Title: Critical Reading?
Product review: In reading everybody else's reviews of this book, I see that nobody has seen the negative way that Native women are portrayed. This book is set in a period where there was little contact with Europeans. Prior to contact, and in the early stages, women held influential positions within their tribe. They, and their work, was seen as important, not demeaning. In Sign of the Beaver, the women and their work are belittled. Repeatedly, they are called "squaw" by both Matt and Attean. Squaw is a derogatory word. It is highly improbable that Attean would have feelings of disdain for the women in his tribe, and it is highly unlikely that he would use the white man's word "squaw" to refer to them. Matt, perhaps, but certainly not Attean. While many argue it is a good adventure/survival story, I think we must step back and think about that appraisal.
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
