I was lucky enough to have been given a paperback copy of Reclaiming Mni Sota by author Colin Mustful in exchange for an unsolicited honest review.

Reclaiming Mni Soto: An Alternate History of the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862 was a very well written historical fiction novel by Colin Mustful. He brilliantly reimagined the events and outcome of the Dakota War of 1862. I had known little to nothing about this tragic war before I read this compelling book. It was a time in U.S. history when struggling white men and their families decided to travel west to seek new lives and better opportunities in the Minnesota territory. Samuel Copeland’s family was one of those families who left their home in Vermont and made the long and dangerous journey to make a new life In Minnesota. As Samuel Copeland and his family began their journey across the United States to Minnesota, a young boy, WasabishkiMakwa, known as Waabi to all who knew him, a member of the Ojibwe tribe, became another victim along with the members of his tribe of the false promises made by the United States government. The people of the Ojibwe tribe were promised that they would never have to leave their land and homes if they allowed the U.S. government to mine the copper found on their lands. In exchange for the copper, the U.S. government promised the Ojibwe people that they could stay on the land they resided on and that they would give them food, clothing, ammunition and anything else they needed for survival. Now they were reneging on that promise. A representative of the United States government informed the people of the Ojibwe tribe that “the Legislative Assembly of the newly created Minnesota Territory determined that the Lake Superior Ojibwe living upon the ceded territory should be removed to the unceded territory.” Both Samuel and Waabi would be forced to fight for the land where they lived. The Dakota War of 1862 was long, violent and difficult for all involved.

Reclaiming Mni Soto was the story of both Samuel and Waabi told in alternating chapters. Both Samuel and Waabi lost their fathers when they were young and in tragic circumstances that ended up haunting both boys throughout their lives. Eventually, their paths crossed in a way that was both meaningful yet painfully tragic. Colin Mustful’s research for Reclaiming Mni Sota was impeccable. He allowed his readers to glimpse a “what if” situation. Although it never happened, Colin Mustful gave his readers a glimpse into what might had been if only the Ojibwa and Dakota tribes had put their differences aside and fought together to persevere their land. If they had fought the United States Army together, history might have been completely different. Reclaiming Mni Sota was that story.

Reclaiming Mni Soto was a very thought provoking book. It really made me reflect upon the way Ingenious people were taken advantage of by the United States government all those years ago. I can not even begin to imagine how the Ingenious people feel about the way they were treated and all that was taken away from them. Reclaiming Mni Soto made me think about those things in a deeper sense. As a nation, we must fight harder to educate all and provide a better understanding about people that are different from us. Racism, discrimination, antisemitism and ignorance must be eliminated from our lives. Hopefully, someday we will find a way for that to happen. I really enjoyed reading Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternate History of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 by Colin Mustful and highly recommend it. Publication is set for October 10, 2023.

Reclaiming Mni Sota by Colin Mustful had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This audiobook was a great read, and the narrator was perfect. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the audio-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

"Reclaiming Mni Sota" takes readers on an immersive journey through the intersecting lives of Samuel Copeland, a Vermont teenager seeking a new life in 1859 Minnesota, and WaabiskiMakwa, a young Native American navigating the aftermath of his father's tragic death due to U.S. government negligence in 1850. As their worlds collide amidst a backdrop of cultural clashes and impending war, their individual paths intertwine in unexpected ways.

With the Civil War looming and tensions escalating between Native tribes and the Union, the novel unravels the intricate tapestry of history, exploring the collision course set by conflicting cultures. Fueled by the desire to reclaim their lands and spurred by the mistreatment they've endured, Dakota spokesman Little Crow and Ojibwe leader Bagone-giizhig forge an alliance, leading to clashes with American forces and pivotal battles over contested territories.

Author Colin Mustful skillfully challenges historical narratives, prompting readers to reconsider the impact of history's victors and the lasting repercussions of past wrongs. The narrative delves deep into the complexities of individual actions within the larger context of time, raising thought-provoking questions about the ramifications of shifting historical outcomes.

"Reclaiming Mni Sota" serves as a powerful exploration of the consequences of cultural clashes, inequities, and the pursuit of justice amidst a turbulent historical backdrop. The novel's immersive storytelling and nuanced portrayal of characters embroiled in the conflict shed light on the multifaceted dimensions of historical events, compelling readers to reflect on the broader implications of past injustices and their relevance in contemporary society. Through its thought-provoking narrative, the book offers a poignant reminder of the enduring impact of history and the complexities of reconciliation in a world scarred by inequity and loss.

I just reviewed Reclaiming Mni Sota by Colin Mustful. #ReclaimingMniSota #NetGalley

Whilst I wasn’t hooked by this narrator or the pace of the story, I did enjoy learning something about another culture, place and time. A nice slow burn listen for chilling out to.

This was a really interesting and informative alternative history story about the lasting effects of the Dakota War of 1862. I liked seeing the two differing perspectives through Samuel and Waabi. The book is well-written and well-researched. I don't normally reach for these kinds of stories, but I liked the audiobook because it kept me engaged.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I have to say I absolutely loved this book. It filled some of my needs to want to read more about this period of time. Fiction or nonfiction I really didn’t care. I wanted the story the adventure, the life of that period of time. Recently watched the shows 1883 and 1923 and they fueled me to want to read about the other side of the story or the story of the people who didn’t fall in suit with what was going on who look at Indians as people and not savages. I have always had this interest but never really found anything that fed to that interest if that makes any sense kind of like an itch you can’t scratch. That itch was scratched.

Thanks to an amazing writer who told a story from both sides of the issue at hand and did an amazing job at doing it along with the narrative of Scott Fleming, I was hooked. The narrator brought the book to life I laughed, I cried, I felt the joy and the sadness for every character. Thank goddess I was working alone listening to this book because there were a few moments where I had to sit down and cry myself, or I would randomly laugh out loud, or curse because of something that happened.


Thank you NetGallery for allowing me to the opportunity, early access to an ARC audiobook addition for this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly did enjoy it.

This book offers an interesting take of how differently the US - Dakota War of 1862 could've turned out. It's told through the alternating perspectives of Waabi, a Native American, and white farmer, Samuel.
I liked this audiobook enough to keep listening, though admittedly, there were times the writing felt a bit disjointed. I especially liked Waabi's character, learning about the language and cultures of the Ojibwa and Dakota peoples, and seeing two different perspectives of the westward expansion of the US government.
I hope this author continues to explore alternate histories in his future writing.
3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and History Through Fiction for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had a really hard time with this book. If it hadn't been an arc for a review I would have dnf'd around 10%. The first half of the book drug on painfully and did nothing to capture my attention with Samuel's POV. There was no one in Samuel's family that I thought was a strong or likable character and the time spent with them felt like a waste.
The second half of the book was much better but was still not enough to make me thoroughly enjoy reading this story.

I was so excited for this book. You can tell that it was extremely well-researched and a significant amount of time and thought was put into the portrayal of the Native Americans with a more favorable outcome to US Dakota War. But, it really landed flat. I had a difficult time with the main characters fighting against the Alliance. I did like the ending and the peak into what part of our country would have looked like with a true mesh of two worlds.

This was an interesting exploration of an alternate history of the US Dakota war. Most of the book followed the actual history, and only the very end of the main story and the epilogue show the alternate history - I would have liked to see more of that. Some of the anachronisms rubbed me the wrong way - men in the 1860s would likely not be talking about having depression or anxiety, and "oh my god" was not a common phrase at the time - but I did really like hearing different Native languages spoken in the story. I happened to be driving through New Ulm and Mankato during the highest part of the action in the book, and that was fantastic - connecting the real history to the world around me.

Copied from review of the text version, as I both listened to this book on NetGalley and read it on kindle:

This book, an alternate history of the removal of indigenous people from the Midwest, was one I was really eager to read. It is well-researched, and the inclusion of native language and settler-colonialism attitudes of that time and place are excellent. The second half of the book was brilliant, and the connections between Samuel and Waabi was both unexpected and heartwarming…and heartbreaking. I particularly appreciated the final chapter as a look at “what if…”

That said, the first third to half of the book seemed to drag. Samuel’s time in Vermont seemed, and still seems, totally superfluous to the story. I didn’t like his father or his mother, and neither one seemed particularly strong or sensible. Samuel seemed more of an adult than either of them. As for Thomas, he was kind of a jerk. The other siblings were sort of background dressing and didn’t do much to improve the story. While others might disagree, to me, that portion of the book was tedious. Well-written for certain, but I just wasn’t invested in that part of the story.

As the second half of the book unfolds, and the horrors that the people are enduring play out, it is painful to remember that this actually happened to the indigenous peoples of America. From south to north, from east to west, they were forced from their lands, herded up, mistreated, and their culture, language, and way of life, stripped from them. So many were killed, all in the name of “civilization.” And this happened all because they wanted to continue the life they had lived for tens of thousands of years, while newcomers came along and decided they had more of a right to the land than the people who had been its stewards for 25,000 years.

The book is really excellent, and if I could read it solely on the second house, or at least the second half Waabi’s story for background, I would. The last half of the book is five stars for certain.

Reclaiming Mni Sota tells the story of Samuel ( a white American) and Wabbi (a Native American).
Samuel was a teenager in 1859 when he along with his family left Vermont for a new life in Minnesota, but it is not as easy a life as initially thought. He joins the Union Army after the death of his father in order to protect his younger brother Thomas. On the other hand, Wabbi was a boy when his father died at the hands of the Americans due to their negligence at Sandy Lake he leaves his home seeking a new way of life. Their choices and the path they took led to a War that was inevitable and unavoidable.

The audiobook was enjoyable, however, I think it unnecessary to include the glossary and further reading in the recording.

Wow, what an amazing historical fiction story. I must admit I love historical fiction so it was not hard to get into this one. The narrator was excellent at "acting out" certain parts of the story - for example he would laugh when the character laughed in the book. It was an emotional story and I did find myself crying a few times while listening. You really feel connected to the characters. I love how this was also not a predictable story and had you guessing at how it would end all throughout.

Highly recommend listening to this - it would be good to read as well but I really feel the audio version of this book is wonderful - and it's hard to find a good narrator - this book did it!

Minnesota, Ojibwe, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, cultural-differences, cultural-diversity, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, multicultural, multigenerational, Indigenous-people, european-Americans, alternate-history, Wisconsin, Dakota, war,*****

Alternating the story between Waabi, an Ojibwe youngster/family in Minnesota/Wisconsin and Samuel, a EuroAmerican youngster/family in the middle years of the nineteenth century.
Dakota War of 1862 was bloody and demeaning to the people who were there first, but this book offers an alternative view and resolution. The book was meaningful and very good.
Scott Fleming did an interesting interpretation in narrating the audiobook.
I requested and received a free temporary audiobook from History Through Fiction, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is an enlightening, well-crafted alternate history of the U.S. Dakota War. I knew nothing about that war and learned much from this book. Colin Mustful does a great job of showing the Dakota customs, ways, and point of view.

Scott Fleming's narration of the audiobook is on point.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to History Through Fiction and NetGalley and author Colin Mustful and narrator Scott Fleming for an outstanding audiobook advance copy. This was an alternate version of history of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. It gives a fascinating insight into both sides of history thanks to the story being told from both perspectives. Amazing characters are brought to life in this book and it opens your eyes to what could have so easily made a terrible time in our history even worse if not for different choices. Well worth the listen or if you prefer read the book 😊

I will admit I went into reading this with minimal awareness of this tragic period in history- and, realistically, mostly of the narrative told from the white/ conqueror’s perspective, which is all we were ever taught in school. Something I definitely want to address and rectify. So I appreciate the perspective provided in this work of historical fiction, which seeks to provide a more balanced view as it works towards an outcome skewed away from what actually happened and more towards somewhere between Native American victory and peaceful coexistence. If only. This definitely leaves the reader with much to ponder.

Scott Fleming did a decent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Colin Mustful, History Through Fiction, and NetGalley and for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.