Official Review: The World We Used to Live In

[Hhannahh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The World We Used to Live In" by Vine Deloria, Jr..]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The World We Used To Live In; Remembering The Powers Of The Medicine Men by Vine Deloria Junior, a renowned Native American author, is an enlightening book about the traditional religious practices of Native Americans, also known as Indian Americans. The author started by observing that most sacred traditional practices had been watered down to the point that they were now mere observations.

The objective of this book was to remind the Indian American people of the Old Powers of their ancestors - the powers possessed by the holy ones, also known as medicine men. The first chapter discussed the means of establishing a relationship with the spirits, such as through dreams and vision quests. The second chapter extensively discussed the powers of the medicine men, including healing, finding lost things, and locating food. Sometimes, the medicine men did some extraordinary acts just to show off their powers and strength. In summary, the author argued for the power and legitimacy of indigenous spirituality; although he did not substantially engage in its practice.

What I appreciated most about this book was its convincingness. Each chapter was discussed in detail, with a myriad of stories to support every assertion. There were countless testimonies from witnesses and even medicine men themselves. The experiences and testimonies were from as far back as the 17th century, down to the 21st century. The author also made references to the works of other authors, also quoting testimonies from such works. And like the author said, "these accounts are too numerous to pass off as superstition."

Before I came across this book, I knew next to nothing about Native Americans. This book not only taught me about their earlier traditional and religious practices, but it also spurred me to learn about their general way of life, including their traditional mode of dressing and building patterns, which was an interesting discovery for me.

As this book was not in print, I cannot speak for its editing per se, but I can speak for its narration. The narrator of this book was Wes Studi, a renowned Native American actor. To put it simply, Wes did an amazing job in narrating this book. The reading was smooth and understandable, and from the remarkable change in the narrator's pitch, one could easily tell when it was no longer the author, but another, speaking. The narrative also included soulful traditional chants at intervals.

The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was not in print. I heard several new and unusual words, native terms, that I didn't know. Some of the words, I was able to google up, but a few others, I couldn't find (probably because I didn't spell them right). Seeing the text would have helped familiarize those native words. Nonetheless, this doesn't detract any star from my rating of this book. The World We Used To Live In has duly earned 4 out of 4 stars.

I'm typically not in the class of people that this book was intended for, but I could relate to the teachings on the old ways of the traditionalists. This book was primarily aimed at the Native Americans, but any religiously open-minded person will appreciate it, and people who like tribal historicals will also enjoy this book.

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The World We Used to Live In
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[Maria 29]

It seems like an interesting book and reading your review I realized how little do I know about native Americans. Maybe I will take a look:) Thank you for this nice review!

[Kennedy NC]

I have always been intrigued by the practices of Indian Americans. Will definitely enjoy reading this book. Great review.

[Mwatu]

It is lovely to read that this book provides multiple supportive materials for its assertations. I think sharing of traditional religious practices, especially where supportive material is provided, is a glimpse of what times back then were like. While I am not Native American, I believe such a book would be beneficial to me as I explore various spiritual beliefs held across multiple groups of people. Thank you for this review!

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds like a wonderful read, or listen! I love when a good narrator brings the story to life and it's made all the better by a topic that's so interesting and rich and misunderstood by so many. Thanks for the great review!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I love to read books about Native Americans, and your review is very convincing. Thank you for your recommendation!

[Hhannahh]

I love to read books about Native Americans, and your review is very convincing. Thank you for your recommendation!

And thank you for your encouraging comment.

[Hhannahh]

I have always been intrigued by the practices of Indian Americans. Will definitely enjoy reading this book. Great review.

This book will be worth your time. Thank you for commenting.

[Hhannahh]

It is lovely to read that this book provides multiple supportive materials for its assertations. I think sharing of traditional religious practices, especially where supportive material is provided, is a glimpse of what times back then were like. While I am not Native American, I believe such a book would be beneficial to me as I explore various spiritual beliefs held across multiple groups of people. Thank you for this review!

Thank you for commenting.
You'll appreciate this book, just like I did.

[Hhannahh]

It seems like an interesting book and reading your review I realized how little do I know about native Americans. Maybe I will take a look:) Thank you for this nice review!

You're welcome, and thank you for commenting.

[Hhannahh]

This sounds like a wonderful read, or listen! I love when a good narrator brings the story to life and it's made all the better by a topic that's so interesting and rich and misunderstood by so many. Thanks for the great review!

Thank you for commenting.

[Mtibza eM]

Your honesty in assessing this book's commendable. Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts.

[Hhannahh]

Your honesty in assessing this book's commendable. Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts.

And thank you for reading and commenting.

[Kavita Shah]

Thank you for your review! I have no idea about Native Americans and what spiritual practices they used to do and this book might help me learn about them. I agree that some new words would be better to familiarize in print format.

[GoodLuck ES]

I've always loved to learn about new cultures. It's time I added the culture of the Indian American people to my knowledge bank.

Great review.