Who Would Like This Book:
If you're the type who loves bold, challenging history books that dig into the bones of American myths, this one should be on your list. Dunbar-Ortiz uses gripping stories, primary documents, and sharp analysis to show how America's gun culture and the Second Amendment are deeply tied to its roots in colonization and racial violence. Anyone interested in the links between history, race, and gun rights, or those involved in social movements, will find plenty to chew on here - it's as much about rethinking how we got here as wrestling with today's debates.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers might struggle with the book’s nonlinear structure and shifting focus - it doesn’t always stick closely to the Second Amendment itself, and at times can feel like a collection of related essays more than a tightly argued thesis. If you’re hoping for a balanced debate or a detailed policy deep-dive, this might not be your jam. And for those looking for a meticulously neutral tone, brace yourself: Dunbar-Ortiz doesn’t pull her punches, and her frank perspective won’t work for everyone.
About:
'Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment' by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz delves into the dark history of the Second Amendment, exploring its ties to racism, colonization, and violence in America. Through a well-researched narrative, the author uncovers the sinister origins of the gun culture in the United States, linking it to the exploitation of native Americans, black Americans, and immigrants. Dunbar-Ortiz challenges the conventional understanding of the Second Amendment, arguing that it was founded on racist principles to maintain control and promote white supremacy.
Dunbar-Ortiz's writing style in 'Loaded' is described as compelling and eye-opening, providing a spellbinding account of the nefarious history behind the Second Amendment. is commended for its thorough research and factual information, shedding light on the complex and violent past of America. Despite some criticisms of the thesis falling apart in certain sections, the book is praised for its detailed exploration of how America's obsession with guns is intertwined with its history of conquest, slavery, and violence.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains high content warnings for discussions of violence, genocide, racism, and brutality in American history.
From The Publisher:
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's Loaded is like a blast of fresh air. She is no fan of guns or of our absurdly permissive laws surrounding them. But she does not merely take the liberal side of the familiar debate.-Adam Hochschild, The New York Review of BooksHer analysis, erudite and unrelenting, exposes blind spots not just among conservatives, but, crucially, among liberals as well. . . . As a portrait of the deepest structures of American violence, Loaded is an indispensable book.-The New RepublicLoaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment, is a deeply researched-and deeply disturbing-history of guns and gun laws in the United States, from the original colonization of the country to the present. As historian and educator Dunbar-Ortiz explains, in order to understand the current obstacles to gun control, we must understand the history of U.S. guns, from their role in the settling of America and the early formation of the new nation, and continuing up to the present.Praise for Loaded: Dunbar-Ortiz's argument will be disturbing and unfamiliar to most readers, but her evidence is significant and should not be ignored.-Publishers Weekly. . . gun love is as American as apple pie-and that those guns have often been in the hands of a powerful white majority to subjugate minority natives, slaves, or others who might stand in the way of the broadest definition of Manifest Destiny.-Kirkus ReviewsTrigger warning! This is a superb and subtle book, not an intellectual safe space for confirming your preconceptions-whatever those might be-but rather a deeply necessary provocation.-Christian Parenti, author of Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis
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About the Author:
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother. She has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than four decades and is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international social justice issues. After receiving her PhD in history at the University of California at Los Angeles, she taught in the newly established Native American Studies Program at California State University, Hayward, and helped found the Departments of Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies. Her 1977 book The Great Sioux Nation was the fundamental document at the first international conference on Indigenous peoples of the Americas, held at the United Nations' headquarters in Geneva. Dunbar-Ortiz is the author or editor of many books, including her acclaimed An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States. She is the recipient of the Cultural Freedom Prize for Lifetime Achievement by the Lannan Foundation, and she lives in San Francisco, CA.
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