Admittedly, I couldn't put the book down and read it in a week. Even thought the novel is a work of fiction, it hits closer to the truth about Rez born and raised Indians than any other novel that "mystifies" Indians in the "butterflies and daisies" sense. Fact of the matter is, Rez life is hard, damn hard. There are many casualties in this novel. First and foremost: the dishonor caused by CENTURIES of abuse and the systematic extermination of Indians have produced a culture of people who love hard, live hard, drink hard, die hard, and hate even harder. And, the central common theme...even to those who refuse to see it is the Indian's hate of the white man. Rudy clearly has little use for most of the everyday characters he comes across. He has disdain for most of his fellow Indian police officers, his Indian boss and his Indian friends. He has no respect for Indian drunks, and loathes how the economically oppressed culture has turned Indian kids into violent drug users and thugs with little respect and no hope. Socrates surmised "all questions lead to God". On the Rez, all ills lead to the white man.

This hate is the saddest legacy that American's have cultivated from the abuses that have, and CONTINUE to be bestowed upon the red man. Most whites in America are not deserved of this hate. I think it is puzzling to many white American's why Indians continue to hate them, even though many white people have never even met an Indian, and are totally unaware of the abuses that continue to happen at the hands of the government, or greedy entrepreneurs.

The last insult of the book that disturbed me the most, was the consciences crafting of hatred and callous death and destruction to the most despised Indians that exist to most western tribes, whites of mixed Cherokee ancestry. Eastern Cherokee have long been the butt of jokes, ridicule and downright hatred because of their light skin, and often-light hair. The cruelest person on the reservation was represented by Wally Trudeau, a mostly white / part Cherokee (of suspect origin, and married to a full blood from the Rez) who uncaringly allowed the death of Mogie's best friend, Weasel Bear, by catching him in a steel animal trap during a blizzard in his back yard.

Wally was unremorseful and un-pitying. And, seemed not to respect tribal authority, nor the life of Indians. Eventually, he was killed in cold blood for some other deserved slight to another Indian. You could almost imagine the collective cheering by full blooded Indians everywhere. Though it is essential to any story to have a foil, I think Mr. Adrian Louis was making another of his now famous, calculated statements. Most Indians on the Rez are drunks. Most men/women on the Rez will cheat on you and leave you one day...All true Indians are deep red skinned with braids and live on a Reservation (even his wife Vivianne, who was Chippawa, had skin too light for Rudy's tastes). All others indians need not apply. This is further bolstered in the fact that when Mogie dies, he goes to heaven, "and there was not a single white face there".

Adrian Louis is a genius! I could NOT put this book down! I even snuck it into work with me.
It is sad, funny, gut-wretching, sweet---it has it all! If you don't thoroughly enjoy this book--CHECK YOUR PULSE!!!!!

Alexie, Harjo and Welch have already explained why this is such an excellent story. I'd like to add a few personal thoughts. The characters are truly memorable. Rudy is part Rhett Butler, Rocky, Thomas Magnum, and Vinnie Vega. Mogie, offers us a face, a history, and an explanation for his thousands of real life counterparts. Several of the female characters acknowledge the often downplayed or even ignored fact, that Indian women are sexual beings.

I found it hard to let Rudy go at the end of the book. As with Rhett, Rocky, and Thomas, I wanted to know what happened to him next. How he made out during the years that followed.

I am a woman and I did not see Rudy as misogynistic at all. I'm sure there are some who would call Rhett, Rocky, etc. the same thing. To some, the glass is ALWAYS half empty.

As of 1-01, the book is expected to be made into a film. I read it a second time when I heard who has been cast. Picturing Eric Schweig as Rudy, Graham Greene as Mogie, and Adam Beach as a younger Rudy in flashbacks, just intensified everything I felt about the characters during the first read. There ARE some "don't miss" parts of the book that will not make the film. I'd highly recommend reading the book while you wait to see the perfectly cast film.

Actually I saw the movie many years back and, remembering that and recently reading another Doctorow book, I decided to pick this one up when I noticed it in a store. The tale of a ramshackle little western town on the edge of nowhere in the Dakota territory, deriving its lifeblood from a nearby mine, WELCOME TO HARD TIMES grabs us from the beginning with its brutal portrayal of the town's destruction at the hands of a monster of a man who is to remain nameless for much of the tale, a natural force more than a fellow human being. The Bad Man from Bodie savagely rapes and callously kills those in his path including the town whores, the barkeep, the carpenter, the undertaker, the hangers-on, leaving only a few scattered survivors in his wake, after burning the town around them to the ground. In the shadow of his departure, with little hope and much desperation, the handful of survivors rebuild, mainly for want of anything else to do. And the town, after a rigorous winter, prospers. But the mood throughout is ominous and the memory of the Man fron Bodie never far below the surface of the broken people he leaves behind. Doctorow writes with subtlety and irony and his telling is as tight as it gets. Yet I found the ending, deliberately muddled, I suppose, to mimic the sense of collapse, rather a letdown after the crisp narrative that comes before. All breaks down, in the end, in a sudden revelation about the sustaining source of the town's hopes and the Bad Man from Bodie returns without notice, just abruptly appearing in the maelstrom of collapse. This time is a little different from the first in the town's response to the Bad Man, or at least in how the self-proclaimed town mayor and narrator responds. But the results are no less redolent of life's despair and futility. Although the characters are more than the Western stereotypes they at first appear to be, they do not rise above their situations but are sucked sadly back into the storm that blows down upon them from the larger world outside. They are a sad lot and so, we sense, are we all, doomed to live out our lives in hope and desperate striving but never able to gain a foothold in the rock to take us above the level of the town of Hard Times and the life it offers us. This is a fable, writ on Western rock, of living and dying. More subtle and many-layered than the movie it inspired, in the end it is a book of hopelesness and of the raggedness of life itself. -- SWM

This is Doctorow's first novel, and after reading it, you see from the very beginning he was a great writer. It's an ambitious treatment of evil, cowardice, love and family, wrapped up in an great western tale (of the spaghetti type). The Bad Man destroys the town and everyone in it in the first few pages. After that the human spirit thrives (sort of) as a few attempt to rebuild the town and their lives. And look for redemption.

For the better part of the novel he has no name, he is simply referred to as the Bad Man from Bodie. And in Welcome To Hard Times harrowing first few pages he single handedly rapes, vandalises and burns an entire town. He never says a word. He is, as one character descibes him "a force of nature, like the weather", an inexplicable destructive force that strikes at random.

Those who survive the Bad Man's wrath choose to leave, to seek better fortune elsewhere. Only the town's unofficial mayor Blue, a local Indian healer, a half burnt prostitute and a murdered carpenter's son stay behind. Blue is the narrator, and it is not some angry venomous determination to fight back that makes him stay to found a new town, but a defeatest acceptance of their fortune. If life has to go on, then this burned down town is as good a place as any.

Doctrow's debut novel is a grim and dirty slice of bleak frontier life. A novel that sets out to destroy the myths of heroism in the old west. In Welcome To Hard Times heroism results in death and cowardice merely delays it. The only kind of accomplishment to be proud of is survival. As Blue narrates how the new town of Hard Times comes into being, how the Russian's bordello has brought prosperity and how the money is ever flowing, his tone is unmistakably regretful. The tragic outcome is never in any doubt, we are left to ponder who will be left behind next time a force of nature strikes.

Like Robert Altman's film McCabe & Mrs.Miller, this is a novel with no illusions about the period. Relishing the grim pictorals of Buzzards feeding on the dead, fire burning over ice, it marches to its inevitable end. The downfall is never in question, only one thing can make these character's life worse. Hope.

This book is exciting and cool because you could learn more about Indians. The main characters are Jack, Annie and Teddy. Teddy is their dog. They start out in a treehouse. Then Jack says, "I wish I was there." The wind blew! The treehouse spun. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still, absolutely still. Then they are at the Lakota camp. It is an Indian tribe and they are trying to free Teddy from a spell.

Buffalo Before Breakfast by Mary Pope Usborne.
Would you ever want to go into the time of Indians?
Jack and Annie go into the time of Lakota Indians and meet a Lakota boy. The Lakota boy shows them how to hunt buffalo. Jack and Annie learn to ride ponies. Jack and Annie meet the Lakota boy's
Grandmother. One of the lessons in this story is to not show off. The picture on the cover is colorful. The
Buffalo had stopped stampeding. Find out who stops them.

This is one of my favorites, probably my 3rd. I like buffalo and Indians, especially because of what fun they cause on good western movies, like "How The West Was Won", and the Indians got of to a good start in "Stagecoach", "The War Wagon", and especially "The Pony Express. Another reason why this book exceeds 5,000 stars is because of all the fun there is, it seems like a Hardy Boys book rather than a learning book. But for some reason I'm starting to think that the more action there is in a Magic Tree House book, the more learning topics the book has. Definitely one of the Top Five, too good to say Top Ten.

On finishing Rachel Calof's autobiography, the reader should spontaneously count his blessings, regardless of current circumstance. Virtually forced to enter a marriage arranged in her Russian homeland, Calof survives a brutal pioneer existence on the featureless prairie near Devils Lake, North Dakota while bearing child after child.

The brief memoir could easily be assigned to high school or college students. A short afterward by the translator, Calof's youngest son, completes her story, and an essay by the editor, J. Sanford Rikoon, sets the experience of Jewish pioneers in North Dakota in historical perspective. The other academic essay included is of no value.

This book has several parts, the most important of which is "My Story," by Rachel Bella Calof. This remarkable memoir was written in 1936, by a 60-year-old woman who was recalling her early life, particularly her years as a homesteader in North Dakota at the turn of the century. She was not rich or famous and would probably be the first to say she was just an ordinary person. But her story strikes one as extraordinary, indeed.

This is followed by an epilogue by her youngest son, Jacob Calof; and two essays from historians placing her story in context of the time it took place.

The best past is unquestionably Rachel Bella's own story.

The tale of one tragedy after another is punctuated by moments of beauty, joy, and tenderness. This is a woman whose hard life was a triumph over circumstances. It was constant source of amazement to this reader that she survived at all-let alone that her nine children, born and raised in primitive circumstances-also survived. It is a testimony to superior genetics and incredible strength of will.

It is also fascinating to read. The author's style is straightforward and unpretentious, but also shows evidence of the true storyteller: suspense, humor, romance, and wit. Personal relationships come alive as Calof describes herself, her family, and the people they met along the way. There are some times when we know that Calof is going to some lengths to soft-pedal the less than noble aspects of human nature, but we get the point.

The two sections written by scholars are academically dry and are simply as not interesting to read. However, they do contain some helpful background information.

My family lived close to the Calof family as well as to the other Jewish settlers in this area. I remember my Father speaking about the settlement in nothing but the fondest terms, but he also discussed with us the hardships these people lived. Their cemetary was built on land that is owned by my uncles family.I read this book ,therefore, with knowledge of the history of the settlement..I can only say, talk about history becoming alive. this is one of the rare true stories of courage,love, faith and determination that we as lovers of our nations heritage will have the priviledge of reading. It is completely absorbing and I feel that it would make a wonderful production for a movie or theatical event. Read this story, It by passes any fictional story for reading ,this is how the west was settled. Some people had great success but many, many, had to strive to keep hope and life alive.

>From the Black Hills Judy Troy Random House 1999 ISBN 0375502300 P.B. Fiction

It is the summer after high school graduation and Mike Newlin is an average 18 year old, except his father has killed his secretary whom he was having an affair, now he has left to parts unknown. This was a very depressing book to read, I found it hard to stick with. The story line flowed well enough so well that you felt every hurt and pain that Mike goes through at his young age. It is very hard for Mike to go on after his father is gone, he must look out for his mother who thinks that her life is nothing without her husband,his girlfriend who is clinging all the time, and the fact that he is in love with his bosses wife. As you read this book keep the kleenex box handy because you will need them. Judy Troy is the author of two New York Times Notable books and a Whiting Award Winner.

Mike Newlin is a pretty mature kid who faces issues that no one should have to. His father kills the office receptionist, with whom he had been having an affair, and then goes on the lam. This book covers that magic time in a kid's life between high school graduation and the beginning of college - when you are full of anticipation and between two lives. Instead of just spending time with his girlfriend, lusting after his employer's wife and getting ready to go to SDSU, he has to deal with the additional issues of his reaction to his father's actions, his mother's way of coping with this event and a nosy detective. It's no surprise that college doesn't go as it should for Mike, although when the book ends you hope that he will be able to have a new beginning. I particularly liked the role of the Black Hills and the Badlands in this book. The desolate beauty of the area fit the despairing theme of this book very well.

Like a skillful heart surgeon, Judy Troy makes no wasteful motions. Her prose is elegant, spare and clean, slightly like Hemingway's. Her work resembles even more closely the novels of another contemporary writer: Richard Ford. I loved his "Independence Day", and "From the Black Hills" echoed the subject matter and style of that book. Both deal with numb, intelligent teenage boys who struggle with their fragile male egos and fantasies at the same time that they struggle to do the right thing. Both have difficult, painful relationships with their fathers.

However, "From the Black Hills" is far from a carbon copy. From the beginning of this novel, one gets the impression of falling, depression and disintegration. This sense comes from being parked closely, as readers, inside Mike's head. As the book develops steam, it becomes clear that Mike's depression and sense of helplessness spring from the feeling that he must follow in his disturbed father's footsteps. The fear that many of us have, that we will become our parents, in Mike becomes almost complete psychological and moral paralysis. Ms. Troy does an excellent job of presenting the inner workings of a tormented boy -- I had to check the jacket cover to find out that she was a woman and not just writing from experience. I loved this book 95%, and couldn't stop talking about it to my friends when I finished it. I immediately passed it on. My one complaint is the ending. Although it is not entirely implausible, it's a little too quick and pat. Otherwise, it was a wonderful book.

In 1862 some of the Sioux in Minnesota reacting to starvation rations and delayed annuities rose up against the white settlers. The result was a great loss of life and suffering on both sides.

The author gives a fairly even handed account of this uprising, however, I think he dwelt just a little too much on graphic accounts of the atrocities committed by the Indians. Not that I think it would be fair to white-wash their participation. Under the influence of alcohol and the breakdown of their society, I'm sure that some of these atrocities did occur. However, we must keep in mind that it was long assumed that the Plains Indians tortured live victims because bodies were often found mutilated. In most cases, though, these mutilations took place after death. Also the eye-witness accounts of those suffering from fear, starvation, and delirium, may not be the best to rely upon, especially as they were probably told after the fact.

Still the author does a very good job of handling the politics on the Indian side, and showing how innocents on both sides suffered, while many of the guilty did not. This episode also brings up many questions about assimilation, mob psychology, and human behavior. This is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in Native American history or the history of the American West.

In "Over the Earth I Come," military historian Duane Schultz writes a popular history of the infamous Dakota uprising of 1862. The title of the book comes from a Dakota chant of defiance, a fitting title for a book that describes the efforts of a people to cast off the heavy chains of hopelessness, starvation, and general depravation forged through contact with the American government and its Indian agents.

Schultz writes a gripping account of all aspects of the uprising and the aftereffects of the rebellion. The author weaves narratives of survivors with political and military events of the uprising into a seamless and compelling account of this unfortunate incident in American history. According to Schultz, some 500 to 2000 whites died in the uprising, many of them German settlers unaware of the danger they faced from the angry Dakotas. Hundreds of Dakotas died as well in the futile military campaigns launched against Fort Ridgley, New Ulm, and at the battle of Birch Coulee. The uprising was a tragedy for everyone involved, from the white women and children who died in astonishingly brutal ways, to the Indians who lost their freedom and lands as a result of the uprising, to President Abraham Lincoln who signed a death warrant for 38 Dakotas (Lincoln lessened the tragedy somewhat by commuting some 264 death sentences). Schultz conveys the tragedy with a heartfelt eloquence that brings tears to your eyes.

Early in the book, Schultz examines the causes of the uprising. Was the uprising inevitable? Schultz's answer is a resounding NO! The Dakotas rebelled against the government agents and white settlers due to starvation, a tardy annuity payment, and poor treatment by Indian agents and German settlers. Cultural factors also played a role, as the government played Indians off against each other by rewarding Indians who played by the rules (those who adopted white culture and farming methods), and withholding supplies from "blanket" Indians (those who refused to adopt an alien culture in order to preserve their ancient way of life). The Indians who refused to adopt white culture watched their converted kin collect supplies and food from government warehouses anytime they needed it, while the blanket Indians collected their food on a set schedule. The blanket Indians eventually formed a soldier's lodge and planned military action against the whites. A harmless incident over some eggs on a white farm escalated into the murder of a family of whites, and the war was on.

Schultz spends much time discussing Little Crow, the leader of the uprising. Little Crow, who initially opposed the uprising, eventually changed his mind and supported the revolt, a decision that doomed Little Crow and his people. After discussing Schultz's presentation of Little Crow with a friend, he asked if Schultz relied on the "noble savage" stereotype while discussing Little Crow. I don't think that is the case here, as Little Crow appears as a politically astute politician, saddened over the deaths of white children and white women while generally making the best of a situation rapidly spiraling beyond his control.

In a move sure to bring about howls of protest from the politically correct crowd who believe Indians can do no wrong, Schultz provides graphic details of the slaughter and torture of white settlers caught in the uprising. Through the use of narrative accounts, we see Indian braves on a murder spree of shocking proportions. Indians dashed the heads of children against trees, dropped rocks on people's heads, and tore limbs from still living children. Indians shook hands in a gesture of "friendship" with whites, and then shot them when they turned their backs. The list of atrocities goes on and on. As bad as these descriptions are, there are many worse ones found in this book. It is understandable that whites howled for blood when the uprising came to an end.

At the same time, Schultz shows us the many Indians disgusted at the behavior of their fellow Indians. Just as people sheltered Jews during World War II, some Indians risked life and limb to protect innocent whites. These Indian men and women were truly saviors to many. But in keeping with the theme of tragedy, Schultz explains how a few innocent Indians died on the gallows; one of them was Chaska, an Indian who protected Sarah Wakefield, a white woman taken captive early in the uprising. Despite Sarah's protestations (or perhaps because of them; whites were not interested in letting any Indian off the hook), Chaska ended up on the gallows.

As a popular history, "Over the Earth I Come" does have its limitations. For example, in his discussion on the causes of the uprising, Schultz completely fails to mention the Spirit Lake massacre in 1857 and the withholding of annuity funds by the government in order to force the Indians to do what the government told them to do. Both of these events contributed to the uprising, and discussing them is essential in understanding the events that followed.

"Over the Earth I Come" is an excellent, well written introduction to this troubling event in American history. The book has all the trappings of a novel: dramatic battles, perilous escapes, mind blowing ironies and "what-ifs," and touching stories of human kindness. Schultz conveys the multiple tragedies of this sad event with great sympathy and understanding.

Over The Earth I Come describes in detail the events and atrocities that eventually lead to the uprising of 1862. You come away ashamed that people could have treated others this way, and a new opinion of the great Henry Sibley and his questionable friends. It is one of those books that is hard to put down once you start reading it. I have so many people asking for my copy that it's almost impossible to keep track of it. It was highly recommended to me by Dr. Gerald Grinde, History professor at Ridgewater College.

Brazos Fortune is determined to find his dream under some type of cross. However, he is forced to leave behind his youngest child, beloved Dacee. An adventurer herself, she runs away.

Gold fever, hunger and hardship mark the adventures and close calls suffered by Brazos and his friends. Bly certainly does a good job of painting the surroundings clearly to the reader.

This is the first book of the series, Fortunes of the Black Hills.

This was the first book I've read by Stephen Bly, and I am more than anxious to read the next in the series. As a former resident of the Black Hills, I found Bly's descriptions of the Dakota landscape accurate enough to make me homesick. His characters are well developed and sympathetic, and I especially enjoy his sparkling dialogue passages that help develop the characters and bring comic relief and a sense of comraderie between the characters not unlike the good natured humorof a good John Wayne movie. I look forward to reading the second book in this series.

Brazos Fortune sets out on a journey for a new home after locals threaten the lives and property of his family. He follows a vision he receives of a Dakota cross and faces corrupt lawmen, wild outlaws, and a bitter winter as he wrestles with the temptations of gold and a burning desire to be reunited with his family. Each family member seems so real and alive. Reader is pulled in to care about what happens to them.

I'll admit I bought this collection because I expected Johnson to be sort of a Clifford Simak for South Dakota, but the state only shows up as a setting in Johnson's most famous story, the Hugo-winning "We Will Drink a Fish Together." Now, I'm from South Dakota too, but I'm not familiar with fish drinking or the idea of "lines", sort of clans of not necessarily related people. But, then, I'm from the Black Hills, the other end of the state from the town of Summit where the story takes place. And, as Johnson notes in the collection's introduction, that's a different geography and a different culture. The story is like Simak in its mixture of aliens and rural America and quirky characters though its plot, involving an alien ambassador fleeing assassins and the narrator attending the funeral of the head of his line, is a bit hard edged for Simak. Johnson's perceptions match mine when he talks about Dakota weather and the easy acceptance of strangers there.

Aliens show up frequently in these stories as they do in Simak's work. The "Motivational Engineers" have a surprising reason for visiting Earth on a trade mission. The old idea of aliens judging man's suitability for continued existence is reworked in "Respect." Its tale of aliens getting involved in a future border war between Mexico and the U.S. seems to owe something to George Orwell's famous essay, "Shooting an Elephant." I suppose "Every Choice Has a Price" was intended as a thoughtful, controversial discussion of abortion ethics. A woman has to decide between carrying a child to term and losing her telepathic abilities or aborting it and possibly wresting the secret of travel between the stars from an injured alien. The story's ending seemed contrived, though, and Johnson's ultimate point unclear. Another story with a weak ending was "Streetwise," a satire on lawyers and bureaucrats in which an ambulance chaser brings up the idea of implicit agreements to a bunch of mysterious aliens. They've established several uncommunicative enclaves in various cities -- after clearly demonstrating their invincibility and invulnerability. The motivation for the aliens putting up with the lawyer wasn't entirely clear, but the story was still fun.

The weakest story in the collection, "A Matter of Thirst," doesn't involve aliens at all. It's Johnson's entry in the "end of the world sweepstakes". The setup of Earth's civilization collapsing from a cancer plague and leaving orbital colonies to fend for themselves was good. And Johnson does a nice job showing how heroic efforts at scavenging and recycling vital materials is not going to be enough to save the race. But his solution to the problem is unbelievable.

In the middle ground of quality is Johnson's first sale, "Stormfall." It's a moody piece about a man who glides into hurricanes to tame their fury. "Send Random Romantic" is a cross between a ghost story and one of those tales where denizens of an overregulated, compulsively tranquil future rediscover some of the joys and pains of their antique ancestors. "Meet Me at Apogee" is an exciting treasure hunt tale set in orbit around a black hole. A man is hired to help retrieve some religious artifacts off an abandoned spaceship but soon finds himself involved in lethal religious fanaticism and schism.

My favorite stories were "Evelyn's Children," about a Presidential campaign manager investigating some pecularities in the census of Chicago, and "One Quiet Night," an all too plausible tale about what some harried, very tired parents would do with a "standstill box".

Even though I had problems with some of Johnson's endings, he's still a writer not content to limit himself to one type or style of story, and he knows how to evoke a place.

This is a wonderful book full of entertaining short stories written by a talented author. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story. I especially liked "More Than a Box".

I had read some of Bill Johnson's short fiction over the years in magazines, and wanted to see the stuff I had missed. I am so glad that I got this book. It has a wonderful range of stories - scary stuff with life -as-they-know-it in the balance, and downright funny stuff. Do not miss One Quiet Night! I look forward to more of Mr. Johnson's stuff.

I am from the Midwest, and trust me, we do not all drink fish, but any story he writes will sell a volume for me from now on.

I did a litle research (amazing what happens when you read the story intros) and it is easy to see that Bill Johnson is one of Joe Haldeman's proteges. The ideas come spewing out at a great rate, but never at the expense of character or plot.

Buy this book!

I read this book without having read any reviews, thus I went into it without any pre-conceived ideas. It then became a pleasant surprise to have the story reveal itself to me. I found it to be thoughtfully written and with a lyrical feel. I highly recommend it.

This book was so well written I felt I was discovering who the culprit was along with the writer. I love the way the words wove together and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. On the same note I didn't want the book to end because I wanted the words to go on. The characters were real and the mystery was exciting. I highlty recommend this book and look forward to many more from this author.

I can't wait for her next walk into fiction. It's one of those books that will always stay with you to recommend to others. Wonderful testimonial to the strength of women and how they unite in the face of adversity!

Mari Sandoz, the daughter of German-Swiss parents, was born in 1896 on the Great Plains of Nebraska, and spent much of her young life amid the Sioux tribes there at that time. This book, which is only 118 pages long, briefly depicts much of what she learned first-hand of Sioux customs and rituals. She writes with great intimacy, love, and a depth of knowledge that few could match. Her prose sometimes meanders, and often gives the sense of being unstructured, without a coherent thread. This might bother some and not others. Admittedly, it bothered me at times, as I prefer my facts and history presented in a more cohesive context. That said, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Native American history.

This gives me some sense of what it would be like to live with the Sioux. Simple enough for a child to read. No magic, but worth reading.

This is a clarification of the review below by:
natasha trotskygrad from moscow, Ussr.

Mari Sandoz was a FEMALE author from northern Nebraska. :)

And this is a great Sioux book, but even more highly recommended is Sandoz' CRAZY HORSE biography. Sandoz was quite respected by the native population and did extensive research for all of her books. Her book on Crazy Horse even used first hand oral accounts with those who knew Crazy Horse.