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No Bone Unturned: The Adventures of a Top Smithsonian Forensic Scientist and the Legal Battle for America's Oldest Skeletons ReviewTwo major issues in archaeology have come to the fore over the past decade, namely do the dead have rights, and who "owns" history? No Bone Unturned by Jeff Benedict is the second book on the topic of Kennewick Man and the legal and political battle over his remains that I've read these past few months. Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans by James C. Chatters gives the perspective of the first forensic anthropologist to study the remains and attempt to preserve them. No Bone Unturned, written by a journalist, discusses the involvement of the Smithsonian forensic archaeologist/anthropologist Douglas Owsley in the legal battle itself. While the former work gives the reader a good perspective on the significance of the material remains themselves and certainly illustrates the hazards of working in the field of archaeology today, the latter book puts the entire debate into more striking relief.
The book reads like a novel, carrying the reader through Owsley's childhood fascination with bones and what they can tell us of the being when living to his college years and professional growth at the national museum. The researcher is made very human by the details of his childhood, friendships and family relationships. His ability as a researcher is hardly left in doubt. Tales of his work with the remains of the recently dead, such as those of the Waco disaster, those of two murdered journalists in South America, and those of the victims of the 9/11 disaster, make his personal bravery as well as his focus and perseverance abundantly apparent. Stories of his work with historical remains makes his ability to piece together the story of the past through the scant skeletal material left in burials reads like a mystery book.
Jeff Benedict the author is himself an interesting character. An investigative journalist with five books to his credit, he holds a J.D., an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in History, and in 2002 was a candidate for U.S. Congress from Connecticut. His credentials make his political and legal assessment of the events and significance of the Kennewick debate more than idyll. Probably more important than what the bones can tell us of the history and settlement of the continent is what was nearly made precedent, namely the clandestine activities of several governmental agencies looking for an expedient way to deal with a trying situation, the pressure by government agencies on their own scientists, impinging upon their civil rights, and the arbitrary decisions made by political leaders and government agencies with respect to what constituted "acceptable data" upon which they might base their decisions. In short, "acceptable data" became whatever the agency decided it was and private individuals were expected to accept that as final. Scary.
Junior high students can probably understand the vocabulary and might enjoy the science, but probably only senior high and older will understand the implications of the judicial debate. An interesting and exciting book. Well written and easy to read. Very informative. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in history, archaeology, anthropology, forensic science, modern biography, political science or jurisprudence. TAKE NOTE, those writing papers, this would definitely make a good topic for a political science class.
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