Meandering and often vague. Along with the wit, there is a heavy dose of theory, which is not particularly compelling. I learned a lot about Indian culture, but I also learned that white culture either doesn't exist or is founded on violence and exploitation.

A good chunk of the book is taken up with Deloria Jr.'s elevation of Indian culture above white (and specifically, American culture). For him, there is little (really, nothing) wrong with Indian culture, which is infinitely wise, holistic, and eternal. On the other hand, America and American culture are meaningless and have accomplished nothing.

It's not that I mind criticism of America — I just mind it when it isn't based on facts and history but rather, theory and ideology. Deloria Jr. essentially declares himself arbiter of culture and philosophy, with the power to crown Indian culture as the greatest of all human cultures in history.

Along with this is his less-than-subtle, somewhat prophetic declarations that Indians will one day drive whites out of America and retake their land. Again, I don't have a problem with the sentiment. But it's the "evidence" Deloria Jr. uses to back it up that is problematic. For example, he cites the restoration of Israel to the Jews as evidence that, like them, Indians will eventually retake their homeland. Not only is this an obviously fallacious argument, but it also relies upon "white culture's" artificial creation of Israel.

So the violent, destructive, possibly non-existent culture seems to have produced at least one thing upon which Deloria Jr. can hang his hat — Zionism.