As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock

by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock cover
Good Books rating 4.38
Technical
  • ID: 4886
  • Added: 2025-10-22
  • Updated: 2025-10-22
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
libraryjournal.com · Unknown · 2025-10-22
highly recommended 4.50

The book serves as a primer for Native American rights activists dealing with environmental protection, exploring the intersections of environmentalism and Native rights. It provides a historical backdrop of American Indian nations and examines conflicts between environmental groups and Native claims.

The book is highly recommended for students and scholars of American Indian studies and environmental justice. It aims to serve as a primer for Native American rights activists dealing with environmental protection, pursuing the complex intersections of environmentalism and Native rights. The 2015–17 protests on Standing Rock tribal lands against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) provide a dramatic touchstone for discussion of key aspects of environmental justice theory. The book examines long-standing conflicts between environmental groups wanting pristine wilderness without humans and Native claims to historic land and water uses. Among the first books to analyze the DAPL Standing Rock protests, it contrasts with Madelon L. Finkel's Pipeline Politics, and should go a long way toward finding common ground in the modern political arena.

Quick quotes

    The 2015 — 17 protests on Standing Rock tribal lands against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) provide a dramatic touchstone for discussion of key aspects of environmental justice theory as applied against a historical backdrop of American Indian nations.

    Long-standing conflicts between environmental groups wanting pristine wilderness without humans, and Native claims to historic land and water uses are examined.

    Among the first books to analyze the DAPL Standing Rock protests, contrasting Madelon L. Finkel's Pipeline Politics: Assessing the Benefits and Harms of Energy Policy, Gilio-Whitaker's review should go a long way toward finding common ground in the modern political arena.

discovered.ed.ac.uk · Unknown · 2025-10-22
powerful 4.50

The book is a powerful and necessary read that highlights the ongoing struggle of Indigenous peoples for environmental justice. It provides a comprehensive overview of the historical and contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities.

As Long as Grass Grows is a deeply moving and informative book that sheds light on the environmental injustices faced by Indigenous peoples. The author does an excellent job of weaving together historical accounts with contemporary issues, making the book both educational and emotionally resonant. The book is a call to action for readers to recognize and support the ongoing fight for environmental justice. The narrative is compelling and the research is thorough, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in environmental justice and Indigenous rights.

Quick quotes

    The book is a powerful and necessary read that highlights the ongoing struggle of Indigenous peoples for environmental justice.

    It provides a comprehensive overview of the historical and contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities.

    The narrative is compelling and the research is thorough, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in environmental justice and Indigenous rights.

beyondplastics.org · Unknown · 2025-10-22
inspiring 4.50

The book highlights the deep connection between Indigenous communities and the environment, emphasizing their fight for environmental justice. It critiques the historical and ongoing injustices faced by these communities and calls for a more equitable and sustainable future.

As Long as Grass Grows delves into the profound relationship between Indigenous peoples and the natural world, showcasing their resilience and advocacy for environmental justice. The narrative is both educational and inspiring, shedding light on the systemic issues that have marginalized these communities. The book's exploration of historical and contemporary struggles serves as a powerful call to action for readers to support and amplify Indigenous voices in the fight for a more just and sustainable world. The author's thorough research and compelling storytelling make this a must-read for anyone interested in environmental justice and Indigenous rights.

Quick quotes

    The book is a powerful call to action for readers to support and amplify Indigenous voices in the fight for a more just and sustainable world.

    The narrative is both educational and inspiring, shedding light on the systemic issues that have marginalized these communities.

    The author's thorough research and compelling storytelling make this a must-read for anyone interested in environmental justice and Indigenous rights.

researchgate.net · Unknown · 2025-08-07
inspiring 4.00

The book provides a unique perspective on environmental justice through the lens of Indigenous resistance, highlighting the struggles for food and water security and the protection of sacred sites. It emphasizes the leadership of Indigenous women and offers new approaches to environmental justice activism and policy.

As Long as Grass Grows offers a comprehensive look at the history of Indigenous resistance to government and corporate incursions on their lands. The book is particularly notable for its focus on the Standing Rock protest, which brought national attention to Indigenous activists and their fight for environmental justice. The author, Dina Gilio-Whitaker, explores the broader context of treaty violations and the ongoing struggles for food and water security. She argues that modern environmentalists must look to the history of Indigenous resistance for wisdom and inspiration in the fight for a just and sustainable future. The book also highlights the important leadership of Indigenous women in this centuries-long struggle, providing a unique perspective on environmental justice.

Quick quotes

    This book addresses environmental justice from a perspective in some ways different from that of the previous two books: impacts on a different demographic and in a broader variety of ways

    but one commonality — involuntary imposition of adverse environmental impacts on their health and that of their sacred ecosytems.

    Described in some detail is the Standing Rock protest, beginning in 2016, which included the local Standing Rock Sioux tribe and thousands of Native American supporters from across North America setting up camps to try and block the oil project, arguing that the project threatens sacred native lands and could contaminate their water supply from the Missouri river, which is the longest river in North America.

    Throughout 2016, the Standing Rock protest put a national spotlight on Indigenous activists, but it also underscored how little Americans know about the longtime historical tensions between Native peoples and the mainstream environmental movement.

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