Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice

I bought Black Snake because I wanted to know more about the protest movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline as well as the state of oil exploitation in North Dakota. The book certainly delivered there. What I didn't expect was such a gripping narrative filled with such memorable characters. Todrys tells the story of four women who led the protest movement at Standing Rock. She sketches their characters with the skill of a novelist (the young activist Jasilyn Charger is still so vivid to me weeks after finishing the book) and deftly captures the intensity, energy, and purpose that filled life at the protest camps. Altogether, Black Snake provides a remarkable window into an essential fight for environmental justice - and into the life of a Native community.

This is an incredibly well-written book about the Dakota Access Pipeline. The author thoroughly researched the topic and told the story through the experiences of four inspiring women who fought to protect their land. This is an important book for everyone to read.

Black Snake is powerfully and effectively written. Katherine Todyrs skillfully takes the reader through a history of the Native American experience in America, while focusing directly on the contemporary experiences of four remarkable, powerful women leading their communities in environmental activism. The story is at once poignant, heartrending and hopeful and triumphant. It is difficult to put down and will move the average reader through a range of emotions. It is likely to inspire awareness and further action for many readers.

An old Sioux legend predicted that a black snake would one day slither underground through Native lands, testing the resolve of the people to fight it. In this compelling book, author Katherine Todrys talks about the "snake" -- oil pipelines and fracking -- and describes the ardent fight by some Natives against it. She tells the story through the eyes of four Native women who had led different aspects of this effort. I strongly recommend this book, which highlights an important, ongoing struggle for social and environmental justice.

Black Snake is a thoughtful, thoroughly researched, and gripping read about Native American protest and resilience when confronting the many devastating challenges presented by the Dakota Access Pipeline. The story comes alive through the perspectives of four Native women who led the fight at the Standing Rock encampment and beyond. I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about social and environmental justice.

A compelling and moving read. Imparts the distinctive voice of each of four indigenous women who emerge as reluctant leaders of a mass movement. Should be required reading for anyone in a position to authorize pipelines or to finance their construction.