"This important study. . . . deserves to be read not only by those interested in 19th-century Indian affairs and language, but by all students of American History."—Choice
“For those interested in language ideology, there is much to learn here. For anyone who engages in fieldwork in contemporary Indian communities, the history of English language education in Indian schools in the late nineteenth century provides a revealing context for English language use on reservations in the twentieth century. The study is clearly written and well-researched. . . . Any scholar willing to take up such a study will find much in this work to show the way.”—Mark van de Logt, Anthropological Linguistics
“America’s Second Tongue deserves a wide reading by scholars in such diverse fields as Native-American studies, bilingual education, and educational history. Rarely does one encounter a study so carefully crafted, theoretically informed, and discerning in historical insight.”—David Adams, History of Education Quarterly
“Interesting not only in its own right but also for its wide-ranging implications about the status of English in America. . . . Ruth Spack has written an important book that is richly informed by contemporary literary, linguistic, and anthropological theory without ever being overwhelmed by it. She writes with admirable grace and clarity. And her fair minded analysis does not obscure her passion about this vexed subject and all it implies.”—Kim Moreland, Southern Humanities Review
"This volume is an important contribution to the history of American Indian education and the history of English literacy instruction in America. The author complicates our understanding of the role of Euroamerican teachers and Native American teachers as women who served as mediators between policy and practice. Finally, by focusing on student subversion of linguistic control, the text adds shading and nuance to what frequently has been a one-sided depiction of Manifest Destiny and the U.S. West, reminding scholars that English is not America's mother tongue, but its second tongue."—Amanda J. Cobb, New Mexico Historical Review
"A fine linguistic and cultural analysis of the complicated transitions from Native languages to the second language of the book's title, English."—P. Jane Hafen, Great Plains Quarterly
