Why am I passionate about this?

I love America. I was born here, I live here, and I will die here. Like Walt Whitman, I am mad for this place, and I treasure the soil beneath my feet, the water I drink, and the air I breathe. Unfortunately, the soil I love so much has been marinated in the blood of previous generations, the water I drink is filled with the filthy effluent of a greedy, industry-centered culture, and the air I breathe is bitter, choking me with cancer-causing toxins. Why do I care so much about books that describe the destruction of the North American continent? Because the destruction has not stopped!!!!!!!!


I wrote

The Spirit Keeper

By K. B. Laugheed ,

Book cover of The Spirit Keeper

What is my book about?

The Spirit Keeper is an Indian captivity narrative which begins when seventeen-year-old Katie O'Toole is rescued from a 1747 frontier…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Frontiersmen

K. B. Laugheed Why I love this book

The Frontiersmen by Allan Eckert was a life-changing experience for me. I read it as a youth, and Eckert’s compelling writing and meticulous research opened my eyes to just a few of the horrific events that happened right here in my backyard—events that enabled me to have a backyard in North America. This book is history as it should be written: a vivid description of true events without editorializing or interpretation. Eckert was a master storyteller who let the facts speak for themselves, and he is a personal hero of mine.

By Allan W. Eckert ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Frontiersmen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America from crimes committed back east. In the beautiful but deadly country which would one day come to be known as West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, more often than not they left their bones to bleach beside forest paths or on the banks of the Ohio River, victims of Indians who claimed the vast virgin territory and strove to turn back the growing tide of whites. These frontiersmen are the subjects…


Book cover of The Crossbreed

K. B. Laugheed Why I love this book

I first fell madly in love with the writing of Allan Eckert when I read The Crossbreed. I’m a cat person, so I was, of course, a sucker for a story about a wild kitten who was a cross between a housecat and a bobcat. Eckert’s descriptive writing enabled me to see North America through the cat’s eyes, and I still cry like a baby every time I think about the poignant ending—not because the story was so sad, but because it was so beautiful. If you have ever wondered what we lost in the destruction of the North American wilderness, just read The Crossbreed.

By Allan W. Eckert ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Crossbreed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

His mother was a housecat gone wild-a huge, tiger-striped cat who survived almost certain death at the hands of a man intent upon destroying her and her family.

His father was a bobcat-a proud, cunning creature of the Wisconsin countryside, whose tumultuous courtship with her resulted ultimately in his own violent death.

The Crossbreed himself was their largest offspring-the only one that strange litter the feral housecat bore to resemble his sire, even though his markings were those of his mother. His intelligence and ability and the combination of the better attributes of both breeds enabled him to survive in…


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Book cover of Red Clay, Running Waters

Red Clay, Running Waters by Leslie K. Simmons,

Red Clay, Running Waters is the little-known story of John Ridge, a Cherokee man dedicated to his people, and his White wife Sarah, a woman devoted to his search for justice as they forge a path to the future for the Cherokee in their homeland. 

Grappling with universal themes of…

Book cover of The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

K. B. Laugheed Why I love this book

Once I became obsessed with Allan Eckert’s delicious writing, I read everything he wrote, which is how I happened upon The Silent Sky – The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. Oh my God!!! How did this happen? Why? Passenger pigeons were such an astonishing phenomenon—until we exterminated them. After reading this book, I went to the Cincinnati Zoo and wept before the stuffed corpse of Martha, the last of her kind, and I commissioned a lawn statue of her to serve as a memorial to the billions of her brethren who once filled the skies over my house. What have we done, what have we done...?

By Allan W. Eckert ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Silent Sky as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This nature novel, by following the hatching and lifetime experiences of the last know wild passenger pigeon, chronicles the life, natural history, and ultimate extinction of this species which was once the most abundant bird species in North America. The last wild bird was killed in 1900; the last captive bird died in 1914.


Book cover of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

K. B. Laugheed Why I love this book

I hate to recommend Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown because it is an excruciating look back at the atrocities inflicted by my people upon the original Natives of North America. Unfortunately, not reading about those horrific acts does not erase them from the historical record, which is why this book should be mandatory reading for every single American. The endless litany of murder and treachery recounted in this book spans nearly 500 years, and, yet, the average American knows almost nothing about the tragic events that made our lives possible. America stands for freedom, right? Dee Brown reminds us there was nothing free about it. A terribly high price was paid for this decadent paradise we enjoy...

By Dee Brown ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The American West, 1860-1890: years of broken promises, disillusionment, war and massacre.

Beginning with the Long Walk of the Navajos and ending with the massacre of Sioux at Wounded Knee, this extraordinary book tells how the American Indians lost their land, lives and liberty to white settlers pushing westward. Woven into a an engrossing saga of cruelty, treachery and violence are the fascinating stories of such legendary figures as Sitting Bull, Cochise, Crazy Horse and Geronimo.

First published in 1970, Dee Brown's brutal and compelling narrative changed the way people thought about the original inhabitants of America, and focused attention…


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Book cover of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

Need to Know by Nicholas Reynolds,

The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

Book cover of The Falcon

K. B. Laugheed Why I love this book

The Falcon was one of the many books I studied while researching The Spirit Keeper, and John Tanner’s contemporary description of life among the Ojibwa continues to haunt me. Although captivity narratives were once very popular in America, Tanner did not achieve fame or fortune from his life story. What he did achieve, however, was a clear record of the steady destruction of the rich and varied native cultures of North America as Colonial forces slowly eroded the entire ecosystem of the continent. Because this story was written shortly after the events described, it’s a challenging read, but once you get into the rhythm of the 19th century language, you won’t be able to put the book down.

By John Tanner ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Falcon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

John Tanner's fascinating autobiography tells the story of a man torn between white society and the Native Americans with whom he identified.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.


Explore my book 😀

The Spirit Keeper

By K. B. Laugheed ,

Book cover of The Spirit Keeper

What is my book about?

The Spirit Keeper is an Indian captivity narrative which begins when seventeen-year-old Katie O'Toole is rescued from a 1747 frontier massacre in Pennsylvania only to discover that she has been chosen to be the "Spirit Keeper" of a dying Indian Seer.  Reluctant to agree to something she simply doesn’t understand, Katie finally accepts the mysterious obligation after she falls in love with the Seer’s bodyguard, an Indian man she calls Hector.  As Katie and Hector canoe up the Missouri River, Katie explores the rich setting of pre-colonized America, taking readers on an adventure they will not soon forget.

Book cover of The Frontiersmen
Book cover of The Crossbreed
Book cover of The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

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