"This book marks a watershed in the colonial archaeology of the hinterland communities, and it should be read by historical archaeologists everywhere."
"Readers are likely to find Pestilence and Persistence . . . useful."
"Hull effectively redirects our attention . . . to a better appreciation of the resiliency and creativity of Native peoples."
"A valuable contribution to the growing literature on the complexity of encounters between Europeans and Indians."
"It is a shame that more studies rooted explicitly or implicitly in postmodernist theory are not like this one. . . . [Hull] balances an empathetic reading of the ethnohistoric record with an exceptionally rigorous use of empirical evidence to arrive at plausible conclusions."
"Outstanding. . . . This book is dense with carefully weighed evidence and is clearly written and executed."
"For scholars, this study is a 'must read.'"
"Hull has accomplished a major and important methodological feat, and although sometimes dense, the work is generally clear, engaging, and provocative."
“This work raises the bar for archaeologists dealing with individual case studies in colonialism. . . . Hull has produced a volume that will have lasting usefulness for archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and others concerned with the human
dimensions of colonization.”
"This is not just a book about the Yosemite Indians but a landmark contribution to the study of North American historical demography. Kathleen Hull's writing, remarkably lucid and flowing, is a delight to read."—Dean R. Snow, President, Society for American Archaeology
“Pestilence and Persistence evaluates competing theories about the effects of introduced diseases on historic Native American communities. Through comparative study of the Yosemite Indians with native groups in ten other regions of North America, Kathleen Hull demonstrates that Native American populations responded to colonial epidemics with flexible strategies that promoted cultural and demographic survival. This empirically rigorous and well-crafted book will be an invaluable resource for historians and anthropologists of North America's colonial era and for any scholar investigating the cultural consequences of epidemic disease.”—Barbara L. Voss, author of The Archaeology of Ethnogenesis
