The Destruction of California Indians "is so powerful that every American should read it. These accounts of the activities of agents, military officers, and newspapers reveal how thousands of California natives died from 1847 to 1865 from starvation, disease, drunkenness, enslavement, rape, murder, and warfare. . . . The editor lets the documents tell the story and has provided organization and balance which make it possible to trace themes while letting the reader draw the conclusions."–Library Journal