• Indian Givers

  • How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World
  • By: Jack Weatherford
  • Narrated by: Victor Bevine
  • Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (434 ratings)

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Indian Givers  By  cover art

Indian Givers

By: Jack Weatherford
Narrated by: Victor Bevine
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Publisher's summary

After 500 years, the world's huge debt to the wisdom of the Indians of the Americas has finally been explored in all its vivid drama by anthropologist Jack Weatherford. He traces the crucial contributions made by the Indians to our federal system of government, our democratic institutions, modern medicine, agriculture, architecture, and ecology, and in this astonishing, ground-breaking book takes a giant step toward recovering a true American history.

©1989 Jack Weatherford (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"By showing how the world was changed through these contributions, the author gives a greater appreciation of the Indians of America to readers. A fine synthesis book for global studies programs as well as American history." ( School Library Journal)

What listeners say about Indian Givers

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  • YM
  • 10-22-22

Read this book

Wonderful book - I loved every minute. A lot of information in this book on Native American.

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Everything I didn't know.

It should be required reading in American history classes. Hopefully it's changed since I was in school. But our view of Indians and textbooks was more comparable to cowboy and Indian movies than to the history. Of our country's original inhabitants

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Eye Opening...

This is a very interesting book. It covers a wide range of topics on how early inhabitants from South and North America were instrumental in unlocking the treasures of the New World long before Europeans discovered and then exploited these peoples, reaping untold richest/benefits while virtually exterminating the benefactors without giving them even the slightest credit. One small example is the author makes a compelling case that the US democracy was in a significant way modeled after the native american values of personal freedom and tribal methods of governance...fascinating stuff!

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14 people found this helpful

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A great listen for anyone in the Americas

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend this book to everyone. I recommend this book to my students in Mediterranean history so that they learn how many of the things they misattribute to the Greeks and Romans are in fact Native American contributions to world culture. I recommend this book to those who love cooking and eating. There's a lot of folklore about which staple foods today originated in the Americas. This book does a good job of giving an overview. And I recommend the book to anyone who just loves to be wowed by stories of real travel, and real people today interwoven with a historical perspective.

Any additional comments?

On a few (rare) occasions, the narrator mispronounces some words in European languages. This didn't detract from the listen for me, but I did notice.

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well worth the listen

What did you love best about Indian Givers?

Except for the first two chapters, the book contained a lot of new and interesting information about the Americas. (I almost stopped listening before Chapter 3.)

This book seems to have been a major source of information & insight for the book 1493, but 1493 mellows out the polemic against European conquerors and adds some insight and information to this work.

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3 people found this helpful

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I learned a lot. Amazing!

Great book full of information I never knew. The world would be so different without the food, drugs, inventions and culture we received from Native Americans. I loved this book.

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Fascinating book

Any additional comments?

I loved the book. The history is fascinating as are the historical connections made. I think sometimes these connections are stretched a bit too much to make the point, but the underlying concepts are sound. I learned a lot from this book.

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I'd recommend this book to everyone

makes me appreciate all the contributions we received from Native Americans that most everyone is not aware of

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Great Book

Treasure trove of information about American Indians. Good overview of how the world has and has not used the vast amount of knowledge accrued by American Indians.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!!

I have listened to 3 of Jack Weatherford's book, and have enjoyed them all. I would recommend his books to anyone!

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12 people found this helpful