Review: The Girl in the Photograph: The True Story of a Native American Child, Lost and Found in America

The Girl in the Photograph: The True Story of a Native American Child, Lost and Found in America by Byron L. Dorgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tamara, a little Native American girl was badly beaten and traumatized as a small child. Her story, when it appeared in the Bismarck Tribune, deeply affected then North Dakota Senator, Byron Dorgan. He traveled to Tamara's home on the Standing Rock Reservation to see her and her grandfather. They later lost touch. Decades later, they found one another again. This book is Tamara's story. And, there is so much to her story.

Byron Dorgan writes this story with such emotion and integrity. He tells Tamara's story and also that of Native Americans. He not only explains the roots of Native American culture, but also what the United States government has done and continues to do to dishonor the treaties made with Native American tribal sovereign nations. This book will make you cry. It will make you angry. It will educate and inform you. And, my hope is, it will motivate you to demand more from those who represent you in Congress.

As a North Dakotan, I was honored to vote for Congressman and then Senator Dorgan numerous times. He is a person of integrity, and he has worked hard to better the lives of those he comes in contact with. With today's rather cynical attitudes toward politicians, the phrase "he cares" genuinely applies. I'm so glad I read this book. I learned much from it, and I think anyone who reads it will also benefit from doing so.

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