Beyond the Founding Myth
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz isn't interested in the 'Great Man' theory of history. She isn't here to tell you about brave pioneers or manifest destiny. Instead, she provides a 'bottom-up' history that treats the United States as a colonial project designed to seize territory. For a parent in 2026, this is the context your kid needs to understand everything from environmental protests to modern property laws.
The Reading Rope Connection
At Screenwise, we talk a lot about Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Most kids get the 'decoding' part down, but they struggle with the 'language comprehension' half—the stuff that requires background knowledge and vocabulary. This book is like a gym for that half of the rope. It introduces complex political structures, legal concepts, and historical threads that will make your kid sharper in every other subject they study.
How to Use This Well
If the original text feels too daunting for a 14-year-old, don't force it. There is a specifically adapted Young People's History of the United States that hits the same themes with more accessible language.
Better yet, watch Raoul Peck's HBO docuseries Exterminate All the Brutes together. It uses this book as a primary source and provides a visual punch that can help the history stick. Use the book as the deep-dive reference when the show sparks a 'wait, did that really happen?' moment. It usually did.
The teen-sized edition: An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People is the official young readers adaptation of this book (ages 11–99) — same core ideas, shorter and gentler in the telling. The right handoff for a curious kid who isn't ready for the original.