White Conquest Summary

Hedges and Sacco begin the book by discussing Whiteclay, a small incorporated village in Nebraska. The clients that come to Whiteclay primarily for alcohol are Native Americans from Pine Ridge, a reservation that is located in South Dakota. Hedges and Sacco were able to direct my attention into the lives of those in the Pine Ridge reservation by describing the problems with alcoholism and poverty that they face. Using the example of Long Wolf, they really gave me a feel for the hardships that Native Americans faced among their families. For Verlyn Long Wolf, her childhood experiences were dictated by physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. It upsets me that a girl has to go through such hardships at a young age. It was really striking that she was married and divorced around seven times and that all of them were abusive, except for one. The authors linked the vivid descriptions of rape and abuse back to the tragic history of white conquest. I think what really stood out to me about the Native Americans was when Hedges and Sacco talked about the Smithsonian museum
Most importantly, it’s unfortunate that even though his victory resulted in the Treaty of Fort Laramie, it would soon become violated. On page 24 Hedges and Sacco begin to tell the story of Red Cloud, also known as Mike. The comics they used kept me engaged in Red Cloud’s story and possessed a unique way to convey his life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chapter book with pictures that wasn’t a children’s book. My favorite part of the comics and pictures was that a story was still being told, but I could easily follow and not get bored with the reading. What stood out to me about Red Cloud’s story was that he traces his spiritual awakening to prison, despite the toxic environment. Hedges and Sacco showed that Red Cloud’s life took a toxic turn when he was in prison as he was involved in a gang and witnessed kids getting