“[O]pens up a fascinating vista of lost American history. . . . It’s a great story, and Ms. Keating’s neutral, unemphatic prose makes it register all the more clearly.”

Lee Sandlin | Wall Street Journal

“[An] informative, ambitious account. . . . On bookshelves in time to honor the bicentennial of the Fort Dearborn battle, Keating’s well-researched book rights some misconceptions about the old conflicts, the strategies of the whites and Indians to keep their land, and how early Chicago came to exist.”

Publishers Weekly

“How did Chicago stop being Indian Country and become American? Ann Durkin Keating has recast that struggle into a story far more complex than the conventional ‘manifest destiny’ tale. Well researched and written, this book is an eye-opening account of Chicago’s earliest, most contested days.”

Walter Nugent, author of Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion

“Ann Keating has taken on the least explored area of Chicago history—its raucous beginnings—and brought it magnificently to life. The book is a landmark work, deeply researched and vividly written.”

Donald L. Miller, author of City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Mak

“Ann Keating has given us a new three-dimensional picture of Chicago’s founding.  Rising Up from Indian Country paints a compelling picture of Chicago’s Indian Country origins and skillfully describes the tragedy at Fort Dearborn from the perspective of all who participated. This is a dramatic story that invites readers both to absorb new facts about the past and to reflect upon their meaning.”

Frederick E. Hoxie, author of The People: A History of Native America

"Keating presents an excellent addition to the interpretation of Chicago’s early history while at the same time providing a reminder to all historians that early border societies were very complex."

Steven C. Eames | The Historian