Pulitzer Prize History Winner
Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People
by Elizabeth A. Fenn
Summary
Elizabeth A. Fenn reconstructs the world of the Mandan people who farmed and traded along the upper Missouri River for centuries. She draws on archaeology, climate records, and even the study of disease to show a thriving society reshaped by trade, drought, and devastating smallpox. The book matters because it centers a Native nation as the heart of the continent rather than a footnote to European arrival.
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Historical Context & Significance
Fenn, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2015.