Workers

Image
Introduction For millions of American workers who build, weld, drive, and repair for a living, paychecks are getting bigger. The Trump administration says blue-collar wages have risen by roughly $2,400 a year — about $200 a month in additional take-home pay for the workers who keep the country running. In an economy where many families feel like they're running just to stay in place, $2,400 a year is not abstract. It's a car payment. It's groceries for a month. It's the beginning of an emergency fund, or a little breathing room at the end of the month. The administration ties the wage gains directly to its manufacturing push: 72,000 new manufacturing jobs added in 2026, a factory construction boom employing 111,000 workers, and major investments like the $15 billion Iowa steel plant. When employers compete for workers, wages rise — and, the White House argues, that's exactly what's happening. This article examines the wage gains, what's driving them, wha...
Read more

US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia as Trump envoy meets Putin

Image
US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia as Trump envoy meets Putin Russia has freed American citizen Stephen Hubbard, the 74-year-old former teacher who was captured in 2022, in a release that coincided with a meeting between a Trump envoy and President Putin. Trump announced the release, saying Hubbard was freed without any prisoner "swap" being required — an unusual outcome in cases involving Americans detained in Russia, which have typically involved negotiated exchanges. Hubbard's detention had been a source of concern for his family and US officials for years, with his case drawing less public attention than some other Americans held in Russia but remaining a priority for diplomats. The timing of the release, alongside high-level talks between the two countries, has prompted speculation about whether the move signals a broader thaw in relations or was simply a goodwill gesture tied to the envoy's visit. Source: BBC US/Canada   Related Articles Russia Fr...
Read more