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.

In his latest book, "Buffalo for the Broken Heart," Dan O'Brien lets the reader accompany him as he switches from raising cattle to raising buffalo. In spite of worrying about how to pay for the stock, getting along with neighbors, the weather and other trials, O'Brien radiates confidence. His descriptions of the buffalo are authentic. I, too, have been captivated by these huge creatures having seen them closeup at the Custer State Park Roundup. O'Brien's prose is a joy to read. And educational too, whether he is describing how he built a fence on his property, survived a severe winter, or provides insight about his Great Plains neighbors and their emotional attachment to land and livestock. A biologist and English teacher, he writes from the heart.

O'Brien writes a well-crafted, non-glamorized story about trying to make a living off the formerly open, now fenced in, South Dakota range. O'Brien's step-by-step resurrection of his 3,000 acre ranch from a money-losing, environmentally unsound cow factory to a range-restoring, natural buffalo breeding, harvesting and meat marketing operation. Interspersed with the buffalo raising saga are wildlife vignettes, descriptions of hunting with falcons, interactions with neighbors and town folks and snatches of the history of O'Brien's ranch from the Sioux through several families of failed farmers/ranchers over the past hundred years.

One unusual aspect for this kind of book, arguably an "environmental" tract, is the description and associated stresses of the business and economic details of making a living in ranching in the 1990s. It's also an encouraging story of how a middle age man, living alone since his wife left and relying on a hired hand, redeems and reinvents his life under extremely difficult circumstances.

Recommended for anyone interested in ecological/sustainable agriculture issues, rural American life, entrepreneurial business tales or midlife turnarounds.

O'Brien's quest for meaning in life, as defined by his relationship with the land and the animals that call it home, continues here. In his previous novel, Equinox, he explored the dichotomy in his life between the pull of the wild, and the demands of a stable relationship that required more than he was able to give. In Buffalo for the Broken Heart, we find him feeling lost and ruddlerless, both in his personal and financial life, as he struggles to get past a failed marriage and looming financial disaster.

As O'Brien gradually comes to the conclusion that buffalo are the logical answer to his dilemma, it becomes clear that they are stand for a balance and wholeness he has been trying to restore to his land and his inner landscape as well. The story, as it unfolds, is full of the personal details of Great Plains life, and the honest self-exploration that make O'Brien's books a pleasure to read. As so often happens, his inner doubts and fears are reflected in the events and lives around him. The weather is unpredictable, farm costs rise, friends go bankrupt, he is beset by worries over the buffalos he has purchased, the list goes on and on until by the end of the novel, O'Brien comes to tenuous terms with his land and his new means of making a living. The buffalo are not the final answer, but it is clear that they have helped him find another piece of the puzzle he is working so hard to solve.

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.

>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.

OK, I admit that I was already a Kathleen Taylor fan. Had I not been, FOREIGN BODY would have made me one.
This is a tour de force for Ms. Taylor. Her descriptive skills are at their best as Tory Bauer, her protagonist, doesn't even go outside her own café in Delphi, South Dakota to get involved with another mess. The question is: Is it a suicide or is it murder? Tory and her best friend wannabe-lover, wealthy-librarian Neil Pascoe, try to sort the pieces of a puzzle involving the local Luthern minister, a visiting teen-age choir, and a local scalawag.
As Ms. Taylor fits the pieces together, she builds her characters so completely that, when one finishes the book, he feels as though he is actually acquainted with the town and it's cleverly drawn citizenry.
The Tory Bauer series was already one of the best in the contemporary mystery genre. FOREIGN BODY only builds Ms. Taylor's reputation as a master storyteller and skilled writer.
When is Kathleen Taylor going to get her much-deserved Edgar Allen Poe Award?

Kathleen Taylor mixes a dry wit and enthusiasm for the potential drama of small-town living in the sixth installment of the Tory Bauer mysteries. There were several typos in the edition I read, but it didn't detract from the joy of reading Taylor's latest. This series has become one of my favorites.

The characters are appealing and have a way of finding their way into and out of jams while simultaneously dishing up a slice of Midwestern living that even the most cynical of city folk will be able to enjoy.

I am hoping that this is the latest of many Tory Bauer mysteries yet to come. She has many more stories to tell.

I HAVE KNOWN KATHLEEN FOR OVER 30 YEARS( WE WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL) AND I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD KNOW AN AUTHOR AS GOOD AS HER. HER BOOKS ARE FUNNY AND KEEP YOU READING UNTIL THE END. A FRIEND FROM SCHOOL MAILED ME THE WHOLE SERIES AND IT TOOK ME 3 DAYS TO FINISH THEM ALL, BUT THE LAST ONE. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT YET. ALL I CAN SAY IS "YOU GO GIRL!!!!" KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!

Good hiking reference if you're new to the BH and hiking in general. I've found the ratings to be more for beginners or folks without a lot of hiking skill (ie. a moderate trail listed as strenuous). Good to get you oriented to the area.

I live in the Black Hills and use this guide extensively. Itis well written and trails are accurately described. If you purchaseone hiking book for SD....make sure it is this one!...

This book was excellent. Written through the eyes of a young girl growing up in Deadwood, it makes you feel as though you are there. I live in Deadwood now and it is interesting to actually see the streets and parts of town that were written about in this book.

Wonderful glimpse into history from a very bright young girl. Names of those long gone are brought back to life in this narrative. Highly recommend!
T. Addison

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!

I'd call the book okay, but not much more. There is basically an interesting story plot, but the characters mostly seem artificial and wooden (couldn't use frozen could I?) If it weren't a local guy, I would have passed on it

McCollum has written a good story that keeps you in suspense until the very end. It's a little far-fetched perhaps, but who would have believed cloning a sheep was possible 20 years ago either. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to combine a little sciene with suspense.

Thomas McCollum's Palmer Lake is a disturbing novel offering a glimpse of where the near future just might lead. A wealthy man commits suicide, and his body is cryogenically preserved - but when some question of whether or not he was murdered arises, advances in cryogenic technology imply that he just might be revived to name his killer! Palmer Lake is truly compelling saga of lies, deceit, money, and power.

Althought the opinions of Custer and life with the calvary are viewed through (very) rosy glasses, Mrs. G.A. Custer is a witty and prolific writer. She also gives little-known insight into everyday happenings in life on the prairie and how women survived the journey. Particularly interesting are the dynamics of relationships between women when living literally in the middle of nowhere, surviving the harshest of climates, with few friends, the same friends, for extended times. Also interesting is the relationship between people of color and the white soldiers. Custer is an enigma, and readers should read this book but also others ("Son of the Morning Star" is the best thus far) to get a glimpse at the man. Libby Custer falls into poetic verse at times, but this can be refreshing - there are not many writings of women in these times available.

This is really a question insteadof a review. I have a copy of Boots and Saddles written by Elizabeth B. Custer. The copyright is 1885, by Harper & Brothers. The first page has a note wrote on it "To my friend Richard Dec 25th 1890 then a signature of the giver M L Malis ? Would you know anything about this particular book?

There are so few well written and personally lived books about the people of the northern great plains, but this is one of them. Mrs. Custer gives intimate details of life in the cavalry and the Dakotas of a time now gone.
She tells of blizzards, heat, insects, dangers and people in a most readable way that draws the reader in. This is a special book that speaks to the plainsman's heart.