James Brooks is the author of Captives & Cousins: Slavery, Kinship and Community in the Southwest Borderlands was awarded the Bancroft Prize, the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians, and the Frederick Jackson Turner Award, from the Organization of American Historians, among other awards.
His most recent book is Mesa of Sorrows: A History of the Awat’ovi Massacre, published by W. W. Norton. A scrupulously researched investigation of the mysterious massacre of Hopi Indians at Awat’ovi, and the event’s echo through American history, the book was awarded the Caughey Western History Prize and Wheeler-Voeglin Book Award. Library Journal called Mesa of Sorrows “An attractive, authoritative read.”
An interdisciplinary scholar of the indigenous and colonial past, he is professor of history and anthropology at the University of Georgia. He recently concluded ten year’s service on the Board of Directors of the Western National Parks Association, which supports research, preservation and education in 67 National Parks, including Bandelier National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Channel Islands National Park.