I found this to be an interesting story since the Mt. Pleasant facility is where I currently work and have been there for over 30 years. That is why I would like to correct the error on page 144, "opened in 1865, the second state facility of its kind west of the Mississippi", when introducing the facility. The first patient arrived in February, 1861 and this was the first facility of its kind west of the Mississippi. Just wanted to set the record straight. Miller does a good job for the reader in explaining the short-lived sexual psychopath law in Iowa. I even knew 3 people mentioned in the book.

A Journey into the Paranoid Heart of the 1950s, by Neil Miller - This book is a historical account of two sex-related child murders that took place in Sioux City, Iowa, resulting in the passage of a "sexual psychopath law" which lumped homosexuals in with child molesters and murders, and resulted in 20 men (who had nothing to do with the crimes) being arrested and sentenced to a mental hospital deemed "cured." The men were all homosexuals. It's a rather chilling story when you consider the kind of power the state authorities had over these men. What's more curious is the seeming passivity of the men, who accepted their fate and perhaps on some level thought it was what they deserved. The author writes it off to just part of being gay in the 50s. It's a relevant story today, because it shows that when legislation is passed in an atmosphere of fear and hysteria, bad laws get put on the books, and the consequences are visited upon people who become scapegoats for that fear and paranoia.

Despite its rather sensational title, "Sex-Crime Panic" tells a cautionary story about paranoia gone wrong during the 1950's, surprisingly relevant today.

Neil Miller has discovered an amazing story of the deaths of two Sioux City children, and the mania that overtook the town to find their killers. Well written, documented, and told from multiple perspectives, you are placed right in the middle of the hysteria for duration of the book.Two children are brutally killed, and in response to the public outcry, Iowa state and local officials attempt to round up "the sexual deviants", which the majority of those being homosexuals.

Caught by sting operations and rattted out by friends, tried and convicted under false pretenses, these men were shipped across state to a "mental ward" to live as "prisoners". The lives of these men were forever altered by the experience, and many lived to shame themselves into forgetting everything.

Because of this secrecy, Neil Miller was forced to rely on whatever information he could muster from some of the men who were still living, and the people associated with the cases. Therefore, information related to the killing of the children, and the subsequent manhunt is extensive. Information relating to what happened to the men inside the mental ward was somewhat lacking. Understandly so, Miller goes on towards the end of the book stating that several men, still living, absolutely refused to talk about what occured. Their shame is something they've carried around with them for their lives; a shame, unjustly given to them.

For anyone today who believes our government is incapable of getting out of control, or anyone who wants to read about an event in gay history few people know about, I heartily recommend this book.

This historically accurate novel about the initial stages of the war between the U. S. army and the plains Indians (the Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arapahos) is an enjoyable read. Nearly all the characters are names out of the history books (Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, Henry Carrington, William Fetterman, etc.) with one big exception. Seamus Doonegan, ex-army sergeant, is a fictitious and likeable rogue (although possibly a tad too John Wayne-ish). As a student of Native American history, I was left somewhat wanting for a clearer view of the Indian side of the tale, but that aside I'd recommend this book. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

The work bears all the earmarks of "good history". As a fictionalized account of the Sioux uprising of the 1866 period it is a quick read and a very pleasant "page-turner". If you are interested in the history of the opening of the west, but don't want to plow through the more dry versions offered by history books, this is the work for you. If the book has any faults, it is that the central character, an Irish immigrant, by the name of Donegan, is presented as larger than life. This is a small criticism as Donegan does not terribly often dominate center stage and the rest of the characters are more "realistic" in their presentation. After reading this work you will probably want to purchase more of Johnston's books. He is a fine writer and does write good history.

Terry C. Johnston, has done one hell of a job on this series. I highly recommed to anyone reading westerns today. He will keep you on the edge of your sit.

I don't think anyone will be disappointed in this book or series. If you don't care for reading an author getting off on a cursade you won't have to worry about Terry as he won't go there. He makes you feel as if you are part of the battle, or sitting right next to the characters in the book.

Greene is a very knowlegeable historian of the Sioux Wars. In this work, he has edited and commented upon reports of Officers and others who were participants in this monumental struggle between the Sioux and their Cheyenne allies and the White soldiers of the frontier army. A great book to assist the historian in understanding the hardships of a winter campaign against hostiles on the northern plains.

When Neihardt approached the Sioux Medicine Man Black Elk in the 30's, it was just to get eyewitness details about the wars between Native Americans and U.S. settlers. Black Elk had a different idea - to tell Neihardt his life story - and fortunately Neihardt perceived the value of this unexpected offer. Black Elk not only talks about historical events from the perspective of one who was there, but from within a culture almost always discussed and depicted from the outside (whether sympathetically or not). Since this is a voice which so easily might have been lost to us, the fact that it wasn't is worth celebrating and certainly worth a receptive reading.

Really this is Black Elk's spiritual biography, and the story of his visions and his journey toward becoming a holy man in order to help his people is moving and fascinating, even if it's easy to get lost at times in the symbolism that, for him, is so obviously full of meaning.

It's important to remember that Black Elk's story went through several mediators - his son who translated the oral telling into English, the stenographer who took it down, and then Neihardt himself who edited it (it's hard to tell how much). Even so, this book would be very valuable to anyone particularly interested in the culture and history of Native Americans, in different approaches to spirituality, or simply in voices rarely heard.

This book could tell you the answers or doubts about the Sioux indians.It tells you in the the point as if you lived with the Sioux indians.I really like this book because it really helps out in projects you need to research.

As a 5th grader I recommend the book *Legends of the Mighty Sioux* because it's a detailed, fun, and entertaining book. This book has a variety of stories, so you won't get bored reading one whole book. Some of my favorite stories in the book are "The Gift of the Peace Pipe", and "Maiden's Isle". My very favorite is "Punished Woman's Lake". It's my favorite story because the legend is about a married couple who is broken apart by the chief who wants to take a wife. So to protect her, at night, the real husband took her on his horse and they ran away together. But the chief realized that the wife was missing and sent out warriors to find her. When they found her, the chief killed the real husband and tied the wife to a tree until she said she said she would live with him. The chief had a bad heart and didn't wait for her answer and killed her. Because he murdered two innocent people, a lightning bolt hit him and he was also killed. No one knew where it came from. But from that day forever the Indians had a good heart learning that being bad never pays. I would change three things in this book: longer stories so people will be entertained longer, more scary stories so you could have more excitement, and more books written by this tribe. Thank You.

Stephen Return Riggs (1812-1883) and his wife, Mary (1813-1869) are enormously significant figures in the history of the Dakota tribe. Originally published in 1880, "Mary and I: Forty Years with the Sioux," is an account of the trials and tribulations of the Riggs's long career as Christian missionaries in the wilds of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Riggs's greatest contribution to the Dakota people does not concern his missionary work; it is his preservation of the Dakota language. Riggs translated significant portions of the Bible into Dakota, collected and catalogued thousands of Dakota words, and helped create a written language for the Dakota people. "Mary and I" is divided into two parts-the first is a narrative account of forty years of missionary work with the Dakota Indians. The second section is a series of monographs discussing various people who worked within the missionary field. An account of a Riggs family reunion concludes the book.

"Mary and I," a title with a double meaning (referring to both Mary Riggs and Mary, the mother of Jesus) focuses mostly on Riggs's efforts to spread Christianity among native tribes. When Riggs first came to Minnesota in the 1830's, the only white people in the region were a few other missionaries and the soldiers at Fort Snelling. By the time Riggs retired from mission work, in the late 1870's, there existed a Dakota Presbytery spanning Minnesota, Nebraska, and present day South Dakota. These churches, staffed by Indian pastors, carried on the work of Riggs and others by continuing to gain converts and sending out their own missionaries to bring Christianity to Indian tribes in Canada.

Riggs spends much time in this book discussing his children. He eventually had eight of them, six of whom became missionaries in their own right. Several children continued their father's work with Indians while one went as far as China to bring Christianity to the native Chinese.

Riggs's book gives the reader a good idea of the difficulties inherent in spreading Christianity among people who have no conception of Christian doctrine. Riggs had to learn the language in order to preach to the Indians in terms they could understand. Many Indians did not want Christian ideas taught to the people, resulting in threats to Indians who attended church, the killing of mission cattle, and occasional vandalism to mission property. One thing history teaches is that such pesky things as uninterested natives do not put off Christian missionaries. With the patience of Job, these missionaries do not quit until they win the game. Riggs and his fellow missionaries won the game in this case, especially after the Dakota uprising of 1862, when Indians converted in droves during their stay in a military prison. Riggs sees this as a good thing, and maybe it is for a man who dedicated his life to spreading the gospel. For the Dakotas, converting to Christianity was a necessary survival technique after a disastrous military defeat at the hands of the American government. I am not trying to bash Christianity, but all too often (and it is apparent in this book) the "Good Book" extended to the Indians relied on the implied threat of violence and economic terrorism.

Alfred Riggs, one of Stephen's sons, provides an excellent account of how Christianity should work in reference to Native Americans. Alfred learned early in life that Indians were indolent, dirty heathens. Living among Indians who are not Christians, according to Alfred, inspires fear and disgust. Only through Christianity may this fear and disgust disappear. In Alfred's worldview (and it is a worldview he freely admits he inherited from his parents) the heathenism, wickedness, and darkness of the Indians strengthens Christianity because Christianity shines greatest when confronted by such darkness.

As bad as this sounds, missionaries worked hard to help Indians in everyday life. In one of the monographs at the end of the book, Stephen Riggs sings the praises of Thomas Williamson, one of the earliest Christian missionaries. Williamson used his medical skills to save many Indian lives, and also publicly stated he thought Indians were more honest than white people. The internal paradox within the missionary worldview is a difficult one incapable of resolution anytime soon (and certainly not solvable in this 1000 word essay!).

"Mary and I" is an essential read for those interested in frontier history, the missionary movement in America, or for those interested in discovering the truth about how the American government joined hands with Christian evangelizers to get what it wanted from the Indians. Some prior knowledge of the Dakota tribe is helpful before starting this book, but Riggs keeps his writing at a level where, for the most part, most people could follow along quite easily. "Mary and I" is an enjoyable (but at times disturbing) read.

The book begins with a young Dakota Indian boy being told of the changes that occur in nature and in life by his father and ends with him continuing the "moon-stick" tradition he was taught despite it being a different time. Changes in nature and in the lives of the Sioux come with each new moon of the Sioux year. A "moon-counting stick" is used to keep track of each moon and is replaced every Spring, which is when the Sioux year begins. The illustrations in this book capture the changes of the seasons through color, from the brighter, fresher colors of spring to the warmer, deeper colors of autumn. Each season and corresponding Sioux activity is described poetically in an attempt to convey the spirit and feeling of the season and the people as they read nature's signs. I loved the use of color and poetry to capture the mood of each season and the mood of the Sioux, summertime sewing circles with strawberries to color leather leggings and the white of snow as "blinding" with the "biting" cold. I hesitate to give it 5 stars only because the phrase "the Great Spirit" is used, insinuating the Sioux believed in one great governing spirit when in fact, many spirits were acknowledged, each playing a role and in conjunction with each other. I did enjoy the universal lessons mentioned in the text, such as the need to recognize the presence of cycles in nature and life and to accept change as a part of life. An excellent book for introducing children to the seasons in general and specifically the Sioux view of the seasons. Also good for introducing the concepts of change and cycles.

I have not read the book yet, butttt! In the synopsis, Crazy Horse is first called a Sioux, true, but he is actually a Lakota. Later he is called a Cheyenne, although the Cheyenne would love to call him one of their own, most novices know he was not.

I'm reading this novel for a history class (interesting side note: the professor is friends with Mr. Johnston) and found the novel amazingly well written. Although I find the over abundance of detail throughout the book somewhat painful, it has overall been an excellent reading experience. I don't know that I would attempt another of his novels just for the fact that the writting is somewhat tendious at times... and challenging to grasp on a whole. The story told however, is something that should be preserved accurately for future generations and Terry does this very well indeed. The scenes during the actual battle are heart wretching... enough to make even the most seasoned person feel the anguish that the indians suffered at the hands of the U.S. Calvary! Historically accurate and well written... but not something you'd want to read just for the "fun" of it... since this is anything except a "fun" topic.

This is a book that unlike most of Terry's books, started a little slow for me with the early encounters between Miles and Sitting Bull including Cedar Creek. I quickly became engrossed in the novel and the pages, as always, fell away in dramatic style until I found myself on the battlefield fleeing with Little Wolf and Dull Knife, or found myself as a soldier confronting a group of hiding Cheyennes firing piont blank. I walked this battlefield with Terry in 1996 and nobody loved their history and the people involved, both Indian and white more than Terry. He felt for the characters on both sides and makes them ever so real to the reader. Do not be fooled by the name, 'historical fiction.' This is history at its best, from the view of the people who lived, fought, and died for it. I think anyone interested should read this book and any other of Terry's books.

The book the Red Cloud is a really good book about the native american period. It talks about the history of one leader, Red Cloud. It talks about his life and his effect on the land and his people. He was a strong and couragous person. He stood up for what he believed in. He was kinda of like the the person in between, that is the person between the government and the tribes. Red Cloud did not favored the separation of people. He believed that we can coexist together. Red Cloud lived a long time for someone back then. This is a good book for educational purposes. It is a great tool for learning about the history of Native Americans. Even though this is an biography, it can still be a great learning experience for all.

Along with Crazy Horse, Red Cloud is probably one of the best known
Native American leaders, at least by name. He is also probably the
most controversial. Some see him as a statesman and visionary
who,aware that war against the whites had become pointless, negotiated
in the best interests of his people. Others see him as self-serving
and vain, using white insistance on negotiating with "one true
chief" as a means to his own ends.

For the most part, Larson
weighs in on the side of statesman, but he doesn't fail to show the
other side too. He points out how Red Cloud would often make a point
of a small issue, that would benefit only him, at the expense of a
larger issue that affected his people. One example he uses is when,
on a trip to Washington in 1870, Red Cloud became sullen and withdrawn
until he was assured that his delegation would be given 17 horses to
for the trip from the train to the reservation. However, he largely
ignored the bigger and more important issue, of mining for gold in the
Black Hills.

Unfortunately, though, on the most controversial
issue, how much Red Cloud had to do with Crazy Horse's death, or at
least plans for his arrest, Larson is disappointingly vague. He does
acknowlege that Red Cloud was probably jealous of the younger leader.
Indeed, in the last chapter he notes that "...his role in this
tragic affair is probably the blackest mark against his name."
(p.302) Unfortunately, though, Larson doesn't cover the incident in
nearly enough detail. He implies that Crazy Horse truly was planning
to go back on the warpath, rather than fight the Nez Perce as
requested by Lieutenant Clark. He also makes no mention of any possible
misinterpretation of Crazy Horse's words by the less than reputable
interpreter Frank Grouard. Larson may have had good reason for
choosing to leave out some of this material. Certainly his list of
sources shows that the book is well-researched. Unfortunately, the
choice by the publisher, not to use footnotes in this particular
series makes it difficult to determine on what Larson bases his
assumptions.

On the whole, though, the book is well written, and
easy to follow. It is especially valuable for information about Red
Cloud's life before and after the Indian Wars, a period that is not
covered much in any history books. I can definitely recommend this as
a good introduction for those not familiar with the period, or for
those who simply want to know more about the role Red Cloud played in
those important times. However, I would follow it with a good
biography of Crazy Horse.

Traditionally, stories of Indian leaders view them as temporarily dangerous nuisances the whites had to deal with during the reasonable and inevitable process of moving the Indians onto reservations. This book is part of a new approach of looking at what an Indian leader tried to achieve for his people and assessing how he went about it and how successful he was in meeting his own goals. There is much detail. Larson has been extremely thorough in his researches, and, though we do not really hear Red Cloud's voice, we respecfully watch him do what he had to do to further his people's best interests. He didn't wear a suit or tie or have an Ivy League degree, but Red Cloud functioned very well indeed in opposing an alien force. Anyone who thinks the earth may one day be invaded from outer space should study Red Cloud. Thank you, Oklahoma University Press.