�our ancient & Loving ffriends�: The Town of Southampton, New York�s Relationship with the Shinnecock Indians, 1628-1920

When a book starts with a detailed explanation of why it was okay for Europeans to take away all the Indian lands because they weren't Christian and anyone who doesn't hold this opinion is engaging in revisionist history, the reader has a sense of how the rest of the book will go. There are several good points made in this book, but they are part of an unbalanced argument. Yes, Indians of the period did have challenges with alcohol abuse. The author forgets that English settlers used alcohol as a pre-negotiation tactic with Indians. Yes, some Europeans did attempt to help the Indians. The author pays little attention to the many who took advantage of them. I would enjoy reading a history that balances the European and Indian viewpoints with the zeal the author defends the Europeans in this book.