One of the purposes of Marion Gridley’s book is to dispel mythical notions about Indians and to encourage the appreciation of Indians as individual human beings. This she does by compiling in the third edition of Indians of Today biographies of 161 prominent Indians from many different tribes of the United States and Canada.

The first edition of the book was published in 1933, an outgrowth of an exhibit sponsored by the Indian Council Fire at the Century of Progress in Chicago. The thinness of this first volume as opposed to the larger second and third editions is a tribute to the progress of the Indian during this period.

Those included in the book were chosen because of some outstanding achievement. "Aside from those of prominence, selection was made on the basis of story-interest—either because of a philosophy, an activity, a demonstration of character above the average, or of some form of recognition." There are some rather obvious omissions we can think of. The author regrets these and explains that they occurred either because of difficulty in obtaining biographical data or because "a modesty possessed by Indians pretty much in general, and which is rooted in ancient custom, blocked understanding of the purpose of the book."

Each biography includes a picture of the person. Most of the biographies include personal interest stories about the individual which give the book a warm flavor. Each biography also lists the person’s honors, civic activities, and organizations as well as naming his family and schooling.

The group included would be an inspiration to anyone. Gridley has hoped for this: "Truly, for Indians of today, there are ‘five hundred million stars to shoot.’ It was to encourage the fitting of the arrows and the bending of the bows that this book has been written."

BETTY MEADOR