Indigenous Continent

For history buffs only. The author's thesis is that, contrary to conventional wisdom, Native Americans weren't passive victims of our country's greed and racism. Several nations, including the Iroquois, Lakota, and Comanche, successfully resisted conquest for centuries by shrewdly playing the British, French, Spanish and Americans against each other. The resulting power allowed them to set the terms of the relationships, including favorable trade agreements. It was not until the late 19th century's completion of the transcontinental railroad and immigrant-led population explosion that wholesale massacres and reservation confinement took place.

The details of this argument involve hundreds of pages of battles, political deliberations, and atrocities on both sides. I started skimming around 25% and almost DNF'd. Indigenous Continent was listed on New York Times Best Nonfiction of 2022 list, but IMO it will best be appreciated by serious scholars on the topic.