There are so many stories of the American West that need telling (or retelling). The story of Captain Jack is one. Wonderful book, good characters, fast-paced and involving plot. Don't miss it (or Lassiter's earlier book, First Cherokee Rifles)

The story of Captain Jack and how his followers fought for their freedom and lost to the US Army. This story gives the account of the Modoc people under Captain Jack, providing an excellent brief history of the people and insight into how and why the Modoc War started. For anyone interested in the history of the West, specifically the history of the tribes in the northeast corner of california, this book provides a great introduction to the history and culture of the region.

i enjoyed this book alot. i greatly relate to it because i am an avid historian about the modocs, and i can see the stronghold from my house. this books teaches us that we are all the same and all united in the world as one. a good lesson for all.

The Lava Beds war erupts in Nov. 1872 near Tule Lake (then known as Lake Rhett) at the California-Oregon border with a bungled attempt to arrest Captain Jack, leader of a band of free-roaming Modoc Indians. Sean Belanger presents the ensuing conflict as a seminal event in Western history, one of those rare moments that divide history between 'before' and 'after' - in this case, Western History. Belanger's standpoint is that two conflicting sets of Indian policies dominated in the 1870s: the first - William Penn's idealized evangelization into an agrarian ideal ; the second: outright elimination of peoples that might resist Manifest Destiny. Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee might never have occurred without the Modoc War. Thanks to Sean Belanger for explaining this to us. The text consists in brilliantly crafted novelized history, innovative, and lively. I found myself reading it over and over again, as if facing Captain Jack, Gen. Canby, and Pres. Ulysses Grant.

Arthur Quinn treats with respect both perspcetives of one the Modoc War. The extreme brutality of both the American Government and the Modoc Warriors is reflected in a suprisingly unbiased manner.

This book is very, very good for anybody interested in 1870 era American Indian conflicts, especially in Northern California. Story easy to follow, no unecessary words, facts etc., unless they're relevant to the story.
Reads as if it were a movie, but is all true, as judged on what I know of California frontier history.
Book is worth getting.

During the height of the Indian conflicts on the plains a smaller,but no less deadly campaign was being waged against the Modocs of the Northwest. Like the Cheyenne after them, the Modocs were a small band whose numbers had already been reduced by warfare and desease. They were willing to live peacefully, only they wanted to live in their own homeland. And as with the Cheyenne, the military wasted much time money, and worst of all lives in order to bring these people to their knees. This is a concise and well-written account of that war.

Quinn is one of those historians who makes broad use of dialogue in his work. While many scholars take a scant view of this method, I think it works well, if done carefully. Certainly we can question how Quinn could possibly know exactly what was said, when there was no one there to record it. However, memoirs and journals often paraphrase, and if the writer has researched the characters and the times well enough, I think it is fair to allow him to make certain assumptions, especially as it brings such dimension to the characters.

Quinn's depiction of events is very exciting without crossing over into sensationalism. And though any story of Americans' treatment of the Indians invites a certain amount of moralizing, he does not go overboard, nor does he portray the Modocs as saints. He also does an excellent job of incorprating the landscape into the story. Quinn's depiction of the lava beds the Modocs called home makes it even more wondrous that the Americans found it so important for them to leave.

This was definitely a story that deserved to be told, and Quinn does a very good job of it.

This was a good book, easy to read by people of all ages. There are some amazing life struggles depicted very well...

I picked up the book because of the cover, a boy sitting with
an elephant with his arm around it.Little did I know I was about
to embark on a journey to Germany, England, and India. "MODOC", a story that spands seventy-eight years of a boy and his love for an elephant, who sacrifice family and friends to be together. Their true story of a rescue at sea, fighting off bandits in the forest, and a guerrilla war are only a few of their adventures. I could not put the book down till I was finshed..."MODOC" THE TRUE STORY OF THE GREATEST ELEPHANT THAT EVER LIVED. Would make a great movie...

I think that how Ralph Helfer made this story become so true and so realistic to the readers mind really touched me it is one of the best books i have ever read and ever will read. You cant read this book with out a box of tissues near bye because I cried my eyes out through out the whole book. I can really relate to this book because currently my pony is for sale and i am going to keep track of him forever and hopefully who ever buys him will sell him back to me for my baby cousin who is too young for him now but will be a perfect match as she gets older. Ralph Helfer gets a standing applause for his book Modoc.

As someone who lives very close to the spot where all of this brutality and inhumanity took place I found the "story telling" nature of the writing style very enjoyable.
Not preachy or overly judgemental but a story that is informative, and enlightening as well as being just a darn good read.

This allegory mirrors the injustice perpetrated by man upon man from the beginning, and enters a plea for justice for all the downtrodden of this day and age as well as all those gone before.

Several years ago, I drove back into the country Patricia Waters Boyer so effectively brings to life, down pitted dirt roads and across almost alien terrains defined by volcanic activity. Along this stretch of dirt road, there is much history that has been forgotten or ignored; a Japanese internment camp, pictographs set along ancient walls, the flint and arrowheads of a long lost race.

One of the things that made The Last Free Chief such a compelling book for me, is that it retells this piece of forgotten history without resorting to broad strokes. It's as clear and unforgiving in its portrayal of barbarism, betrayal and valor as the terrain which Chief Joseph once lived. No easy task.

On another level, the book is just a good read. I was pulled in from the opening pages and then drawn deeper as the tragic events unfolded. Unlike many writers of historical fiction, Patricia Waters Boyer doesn't just retell events like a ledger from a County record. She has a wonderful lyrical style that reads easy but immerses the reader in a world of her making.

For a freshman effort, this work compares favorably to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee or I Will Fight No More Forever : Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War. The Last Free Chief of the Modoc Nation is not as sweeping in scope but is moe intimate in its telling of the tragedy that played out in a remote and rugged corner of Northeast California.

Bravo! I look forward to more.

Yes, this was a gut-wrenching tale. The story is a zigzag among hazards experienced by Modoc's trainer (Bram) and Modoc the elephant, over a seventy-year time frame. For a story labeled as "true" however; I was impressed that Modoc's "thick tusks" as described in later chapters appear nowhere in the supposed pictures of Modoc herself. Having found this inconsistency, in combination with the rather "Hollywood modernesque" writing style of the author, I feel that the Modoc story is probably not at all "true." Instead, I assume that the Modoc story is but a tale... a compendium of a lot of true information about the horrid treatment of animals as redeemed in the eyes of the writer, by his fictitious character. I am still somewhat appalled that if the text of the book refers to "thick tusks" and "somewhat longer than a typical female elephant would have..." then as an aspiring "fakir" the author would at least make the pictures consonant with the text. I would rather have read a documentary on the subject as such. In fact I find it offensive that the author would manipulate our emotions so readily under the guise of "truth." I have no doubt that the hardships portrayed (and worse) have been experienced by millions of performance-ensnared animals.

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and my wife was lying on the bed reading Lord Of The Rings: Two Towers. Reading sounded like a good idea, so I moseyed by my bookcase and took a look around. There was this little book that I purchased about a year ago and never read: MODOC. This sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. Please note that I was not prepared to step through the door that MODOC brought me through!

I was, and still am, mesmerized. I could NOT put this book down, period. Folks, this book will take you on a journey like no other (and it's all true). MODOC is one of the greatest characters you will ever have the pleasure to read about. There is high adventure, love and gut-wrenching sadness.

Simply stated: I shall not forget this book. After reading the story I was changed in a way that's hard to describe. The story has been emblazoned in my mind. I've always loved elephants, and this book gives me an even greater appreciation for them.

I can't understand why throughout history, man has enslaved ..., beaten and tortured these beautiful animals that have proven time and again to be faithful companions, hard workers and loving friends. Elephants have always asked for little and provided much.

MODOC is now my favorite heroine of all time.

BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN! You truly do not know what you are missing. Modoc is one of the greatest stories ever put to print.

"Modoc is a love story, a gut wrenching saturday afternoon kind of love story that should not be attempted without a full box if tissues within easy reach."- Detroit free press This quote is on the front cover of Modoc and is definetly true. Modoc is the best yet saddest book i have ever read. i have read a lot of books and Modoc is the only one in which i have actually cried in. This book doesn't even have to be for animal lovers to like. Modoc shows how close animals and people really are and how smart animals really can be. Modoc is a story of a boy named Bram and his elephant Modoc and the journeys he and the boy have together. some sad, some exciting, and some just plain fun. i reccomend this book to anybody of any age i am only 11 years old and still truly enjoyed this book. It is truly the best book i have ever read.

This book continues to be popular, as evidenced by the fact that it has been reprinted a number of times. Although written in 1979, this work continues to have appeal. Part of that appeal, as I indicated in the title of this review, is the pictures. This book has a wealth of beautiful black-and-white photos of artifacts that constitute and invaluable reference for both archaeologists and the general public. This is a great resource.

Ancient Modocs Of California And Oregon is the culmination of author Carrol Howe's 45 years of dedicated exploration and research into the ancient inhabitants of North America. Howe's search for new discoveries finally led him to California and Southeast Oregon. Extensive black-and-white photographs, accompanied by detailed commentary reveal the treasures he found. Ancient Modocs Of California And Oregon is superbly written and presented, investigative and analytic book and highly recommended for Native American reading lists and reference collections, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in North America's first human inhabitants.

I was not sure what to expect when I bought this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The authors spent a great amount of time gathering material, first-hand anecdotes, charts and other information to present a complete story of the SPs Modoc Line which ran through northeastern California and western Nevada. The production values and printing quality are typical of Oso Publishings work, in a word - excellent. The thoughtful selection of maps is a major plus, too, although somehow on one of the maps, California was placed north of Oregon. At any rate, the place names were correct and it in no way detracted from the text. The Modoc is no more, of course, but this book is certainly a fitting tribute to one of the lesser known lines of the Southern Pacific. This work will be of interest to anyone who appreciates western railroading.