They Called It Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School

“It’s the story of a Native American boarding school. She makes the point that if you look at all the American documents, the bureaucratic forms that accompany the creation and maintenance of a boarding school, you’re going to be able to tell one kind of story. But she wanted to talk to the people who went to the school. She calls the people who were formerly students a ‘living archive’ that has been untapped. She interviews former students of the Chilocco school and juxtaposes their perspectives with the story that can be told through American documents. Since this book in 1994, there’s been a series of ongoing historical accounts of boarding schools that now emphasize student perspectives. And that means everyday people’s perspectives, even children’s perspectives.” Read more...

The best books on Native American history

Jennifer Graber, Historian