First People: The Early Indians of Virginia, Keith Egloff & Deborah Woodward

We all love the story of Pocahontas, even if we don't want to admit it.  But there's a whole lot more to Virginia Indian history than a mythic princess and her love affair with Mel Gibson John Smith.  And believe it or not, there are still a number of active, thriving Native American tribes in Virginia today, despite the Commonwealth's early 20th century efforts to "erase" Indian identities.

Egloff and Woodward's book is written at about a 6th grade reading level, which made it easy to read during metro commutes.  It offers a simple, succinct history of Virginia Indians from time of Virginia's first inhabitants more than 15,000 years ago to the present day.  Most of the information was drawn from archaeological evidence and the book was also written in collaboration with contemporary Virginia Indians, both of which made me very happy.  I would like to see the information from this book become part of Virginia history curriculum.  And by that I mean, I am making it one of my career goals.

There is a lot more to Virginian heritage than so many of us recognize.   This book is a great way to start learning about a deeper, richer history and to recognize the contemporary implications of 1607 for Virginia Indian communities.