Book 5 of this series was sort of a hodgepodge about too many people, and there was a lot of death. The pastor is featured more as the teacher of the school. Zeb's sister Mary Martha is prominent and Singer Sewing machines are introduced into the community. This causes a huge rift between Penny and Goldie. Ingeborg remains unable to conceive. Sign language has come to Blessing in order to help little Grace communicate. A fire in the grain house takes the life of a man traveling through. Politics are in full gear, with debates and Hjelmer traveling for meetings. Mary Martha is called back home to nurse her ailing mother. Little Anna contracts whooping cough and dies. Perhaps the central tragedy occurs with Katy during childbirth. Personally, I hope this book is a bridge to a happier conclusion of this series with book #6.

I am 13 years old. I have enjoyed reading this series. I like the depth that the characters have. But in this book there are so many deaths that it makes it hard to enjoy reading it.It may be that the author is trying to be realistic, but if most people are like me they read for entertainment and relaxation.I felt the death of Katy and the baby was very difficult in the lives Mandy, Deborah, and Zeb, especailly considering the hardships they had already faced. Since their deaths occurred so close to the end of the book, it left the reader feeling lost and wondering. I felt their needed to be a bit more closure. Unfortunately, this tragic incident seemed to overshadow the very happy and touching ending. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This is a very sad book at times with many deaths, but I love the new characters that were added. I think it was high time that the Pastor got a wife. Although many people complained they wanted more happiness, that wasn't the truth of homesteading or actually any lives in the 19th century.

I am planning to visit South Dakota this summer and since I manage to turn everything I do into an educational project I have been reading up and writing chambers of commerce for information. This book is written in the neutral public relations politically correct style of a guidebook. (Heaven forbid we ever say anything critical about the Indians or why we're still paying $1.5 billion a year for Indian health care.)In fact I believe the author has a PR background. He conveys a lot of information but he could have made the book much more interesting. For example, the story of the trapper Hugh Glass is one of the best stories ever. Glass was mauled by a grizzly and left for dead by his companions. He vowed revenge on those who left him and literally crawls back to civilization to kill the men who left him. However, the author here really does not get into the revenge theme. I had to get that from a Chamber publication. The pictures in the book are great and I would rate the pictures five stars. However, there just aren't that many books about South Dakota. So if you are going to South Dakota it probably is worth picking up. For an interesting book about the entire Great Plains which includes South Dakota read Great Plains by Ian Frazier, which is a five star book.

At first , I didn't think this book was of much help in planning my trip but the more I read it, the more great information I found. I would advise you to read it like a novel and not just skim through it looking for specific information.

An ideal book for those intending to visit South Dakota. As well as giving places to visit and stay it provides an interesting insight into the history of the state. A few more photographs would be even better.

The authors attempt to portray financial strategies that many CPA's and financial planners agree are questionable if not illegal.

One of the easiest to read estate planning books that I have read. I recommend this book for anyone with a taxable estate that needs to understand the issues/concepts of estate planning.

I was looking for financial planning advice that was not intimidating and easy for someone not in a "money & numbers" profession to understand. I found just what I needed in this book. The authors provided information in a common-sense, conversational manner. It was arranged so I could find exactly the topics that apply to me and my family. I found good advice, answers I was looking for and learned alot along the way. I was pleasantly surprised that a subject I had always veered away from could really be presented in such a "user-friendly" format.

I picked up this book at a second hand store. It had a dedication in the inside cover. It had been a gift for Mother's Day, and it read: "To the Queen of the house, because she can't be Beet!".

Erdrich has the special touch to make surreal situations so very believable. I love the parallel drawn with the plane rides, how in one case it is a beautiful woman running away from responsibility, and on the other it is a not-so-graceful woman running away from scorn. The birthday party scene is one of the most hilarious that come to mind, with the cake spinning out of control and Mary still singing Happy Birthday to You, while the guests are showered in frosting. And Mary's fall in the ice and the revered imprint of her face... How surreal can this book get?!?!

In my opinion, it makes sense to read this book first, followed by Love Medicine (93), followed by Tracks (89).

I first learned of Erdrich in some anthology, where i read her short story Fleur (now, that's a scary character, who appears in all three books!)

I found this novel to be enjoyable to read, with unexpected events occuring around every corner. The dark humor fits in well with the story line and it keeps the reader motivated. While the ending appears to leave the reader hanging with respect to some characters, it really makes you think about what the reason for that is. Why don't we know what happens to Jude? Maybe it is because Jude is the only character in the novel who has his needs met -- all the other characters endure a life long struggle for one need or another. The author uses strong symbolism which can be cryptic, yet challenging. It's definitely worth the read.

On a cold spring morning in 1932, fourteen-year old Karl Adare and his eleven-year-old sister, Mary, arrive by freight train in Argus, North Dakota. Abandoned by their mother, they have come to look for their mother's sister, Aunt Fritzie, who runs the House of Meats, a butcher shop, with her husband. The two Adares lose each other. Karl is frightened by a dog and runs back to the boxcar, and Mary runs the other way, toward town. And so begins the forty year saga of a family, and a community.

Through the years the family holds together through the tenacity of relationships, in a fierce and passionate drama, filled with Erdrich's dark humor. Changes sweep across their lives - birth, death, madness. Change also comes in the form of a growing sugar beet industry. Ms. Erdrich story chronicles Mary's life, as she puts down roots in Argus. She also keeps track of the tragic and sensitive dreamer, Karl, on his endless road journeys. He seem to compulsively flee emotional ties, and yet returns to Argus, again and again. At one point Karl says, "I give nothing, take nothing, mean nothing, hold nothing." He struggles with connection - with the past, and with his family and community. Mary's astounding dreams and fantasies also play an incredible and surreal role in the novel.

Themes of parenting and abandonment, jealousy, sexual obsession, and great love play out with passion in Ms. Erdrich's complex and believable characters, as does her portrayal of people's aggression and the self-destructive side of human nature. Her narrative is written with beauty, clarity and pure magic. This is not an easy book to read, nor is it always pleasant. It is, however, well worth the effort.

Like many of her characters, Ms. Erdrich has a foot in two worlds. She grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota, near the Bureau of Indian Affairs school where both her mother, of French-Ojibwe descent, and her father, of German descent, taught. She writes movingly about Native Americans "whose nobility resides in their ability to make their lives work."

Although this book certainly has artistic merit, I would not have called it the "Best of". We have visited the area many times and are well aware of the various terrains. In some cases, the photographer seemed to choose the "ugliest of" and in even more cases, the photos could have been taken anywhere - there was nothing to indicate a particular location. Examples would be an animal running across an empty field. Fine if you're looking for nature, not very useful if you are trying to identify "Best of"/beautiful spots to visit. This was a gift for my husband and he was not very impressed...

This book has very enchanting photography. If you love nature, but are locked up in city life; This is a very nice book to have just to linger in and daydream of the wide open spaces. Of course it may get addictive and make you leave the city in search of a peaceful homestead to call home...

I have been fascinated by the incident for many years. The incident IS fascinating. The book is a joke. Poorly written. Poorly edited. It reads like a conversation over coffee at some hole in the wall pancake house deep in the bowels of North Dakota. I feel for the ex-cops that experienced the shoot-out. I am sorry, but leave the writing for the professionals - so the two guys who unfortunately had to deal with the poorly planned attempt at apprehending Kahl - can have their memories for their kids, grandkids, etc.... I am sorry but the book is just plain BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a former law enforcement officer from a small North Dakota town. After reading this book, I felt as if both authors just told me their stories face-to-face. The diagrams and photos really put me "at the scene". It is obvious that the authors of this book are not writers by trade, which actually made it a refreshing change from the same old, same old. I can relate to these officers having to wear many "hats" at their job. Graf shows the world, through this book, what being a Peace Officer is all about--trying to keep the peace. Unlike other authors of books on this subject, Graf actually met with and talked to the murderer on several occasions prior to the shoot-out, making informed decisions on first-hand knowledge. Others chose to ignore this knowledge when it was brought to their attention. Unlike a previous reader review, I've actually had a chance to meet with and talk to the authors after I read this book. I've seen the documentation they have to back up everything they write about in this book. Read the others first if you like, but save this book for last. It is the only true and accurate account you will read!

I lived in North Dakota at the time of these events. The author's first-hand account is consistent with, but fills in a lot of the blanks that have been written and reported about the confrontation at Medina ever since.

Critics of the book may point to minor flaws such as allegations of ...covering by the authors. I do not find such flaws nearly as credible as the book. Both Graf and Schnabel were professionals who were cooperative and did more than they were asked. Yes, their small-town police departments was organized like (surprise!) a small-town police department. And, yes, their account is factual, direct and down-to-earth, not full of socialogical [stuff] like Bitter Harvest, the first major book on the incident.

Neither author is apt to get rich on the book as it tells neither side exactly what they want to hear. Accordingly, the only fans of the book are likely to be those interested in just the unvarnishied, unfiltered facts from two police officers who did the best job they could with the tools available and are probably the only ones who conducted themselves properly thoughout all the events leading up to this incident and the aftermath thereof.

In short, if you believe your government is always right and never lies, skip this book because it will shatter your dreams. Skip it also if you believe the tax protest fringe is always the unfortunate victims of a government conspiracy. However, if you believe the truth lies somewhere between, you owe it to yourself to get and read this book.

My junior high age son and his friends had to read this book for school, and they were thoroughly annoyed with the self-obsessed protagonist, Floyd. They wanted him to grow up, already! I read the book to see what all the complaining was about and found myself agreeing.

The "adults" in the book humored Floyd too much; The only person who cared enough to make him grow up was the Sioux Indian Chief. One hopes that Floyd would learn something lasting from the one mature character in the book. Pick up Harry Potter or a Redwall book instead.

This is a really good book. It's about a boy called Floyd. When he was young he decided he wanted to be an indian. He lives in foster homes and is always moving. This book even has some useful information in it about indians. I would recommend this book to someone who likes adventures and mischief; it's a good book.
In the book Floyd decides early on he wants to become an indian. He learns lots about them and even follows their religion. He lives in foster homes and is always moving. He is never in the same school long so he doesn't have any friends. He is starting to get sick of everything so he decides it's time to run away. He plans it all out and the leaves. The rest of the book is pretty much about what he does there.
I liked this book because it was kind of an adventure. It went lots of different ways. It went from being in one place, then going to a completely different place. It even had some useful information about indians. It's a really good book.
I think you should read this book. It's a good book for all different people. I rated this book 4 stars. This is a great book and is filled with lots of mischief and excitement.

In "Dakota Dream" a young boy runs away from a group home to fullfill his dream about being a Dakota Indian and living on an real reservation. Personally I like this book a lot because I think it would be cool to be a Dakota Indian. The boy one night in in a vision in his dream, he sees himself as a Dakota Indian riding on horseback to go fight the settlers. Thats when it first comes to him, that his destiny is to become a Dakota Indian. He fights his way through life going from group home to group home, not even considering the fact that his parents died when he was a baby, and never saw them before. I think "Dakota Dream" is an exciting, and one of the best books I have ever read!

I expected this book to be of the same quality as Miller's biography of Laura "Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder," which is a first rate work. Unfortunately, this book is substantially inferior in every way.

This book purports to be a history of De Smet as it was when Laura grew up, but is instead a hodge podge of essays ranging from Charles Pierce's theories to the paintings of Harvey Dunn. So instead of learning about De Smet, we have the privilege of learning how educated and erudite the author is. Instead of learning about the town and its characters, we are regaled with the author's theories of how the plow broke the plains.

Occasionally there are nuggets of new information about De Smet, and about some of the characters who appear in Laura's book or were known to her when she lived there. But these nuggets tend to be heavily wrapped in Miller's academic jargon and theories. Evidently, there is not much to be said about any small town, even De Smet, so you have to talk about others things that you conveniently already happen to know: "Place and Community (and De Smet)," "Freedom and Control (and De Smet)," "Fact and Interpretation (and De Smet)," and so on and on.

"Dreary" and "boring" are adjectives Miller uses more than once to describe life on the prairie: those same adjectives apply in spades to this book. It is very difficult to get through, so buy it and read it only if you're into self flagellation.

This book looks at various historical aspects of the world Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about, and focuses especially on one of her books, Little Town on the Prairie, and on the town of De Smet, SD. I found it very interesting finding out more about the town that was the focus of Wilder's later books. This book is done as a series of essays, and at times repeats information from one essay to the next. However, it is well written and obviously very well researched, and adult fans of Wilder who want to find out more about her and more especially the larger world and time she lived in will enjoy this book.

I think this book is very interesting and very informative. I am a huge LIW fan and I think that any fan of her books would definately enjoy this biography on her life.

I also believe that anyone who doesn't believe that she really exsited should also read this book as well.

This book is atrocious. The "voices of Wounded Knee," represented in the eyewitness accounts that the editor claims to have spent thirty years gathering (remarkably inefficent work, considering the many sources he missed),are heard in a disjointed fashion. The typeset constantly alternates between normal face and italics - one of many aggravating features of the book. The Wounded Knee tragdy deserves far better than this.

I thoroughly appreciated Coleman's technique of piecing actual historical record (interviews & letters) with a minimal of commentary - While hardly a dry presentation, Coleman's technique recreates the atmosphere of the time, and made me feel like I was "living" the events of the time as if I was recieving real-time press reports and actually listening to interviews of the participants. Coleman also reminds the reader of the importance of studying "unfiltered" historical material - His organization of such material into a comprehensive chronolgy is what makes this book truly unique.
From a historical perspective - the book is also a must-read and should be REQUIRED READING in ALL US HISTORY COURSES. As usuall, our national crimes and shame in mistreating the American Indians - particulary the Lakotas - continues to be white-washed. Reading actual writings from many of the key individuals of the time (Red Cloud, McLaughlin, Short Bull, Nelson Miles, Sherman, and various newspaper editorials) provides a shocking view of America's virulent racism, the press's penchant for creating panic and militaristic feeling, political greed and ambition, Indian despiration and hoplessness. If reparations are due anyone - its these people.

A very informative, well written book. It shows the injustice that the "white man" did to the Native Ameican. It is a Must Read for all. Am glad that the author had first hand information from someone that was there at the time.