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 is an excellent book, well written and very inciteful. I think few people realize the significance of the so-called "pagan" rituals that were banned by our government. Many Native American tribes were deeply spiritual and their everyday actions and acceptance of people with differing beliefs were more Christ-like than were those of many Christians. The average American doesn't realize just how much the Native American youth suffered in missionary schools in the name of religion.

Eagle Vision portrays the deep spirituality of the Lakota peoples, especially through their vision quest, sweat lodge, and sundance. It also contrasts this with the harsh treatment of Native American children at the hands of the priests in missionary schools. How sad that Christians could not have been open enough to really understand the deep spirituality and love of the Great Spirit which these peoples lived. I highly recommend this and the other books written by Ed McGaa, especially Mother Earth Spirituality and Native Wisdom. I honestly believe that our Earth will survive if we listen to and follow the wisdom of Native American spirituality. Ed McGaa's books teach us this path

Eagle Man has brought us another wonderful book to make us think about our place upon the Mother Earth. He is able to continue teaching us the path we should all be walking and at the same time tell a wonderful story of how own life. Eagle Man is a writer who is not afraid to discuss Native wisdom with a society that has closed it's ears to the truth for too long. This should be a must read for everyone. Be sure to continue your educaton of the Native way by reading Mother Earth Spirituality.

A truly great story offering an insight into the deplorable conditions imposed on the original Americans and their religion by the dominant society. We follow Kyle Charging Shield on his return from air combat in Vietnam and his return to his peoples' traditional religion. Meet many truly great Holy men and have their ceremonies explained. This is truly a great learning book that is at the same time fun to read.

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.

Joseph Marshall III's the Dance House: Stories from Rosebud relates knowledgeable insight from the Sicangu Lakota Sioux's point of view, using everyday incidents as well as historical events. A Lakota Sioux historian who was raised on the Rosebud reservation, the author's simple yet harmonious language creates a memorable collection of eight short stories and five essays that present a truthful representation of Native Americans. Using the underlying theme that heritage is important to one's identity. Marshall is adamant in erasing the white man's barbaric, ignorant image of the Indian.

In the title story, after the tribe's dance house was ordered burned by the United States Government which seized the Black Hills land where the house stood, Jacob Little Thunder and others, outwitting the white "boss farmer" and defying the Dawes Act, build a house of happiness where the people of Grass Valley could come together to remember "the old days and traditional way."

Gus Pretty Crow, through his unwavering honesty, brought the demise of the haughty sheriff in "1965 Continental." One rainy night a stranger appears at Gus' door requesting mechanical help. When Gus recommends that the man wait until the next morning and call the local wrecker "that runs, sometimes," the stranger propositions him: "Sell me your [1950] truck and I'll give you that 1965 Lincoln Continental." After Gus explains that an Indian owning a new luxury vehicle would create problems for him, the stranger promises that just a phone call to him would fix any problem that would occur. Reluctantly Gus agrees to the transaction and soon after the harassment by the local sheriff begins.

Jon Marichale educates his grandfather during a reminiscent outing about the petrifaction process of a stone turtle the grandfather had discovered years before.

The Dance House is necessary reading for anyone who is interested in the truth about Native American culture, or simply enjoys gifted storytelling.

READ ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING BY THIS MAN YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON....HIS ESSAYS AND STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION ARE WELL WRITTEN AND EXCEPTIONALLY PROFOUND...THE ANSWERS TO A HARMONIOUS AND BALANCED LIFE LIE IN THESE PAGES....COME FIND THEM.

Lakota Sioux historian and novelist Marshall proves himself a triple threat with these powerful essays and short stories. As the subtitle suggests, the nine pieces collected here all deal with life on the author's home reservation of Rosebud, SD, and it is a credit to Marshall's ability as a storyteller that the fictional stories are nearly indistinguishable from the factual essays. Subject to changes brought in by Euro-American culture that surrounds it, Marshall's Rosebud is nevertheless a timeless place where the Sioux insist on maintaining their identity. Readers will be grateful to Marshall for building a dance house of the mind, one that draws on autobiography, nature writing, legend and the day-to-day adventures and misadventures of his own family and neighbors.

This book isn't the most beautifully written or profound book I've ever read, but the sweet story touched me just the same. If you are looking for a family tale about the TRUE meaning of Christmas, this is the book for you. Childrens and adults alike will enjoy this holiday book.

This book is easy to read, simple in its point, and suitable for children as well as adults. As a 5th and 6th grade art teacher, I read it to my classes every year at the beginning of Dec., when we begin our Christmas projects, including recycling old cards to make new ones for a local family shelter. Much as "The Gift of the Magi" opened my eyes to what a "good gift" is, "If You're Missing Baby Jesus" illustrates the true meaning of Christmas. The fact that it is a true story makes the book even more attractive to me. It also brings the opportunity to teach things about "the good ole days," like living in a small town, you only needed to dial the last four digits of someone's phone number to reach them and there used to be such a thing as "penny candy." I usually can't get through the reading of this story without crying, it touches my heart so!

This is a wonderful little story with beautiful illustrations that conveys the true meaning of Christmas. A good choice to read aloud to a group of children (ages 5 to 8 or so), the story contains enough humor to lighten the message.

If you or your child has already read the American Girls book "Kirsten Learns a Lesson", you know that Kirsten has befriended an Indian girl named Singing Bird. In that story, Kirsten was ordered not to play with Singing bird any longer. Singing Bird leaves. In this new short story, which forst appeared in American Girl magazine, Singing Bird is back. Kirsten wants to see her, but cannot break her rules. Can she and Singing Bird meet again and keep their friendship a secret or will everything fall apart? Kirsten learns another lesson in this great book for little girls.

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kirsten Larson, a nine-year-old girl from Sweden, whose family has moved to frontier Minnesota of 1854. In this book, Kirsten's American Indian friend, Singing Bird, returns. Almost immediately disaster strikes, when Kirsten's secret friendship is discovered, and her mother orders Kirsten to never see Singing Bird again. However, when Kirsten's brother Peter gets lost in the woods, Kirsten turns to a friend who can help when others can't. It proves a chance for the whole family to learn a lesson.

As an added bonus, this book contains a chapter on the Sioux Indians, and instructions on making a charm bag. I never ceased to be amazed at the quality of the American Girls books. With wonderful illustration, the book tells a great story that teaches a valuable lesson. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a young daughter. My daughter and I both love these books!

[For those parents interested in reading historical fiction about Swedish immigrants, please consider reading The Emigrants series by Vilhelm Moberg.]

Kirsten on the Trail is a good story for early readers and children who can hold their attention to a twenty minute story.

This is the tale of frontier life and the interaction of a pioneer girl and her indian friend of the same age. Theirs is a secrete relationship -- history has told their parents to be wary of each other and they are forbidden to play together.

The disappearance of Kirsten's younger brother and his rescue by Kirsten's indian friend allows the parents of the pioneer girl to accept the the innate goodness of a child from a different culture. This book introduces pioneer life, the clash of indian and pioneer cultures and the acceptance of difference to young readers. Its a story my kids like.

I am getting ready for a South Dakota vacation by reading some books about and set in the region. This novel is about farmers during the dust bowl years leading up to the depression. It gives good insight into their tough life. The characters are well drawn and interesting. At first you don't like George, the main character. But by the end you can't help but sympathize with him. His daughter, Lucy, is the most interesting character. His wife and his wife's parents are the other main characters. Well worth the read.

For years, it seemed, I'd hear bits & pieces about a book entitled "The Bones of Plenty": how great it was, how its story, about bleak farming life on the harsh plains of North Dakota during the Great Depression, rivaled even Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". But I knew, of course, that connoisseurs of fine literature, in possession of their full faculties, would respond to such a claim with a vitriolic & sarcastic "okay, sure". Well, I, oddly enough, discovered this weighty piece of work, penned by Lois Hudson, published 1962, not for casual reading but as research material. Its story's geography and flavor, you see, was to quench my thirst for much-needed data for my own next novel.

I scanned editorial reviews of Hudson's "Bones" on the Internet, and saw, to my surprise, that a few critics did indeed rank it with "Grapes". I, of course, remained skeptical. Now, having read "The Bones of Plenty", I must agree: It is rugged & truthful, hopeless & brutal. It is magnificent in every way.

Is "Bones" the absolute equal of "Grapes"? Perhaps not, perhaps due to its safe distance of time from the Depression Era; an era that Steinbeck's words, in real time, painted so artfully. Perhaps since North Dakota doesn't hold the Hollywood charm for film as did Steinbeck's golden California, and, just maybe, because readers suspected Hudson no doubt drew inspiration from Steinbeck, & not vice-versa, "The Bones" could not quite climb that "Grapeful" platitude. Who knows? But it DOES rank. READ IT! It is amongst the rarest & best works of fine literature. And, dare I admit this? IT HAS BROKEN INTO MY TOP 10! As an avid reader myself of classics, I was at first stunned by how The Bones so quickly took its rightful place alongside The Old Man, Eden, Mockingbird, Fountainhead, Deliverance, King's Men, Lonesome Dove, etc., on my very exclusive list; hallowed ground, stingily reserved.

So I re-read Modern Library's 100 Greatest 20th Century Novels and similar published rankings, certain I'd find my "Bones" comfortably amongst the elite. But nothing. "Bones" made not one list! Hmmm...where & why were "The Bones" buried? Why Hudson - a great writer's ghostwriter - lack of notoriety? Was Hudson's beautiful "Bones" buried in the early-60's avalanche of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? Joseph Heller's Catch 22?: great books both, and both, like The Bones of Plenty, notched in my personal Top 20. Perhaps we'll never know. I suspect North Dakota's writers receive about as much respect & fanfare as does the humble state from which they come.

So my hat's off to Lois P. Hudson; a woman whose politics, I've gathered, could not be more distant from my own conservative views. (I was not pleased by her recent comments on GWB!) But, politics aside, it is my testimony to say that readers of fine works are a little less blessed for not having unearthed & wept over Lois' "Bones". I suggest they grab a shovel. The literary world owes her a belated thanks for this glorious book. Thank you, Lois. Greg Ryan

As a farmer of 20 years myself, Lois Hudson has touched a nerve with her novel. The roller-coaster of emotions and vivid descriptions she gives of agriculture in the Dakotas are suprisingly true to this day. The sense of pride for an honest way of life, the anger springing from the lack of control over events, people, weather and markets,and the ultimate indifference to the farmers existence displayed by urban populace stings like salt in a wound. I only wish that more Americans would read and experience this wonderful novel. Perhaps they would better understand the small minority that works to feed them.

I was somewhat disappointed in this book. I have read all of the books in the series, and this probably is the weakest one. I did not like the way that the story shifts from Blessing to the Ranch and back again. I would have liked more material about the romance between Augusta and Kane. Maybe this will happen in the next book in the series!

This series has been one of my favorite reads, but how can Lauraine Snelling mix up so many characters? She calls Kaaren Knutson 'Kaaren Bjorklund', Agnes' baby, Olaf (mentioned in the first book) is forgotten, Penny Sjorenson is introduced as both Penny Sjorenson and Penny Baard, and the list just goes on! The book's storyline is wonderful, but the mistakes are so distracting. Mrs. Snelling, your books are excellent, but please, for goodness' sake, get a decent editor!!

I read this book in the series first. I found it with the new arrivals in the library. I couldn't put it down. When I discovered it was the LAST in a series, I went to find the first book. Ms. Snelling writes in a way that compells you to continue to the next chapter to see what will transpire. It's nice to find a book written this well that is historical fiction!!!. I enjoy reading about the pioneer era in this county. These historical details are a nice addition to the plot of the "lost" heroine Augusta. However,I would suggust reading the books in order.

Mr. Bender writes in manner that flows so well he draws you into his stories whether you know the real-life characters or not. It is amazing that in the span of a few well worded paragraphs, your heart and soul can be moved so easily. Just read one of Mr. Bender's stories and I'm sure you'll have to read another. Please keep writing Tony!

I am a fan of human interest stories, especially those with wry humor and insight into the human spirit. If you are also a fan of that style, this is a must read. The subtitle, "Humorous and Poignant Stories from the Dakotas", says it all; I'm not sure if the emphasis should be on "poignant" or "humorous". "Wednes- day's Ashes" is about a prairie Lutheran church, built in 1886, which withstands a tornado, but burns down on Ash Wednesday as its congregation of 50 or less stands by helplessly. "It Was a Good Thing" is about a transplanted Russian, a North Dakota cowboy, who dies with his dignity intact, having dodged the nursing home experience. That story is followed by, "Chopper", which is about the crusty cowboy's equally crusty stallion who threw "Cowboy" the first ride of each spring, just to remind "Cowboy" who was boss. "Boys of Summer" is about the author's Little League Baseball team - the Bad News Bears before Walter

Matthau's great movie. "Letter to Mike" is a deeply moving tribute to the author's brother, who lives a dignified life in spite of his Williams Syndrome, and who has inspired all who know him with his purity and enthusiasm (you very well may cry as you read this one). These stories are relieved by tales of the writer's frustration with "tech support", and a letter exchange with Dave Barry as to whether or not North Dakota is still there, complete with details about a giant milk cow, liver sausage, Lawrence Welk and Bobby Vee. The Fix-It Man fixes, the mom steals clothes and then mails them to her neighbor, a pathetic dog finds a (pathetic?) friend - it's all here, and at the click of a mouse! It gets a 4 rather than 5 star because frankly, Tony has a sense of humor that evades me sometimes! Is this what they mean by "prairie humor"?

For anyone with a small town or Midwestern background, this is a must read. Bender touches the heart and tickles the funny bone with his columns on the feats and foibles of real people in real life situations. As a compilation of his newspaper columns, "Loons" is an easy read, yet I limited myself to one or two stories per day, in order to savor the emotion conveyed by each. I have given several copies as gifts, and have always been thanked by the recipient for introducing them to this new, gifted author.