Native Nations: A Millennium in North America
What it's about
Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous Americans built diverse civilizations, and when Europeans did come, Native nations stayed powerful for centuries. Historian Kathleen DuVal tells a thousand years of North American history from their side, from the ancient cities that rose more than a millennium ago to the fights for sovereignty that continue today.
Why it's worth reading
It won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History, along with the Bancroft Prize and the Cundill History Prize. It turns the usual story of America inside out.
You'll love it if you liked
How the Word Is Passed, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West or The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Good to know
It's long and sweeping, but organized as vivid stories of particular places and people. It's best read a section at a time.
Quick answers
Is Native Nations: A Millennium in North America worth reading?
Yes. It won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History, along with the Bancroft Prize and the Cundill History Prize. It ranks #137 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 85.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Native Nations: A Millennium in North America about?
Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous Americans built diverse civilizations, and when Europeans did come, Native nations stayed powerful for centuries. Historian Kathleen DuVal tells a thousand years of North American history from their side, from the ancient cities that rose more than a millennium ago to the fights for sovereignty that continue today.
How long does it take to read Native Nations: A Millennium in North America?
About 19 hours (753 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Native Nations: A Millennium in North America won?
Pulitzer Prize (History) winner (2025).
What should I read after Native Nations: A Millennium in North America?
If you liked it, try How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown or The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.
By the numbers
- Readers92 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller2 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz72 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Pulitzer Prize (History) winner (2025).
Where it ranks
- #23 of the 198 history books we rank
- #25 of the 481 new books we rank
- #137 of the 2,819 books we rank
Won
- Pulitzer Prize (History) winner (2025)
Reads as
True story
If you like this, read next
How the Word Is Passed
Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World
Everything Is Tuberculosis
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
Cuba: An American History