“A nuanced, well-researched, sharply argued, far-reaching cultural history of Gilded Age settler colonialism in the American West.” — Native American and Indigenous Studies
“An original and important study of the long-term impact of one of the frontier wars in the American West.” — Journal of American History
“[A] fascinating examination. . . . Succeeds in returning the conflict to a central place in the history of western settlement.” — Pacific Northwest Quarterly
“For Cothran, reconsidering the Modoc War means more than setting the record straight. His historical work actively deconstructs contemporary narratives of American innocence and the ways they use history.” — American Quarterly
“Masterful and evocative prose. . . . A sophisticated analysis of the construction of public memories and the role they play in sustaining settler colonial narratives of the nation and its relationships with Native people. . . . A model for all scholars seeking meaning in memory, conflict, performance, violence, and commemoration.” — American Historical Review
“His historical work actively deconstructs contemporary narratives of American innocence and the ways they use history.” — American Quarterly
“Located at the intersection of Indigenous and Euro–American memories of violence, and focused on the myriad ways that the market shaped those recollections, Boyd Cothran’s brilliant book will change the way readers think about Western history, Native American studies, collective memory, and the culture of consumerism.” — Ari Kelman, University of California, Davis
“Part of a growing trend to revisit the military history of colonial and American expansion through the lenses of cultural history and Indigenous studies, Boyd Cothran’s fluently written new book is effective in its use of a rich array of sources and in its critique of settler colonialism.” — Coll Thrush, University of British Columbia
