Like a Loaded Weapon: The Rehnquist Court, Indian Rights, and the Legal History of Racism in America. By Robert A. Williams, Jr. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005. 312p. $57.00 cloth, $18.95 paper.

For two decades, Robert Williams has been developing a powerful critique of federal Indian law, calling for his readers to recognize its irredeemably racist roots. In Williams's view, if we try to build Native American policy from the racist materials of the past, we will inevitably build racism into Indian law of the future. Ultimately, we must therefore recognize that racism lies at the foundation of the American legal system. To many, this message is a bitter pill. But in his view, only after we swallow it will we be able to construct a better foundation for federal Indian policy. And precisely because many hope to avoid this medicine, his call is enormously important. Much as we might like to, he will not let us look away.