Squanto the Power Broker

In this book, Charles C. Mann presents recent research findings that suggest human populations in the Western Hemisphere were more numerous, culturally sophisticated, and environmentally influential than previously thought. Mann argues that pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness but instead actively molded and influenced their environment. He highlights the advanced cities, such as Tenochtitlan, which had running water and clean streets, and discusses the significant impact of European diseases on Native American populations. The book challenges traditional views of Native American societies and their technological and social complexity.

This book offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging fundamental assumptions about social evolution, the development of agriculture, cities, the state, democracy, and inequality. Graeber and Wengrow argue that traditional theories of human history, such as those posited by Hobbes and Rousseau, are not supported by anthropological or archaeological evidence. Instead, they show that humans have lived in large, complex, but decentralized societies for millennia, often without ruling elites or hierarchical systems. The authors draw on extensive research in archaeology and anthropology to reveal a history that is more varied and hopeful than previously assumed, emphasizing human experimentation with different social arrangements and the potential for new forms of freedom and societal organization.