"Ishii has tackled the tricky topic of the evolving customs Cherokees developed to deal with alcohol, and has done so brilliantly."—C. R. Kasee, CHOICE
"Ishii's work is an excellent historical account of the regulation of alcohol and the Cherokee Nation. . . . Professional historians and students of Cherokee history should read this book."—Bill Corbett, Chronicles of Oklahoma
"Ishii uses a combination of legal records, official correspondence, and personal papers to move beyond anthropological or sociological considerations of why indigenous people consumed alcohol and to reveal instead the impact of alcohol on the Cherokee Nation, not only in the personal lives of those who imbibed strong spirits, but also on the political fortunes of the Nation."—Fay A. Yarbrough, Journal of American Ethnic History
"But for a few notable exceptions, historians have failed to grapple with the complexity of the historically variable use, sale, and prohibition of alcohol. Izumi Ishii's Bad Fruits of the Civilized Tree: Alcohol and the Sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation begins to correct this neglect by breaking free from stereotypes that have haunted previous historians and by focusing on the larger structural and political meaning of alcohol in one nation."—Kerry Wynn, Journal of Southern History
"Ishii's historicization of Cherokee drinking provides an interesting new interpretation of an old, widespread perception of Native America."—Rose Stremlau, Western Historical Quarterly
"Passionately and meticulously, Ishii has recognized and historicized Cherokee agency. . . . [Bad Fruits of the Civilized Tree is] so compelling that it is a must read for general and scholarly audiences."—Rowena McClinton, American Historical Review