Super Short Summary

An American Genocide by Benjamin Madley chronicles the decimation of Native Americans in California from 1846-1873. During this period, the population plummeted from 150,000 to 30,000 due to violent extermination, enslavement, starvation, and disease—efforts orchestrated by state and federal officials. The book details the horrifying, systematic atrocities committed against Indigenous people during the Gold Rush era. The book contains explicit descriptions of violence and atrocities.