By 1940, Native Americans had experienced many changes and counter-changes in their legal status in the United States. During the 19th century, most tribes lost some or all of their ancestral lands and were forced to live on reservations. After the American Civil War, the federal government abrogated most of the tribes' remaining sovereignty and required that communal lands be assigned to individuals. The 20th century also saw big changes for Native Americans, such as the Citizenship Act and the Indian New Deal. Alison R. Bernstein examines how World War II affected the status and lives of Native Americans in American Indians and World War II: Toward a New Era in Indian Affairs. Bernstein argues that natives' experiences in the military and in munitions factories reduced isolation by taking them off reservations and increasing their contact with mainstream American society. Native American contributions to the war effort led both Indians and whites to reconsider the future of Indian political and cultural autonomy. “By the end of the war,” the author states, “the Indians were part of the American political process, their economic, social, and cultural status irrevocably altered by the conflict. » The book's seven thematic chapters form a roughly chronological narrative. Chapter 1 presents the state of Indian affairs before World War II, following the Indian New Deal of the 1930s. Chapter 2 discusses Native American responses to the institution of America's first peacetime draft in 1940, including legal challenges based on tribal sovereignty. Chapters 3 and 4 examine the experiences of Indians in wartime and on the home front. The remaining chapters deal with the political repercussions of ...... middle of paper ...... ive American history. Beyond its value as a historical work, the book may also inform opinions on contemporary issues affecting Native Americans. As critic James L. Morrison, Jr. notes: "It sheds new light on the attitudes and behavior of whites as they face the incredibly complicated problem of what to do with a proud racial minority who cherishes its separateness and… continues to grow. size." Larry Burt considers it "a useful aid to understanding recent Indian affairs." American Indians in World War II is an insightful and accessible read intended for professional scholars, undergraduates, and interested laypeople by 20th-century Native American history or a little-known aspect of World War II Works CitedBernstein, Alison R. American Indians and World War II: Towards a New Era in Indian Affairs Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.