The Navajo Long Walk

The latest in the Look West series, The Navajo Long Walk is a brief book that uses plain terms and full-color photographs throughout to tell the story of when, during the course of the Civil War, the U.S. military decided to force the Navajo people to move from their traditional homelands to a tiny reservation in New Mexico. For four harsh years the Navajo struggled to survive in their new home; starvation, dysentery, and dehydration was widespread. According to modern estimates, nearly a fifth of the Navajo population at the time perished either en route or at the camp. At last the survivors were permitted to return home, and in a twist of irony, the Long Walk ultimately cemented connections and helped preserve tribal identity rather than destroy it. A gripping and sober account of a cruel episode of American history.