All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life

Each chapter tells the stories of various tribes who have been burdened by nuclear waste, poor agricultural lands, and polluted water. In each case native peoples have developed strong organizations to fight for social justice. The insightful analysis presented here makes one excited by the prospect of a LaDuke Vice-presidency. She is much more aware of the importance of community action and limiting corporate power to protect the environment than the current US Vice President whose administration abandoned any pretext of environmentalism during the course of misguied policies that know-towed to the wishes of corporate polluters.


Environmentalism is about People, too.   December 7, 2000
Tim Hundsdorfer (Boulder, CO United States)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I think in light of other reviews it makes some sense to underscore that this book is not about environmentalism in the traditional sense, but about the connection between the environment and people. LaDuke's great contribution to the environmental debate is her all-too-rare understanding that there is a connection between the earth and the people that live on it. Not in some hocus-pocus new age way, but a real, scientific connection between people (particulary Native people, because of their lifestyle) and polution. My lone criticism is the charicaturization of corporations in this book. GM does pollute, but consumers are also to blame. Nevertheless, LaDuke is undoubtedly correct in connecting the dots between industrialization, militarism and environmental pollution and she does so in a way that few authors have ever done. A fantastic book that stands in stark contrast to Earth in the Balance as a real manifesto for true environmentalists.


Truth, told with powerful clarity   November 29, 2002
Nissa (Canada)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Winona Laduke ran as vice president alongside Ralph Nader. It would be truly amazing if this woman had become our vice president (for many reasons). It is my hope that some day she will be our vice president (or president). Her views on the environment and its effect upon animals and people (particularly babies, children and pregnant/nursing mothers) are exactly how I feel. She expresses these views eloquently in these quotes by Lil'wat grandmother Loretta Pascal, "Where did you get your right to destroy these forests? How does your right supercede my rights? These are our forests, these are our ancestors."(p.5), by Ted Strong, "If this nation has a long way to go before all of our people are truly created equally without regard to race, religion, or national origin, it has even further to go before achieving anything that remotely resembles equal treatment for other creatures who called this land home before humans ever set foot upon it...."(p.5), and by Katsi Cook, "Why is it we must change our lives, our way of life, to accommodate the corporations, and they are allowed to continue without changing any of their behavior?"(p.12). Reading this book you will feel sorrow, and be inspired to action. Most of what was said in this book I already knew a little about, but through this book I understood the depth and complexity of all the factors. I can not recommend this book enough. She tells the truth of our world with a powerful clarity. She tells the stories of many Native American Tribes throughout North America (Canada and the United States, including a chapter on Hawaii). She ends the book with the optimism that it is possible for us to make change, but it is up to us.