Book Description
Crazy Horse was as much feared by tribal foes as he was honored by allies. His war record was unmatched by any of his peers, and his rout of Custer at the Little Bighorn reverberates through history. Yet so much about him is unknown or steeped in legend.
Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life corrects older, idealized accounts--and draws on a greater variety of sources than other recent biographies--to expose the real Crazy Horse: not the brash Sioux warrior we have come to expect but a modest, reflective man whose courage was anchored in Lakota piety. Kingsley M. Bray has plumbed interviews of Crazy Horse's contemporaries and consulted modern Lakotas to fill in vital details of Crazy Horse's inner and public life.
Bray places Crazy Horse within the rich context of the nineteenth-century Lakota world. He reassesses the war chief's achievements in numerous battles and retraces the tragic sequence of misunderstandings, betrayals, and misjudgments that led to his death. Bray also explores the private tragedies that marred Crazy Horse's childhood and the network of relationships that shaped his adult life.
To this day, Crazy Horse remains a compelling symbol of resistance for modern Lakotas. Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life is a singular achievement, scholarly and authoritative, offering a complete portrait of the man and a fuller understanding of his place in American Indian and United States history.
Customer Reviews:
Crazy about the book........2007-02-22
A thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and informative true story.
This book opened my eyes to the life and times of not only the Lakota Indians but to the hardships of the Native Americans in general.
A worthy first book by Kingsley Bray and I patiently wait for his next.
Not what I expected.......2007-01-04
As of this writing I have completed the first four chapters but wanted to put down my initial impressions. Sadly, I am somewhat disappointed. I was expecting the text to contain an analytical study of the life and times of Crazy Horse in which the author presented multiple views and reminiscences relating to Crazy Horse and tried to arrive at a reasonable conclusion. However, what the author has done is present unsubstantiated details as facts in the text and even tries to tell us what Crazy Horse was thinking during certain events. How can he know this? This is really what Mari Sandoz did, but updated with a lot more details added to the story.
Another example is in chapter 4. Bray supplies a quote and declares the speaker to be Man Afraid of His Horse. But in the footnote at the end of the book, he states that the quote came from an unidentified speaker, but in his opinion, it was Man Afraid. My opinion is, he should have written the words "perhaps spoken by Man Afraid of His Horse" in the text of the book. As it is, others will now quote Bray and follow his lead, until the speaker becomes Man Afraid in future books, with the "perhaps" being all but forgotten. Maybe I'm too sensitive to this, but it irks me.
Overall, this book is fun to read, but has not, at this point, met my expectations.
Update--
I have now finished the first 8 chapters.
At the close of chapter 6 Bray makes it clear he is suffering from hero worship when he writes: The career of the Lakota people's greatest warrior had begun.
Perhaps "one of the greatest" would have been more realistic.
On page 77 he states that the Lakota declared "open war" on the Americans [1864]. He goes on to state that it was a "major offensive." Further down the page we find that this "open war" and "major offensive" never amounted too much more than stealing stock and killing an occasional straggler. He should have put this entire episode into better perspective and pointed out that despite the big talk, their initiative was rather lacking and uncoordinated.
On p. 78 he states that the emigrants and militia were "trigger-happy." Well, after reading the preceding pages and understanding the danger then existing, this "negative" [as the author presents it] comes across as perfectly understandable. You'd have been "trigger-happy" too, under the same conditions, not knowing who was friend and who was foe.
Based on the above examples, Mr. Bray appears to be losing all objectivity. And considering the amount of work that he put into this book it is really too bad. I don't mean to sound too harsh. But this manuscript could have used some more editing and critiquing.
01-16-07
I have now finished the first 10 chapters. Bray likes to write things like "Crazy Horse's warriors," without explaining how he knows this. On pp. 113-114 he provides a quote by Louis Simonin (The Rocky Mountain West in 1867) and CREATES a scenario that involves Crazy Horse and Man Afraid of His Horse. He is certainly reading into it, as the original mentions neither man. This is called creative writing and there is LOTS OF IT in this book.
Another MAJOR complaint about this book is the author's failure to provide a chart to help the reader keep track of all the bands, leaders, and their relation to one another. It is almost impossible to follow unless you start writing it down yourself at the beginning. This is a major distraction. He just keeps throwing names (both bands and people) at the reader like it was nothing.
This book could have been a masterpiece and the last word on Crazy Horse. I think Bray should go back and rework the book.
A more appropriate title for this book is "Speculations on the Life of Crazy Horse."
2-1-07
I am not commenting on every detail of this book. But I frequently spot-check footnotes for accuracy. This exmaple is typical of this book and why this book crosses the line of history and novel (which is not how it is marketed): On p. 220 Bray quotes John G. Bourke (author of On the Border with Crook). Bourke, p. 415 (Bison Book edition), relates a very brief story about Crazy Horse and his participation in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Bray takes this story and places it at a precise point in the battle and even supplies the scenario in which it occurred. None of this is alluded to in Bourke's account. Bray takes constant liberties with his source material. Creative, sure...but is it history or one man's imagination? This is very dangerous from an historical perspective. If this book was presented as a novel, it would be a great one and get 5 stars. But as it is, I can only give it 2.5 to 3. And the book is not user friendly. I don't like having to keep flipping to the back to read the footnotes. And I find all the Lakota political goings on quite impossible to follow. It actually comes off as rather snobbish.
3-1-07
It took a long time, but I finally finished this book. Bray is consistently overly wordy and this book could have been 100 pages shorter. Many of his paragraphs could have been condensed. Overall, it was a lousy editing job, assuming the book was read/edited at all.
Also, for some reason Bray fails to speak about why Crazy Horse was so obessesed with going on a buffalo hunt once on the reservation, as if this would set everything right in his life. It wasn't so important for the other leaders and headmen, but for Crazy Horse this was of MAJOR importance. Everything was riding on it. Bray fails to attempt to analyze this very obvious topic. Also, towards the end of the book there is a footnote where he says to see an old Chicago newspaper account for alternative details to Crazy Horse's death, as if this is such a simple thing to do. In a book that is already too long with repetitive sentence structure that only serves to bog down the reader, would it have mattered to include this bit of useful information?
Having said all that, this is the best book currently available on Crazy Horse, it's just not the best book that could have been written. Unfortunately, it will probably be a long time, if ever, that someone attempts to do this again.
Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life (Civilization of the American Indian).......2007-01-04
Worth the read for those who want depth on this subject. I would term it more a political history of the Great Sioux Nation than a biography of Crazy Horse although he is the central figure. Mr. Bray's research deserves great respect and reflects years of work. But the conclusions he reached from that research should be regarded as one perspective, and not the final word on the subject. There are some great differences of opinion in Indian Country on the genealogy presented here. Having said that, in terms of grasping an understanding of the subject matter I highly recommend it.
Satisfying insights not to be found elsewhere........2006-12-12
CRAZY HORSE: A LAKOTA LIFE provides a fine survey of the famous leader who has become an icon of Native resistance. What is less known is that he was feared by tribal foes as he was honored by his friends: this survey corrects idealizations of his nature and life and uses a rang of sources outside of the usual biographical world to reveal his personality. These other sources were interviews of his contemporaries and modern Lakotans alike, and provide satisfying insights not to be found elsewhere.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Description
"A deeply moving and very disturbing story of a gross miscarriage of justice and an eloquent cri de coeur of Native Americans for redress, and to be regarded as human beings with inalienable rights guaranteed under the United States Constitution, like any other citizens.We pray it does not fall on deaf ears.America owes it to herself." (Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate)"For too long, both Leonard's supporters and detractors have seen him as a metaphor, as a public figure worthy of political rallies and bumper stickers, but very rarely as a private man who only wants to go home.I pray this book will bring Leonard home." (Sherman Alexie, author of Indian Killer)"It would be inadequate to describe Leonard Peltier's Prison Writings as a classic of prison literature, although it is that.It is also a cry for help, an accusation against monstrous injustice, a beautiful expression of a man's soul, demanding release." (Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States)"Listen to this fresh, brave voice, then inform yourself about the shameful case of Leonard Peltier." (Peter Matthiessen, author of In the Spirit of Crazy Horse)"This book takes the reader on an emotional and spiritual journey as Leonard Peltier's surprisingly hopeful reflections make the terrible injustice of his imprisonment for 24 years even more difficult to accept.Peltier's important journal details his trial and conviction which was based in part on admittedly false testimony and evidence so inconclusive that reasonable people everywhere have concluded that he should be granted clemency." (Wilma Mankiller, former chief of the Cherokee Nation, and author of Mankiller)"Leonard Peltier's words reveal a wise man who has become freer than his captors, despite his false imprisonment for a crime he did not commit.His thoughts here remind us of our true mission as Indian people, as human beings here on this humble, beautiful planet.These thoughts cannot be captured or locked behind bars, or destroyed by gunfire.They fly free." (Joy Harjo, Muskoke poet and musician, author of The Woman Who Fell From the Sky)"If you care about justice, read this brave book.If you care about the perpetuation of the white man's justice against the Native American, you must know the Leonard Peltier story." (Gerry Spence, author of Give Me Liberty!)AUTHORBIO: Leonard Peltier, who emerged as a Native American leader in the 1960s, was arrested in 1976in Canada and extradited.He has been in prison ever since, and is now confined at Leavenworth.This is his first book. Harvey Arden is the author and co-author of several books, including Wisdomkeepers and Travels in a Stone Canoe (both with Steve Wall) and Noble Red Man.He lives in Washington, DC.
Customer Reviews:
A work of fiction........2007-09-25
The rhetoric of the other reviews aside, Prison Writings would make for a compelling story had Peltier included some truth to support his allegations surrounding the events of June 26, 1975 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota.
By way of a brief background, Peltier was represented by capable and experienced counsel and during his trial the jury heard that FBI agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams were following who they thought was another wanted person. They actually followed Peltier and two teenagers who began shooting at the agents who were then trapped and exposed in an open area. Peltier was joined by several others, including Dino Butler and Robert Robideau who also fired on the agents from another direction. Both Coler and Williams were severely wounded and unable to defend themselves. Peltier's jury heard that Peltier, Robideau and Butler went down to the wounded agents and shot them both in the face at point-blank range with a high powered rife. The jury believed the testimony they heard and Peltier was convicted for, among other things, aiding and abetting and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. He later received an additional seven year consecutive sentence for an armed escape from Lompoc federal penitentiary. (In a separate and earlier trial, Dino Butler and Robert Robideau were acquitted of the murders. However, this review relates specifically to how Peltier portrays the facts surrounding these events in Prison Writings. There is much more to the entire saga.)
It's important to place Prison Writings in its proper chronological context. Prison Writings was published in 1999. An important related book touted by Peltier and the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) that "immortalizes Leonard Peltier," In The Spirit of Crazy Horse (ITSOCH) by Peter Matthiessen was first published in 1983 and in 1992. A film, Incident at Oglala (Incident), narrated by Robert Redford was released in 1992. Collectively, these sources, in addition to the many public statements made by Peltier, Butler and Robideau, demonstrate that Peltier is not only fabricating the history of his own case but knowingly lies about certain events.
There are many more, but for example:
The scene:
Peltier initially claimed he was in the AIM camp to the south of the Jumping Bull property, heard shots, responded and "I fired off a few shots above their heads, trying not to hit anything (p.125)." And also "I didn't see their agents die, had no hand in it..." (p.127). Yet in a CNN interview in October, 1999 Peltier admitted being there and told interviewer Mark Potter "I don't know, just two people laying there. I mean, the car door--the car door open and stuff."
The alibi:
For the better part of nearly two decades Peltier had offered only one alibi about who was responsible for the final killing shots to the agents' faces. He claimed that someone they all knew but would not identify (Mr. X), had driven to the reservation that day in a red pickup truck to deliver dynamite and that it was Mr. X who engaged the agents initially and then, once wounded and unable to defend themselves, killed the agents and drove off. In Incident Robideau is filmed pointing to the area where Mr. X murdered the agents and drove off in the red pickup truck. This claim was so far-fetched that not even Peltier's trial lawyers wanted to go near it, but they did their best to create confusion with the jury over the alleged red pickup truck. Matthiessen, although skeptical himself, spent a great deal of time on Mr. X in ITSOCH. However, in a 1995 interview with News from Indian Country, one of the three participants, Dino Butler, publicly said that the Mr. X story was a lie; "Well, there is no Mr. X. There was no man coming to our camp that day bringing dynamite." "To create this lie to show that someone else pulled the trigger." " That is totally false. Totally untrue. That never happened."
It should come as no surprise that Mr. X. and the red pickup are never mentioned in Prison Writings.
Aiding and abetting:
Peltier tries to convince the reader that the "vague crime of aiding and abetting" (p162) was somehow later added to the charge of murdering the agents. Yet, during one of the many appeals (one dealing with this specific issue in 1993), the appeals court stated that "Peltier's arguments fail because their underlying premises are fatally flawed. (A) the government tried the case on the alternative theories; it asserted that Peltier personally killed the agents at point blank range, but that if he had not done so, then he was equally guilty of the murder as an aider and abettor."
Preplanned assault:
Peltier lays the groundwork for claiming that according to a document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the government "...had been gathering in the area for a preplanned paramilitary assault on the Pine Ridge reservation," (p.129) comprised of "...dozens, maybe hundreds..." (p.127) of law-enforcement personnel. The document (dated April 24, 1975) he refers to (the noted "sanctioned memo") says nothing of the kind and related to the 1973 takeover by AIM of Wounded Knee. Ironically this memo was still being circulated around FBI headquarters in Washington D.C. even after the murders of agents Coler and Williams with a date at the bottom of the memo of August 11, 1975. This memo is not even in the same universe as Peltier claims. This assertion was so outrageous even Matthiessen shied away from it by claiming after all his research that the initial shooting at the agents was spontaneous, neither a pre-planned government event nor premeditated ambush of the two agents. "...if there is another persuasive explanation of the location and position of their cars, I cannot find it." (ITSOCH p.544).
Further, it was well documented that when the agents were first pinned down in the open field, Agent Williams made desperate calls for help and assistance over his FBI radio. These transmissions were overheard by a number of individuals who all confirmed how quickly the shooting started, and ended, and that the nearest agent was about twelve miles away. That FBI agent, Gary Adams, responded with a BIA officer, the first two to even reach close to the scene. They were also shot at and had to back away to Highway 18 and await more assistance. In the meantime, Coler and Williams were murdered and Peltier and the others escaped.
Robideau:
Robert Robideau who has been assimilated and rejected by the Peltier organization several times over the years has made damning admissions. Robideau stated publicly on numerous occasions, and in emails to this reviewer, that he's the one who actually killed the agents:
"As far as I have ever been concerned the killing of the agents was justified..." "They were shot in the head at close range..." "I have no remorse..." "I am "Mr X" (which is no lie) and I did kill them with honor befitting a warrior, but they died like worms." "I thought I already told you that I killed the agents."
Of course Robideau has the constitutional protection against double-jeopardy, but this reviewer believes he is even too much of a coward to shoot two severely wounded and incapacitated human beings. But whether he killed the agents himself is immaterial; the Peltier jury heard and accepted the testimony that the three older Indians, Robideau, Butler and Peltier went down to the wounded agents and murdered them by shooting them both in the face.
Of course, Prison Writings suggests none of this but hides behind fabrications and outright lies to further the folklore surrounding Peltier and perpetuating The Myth.
What it does do however is firmly establish that Peltier did not remove himself from the scene of the crime.
Prison Writings is self-serving drivel and should not be used to document in any fashion what happened that June day at Pine Ridge. Anyone interested in going beyond The Myth should spend some time reviewing the very detailed appeals that cover every aspect of this case.
[...]
Read the Government documents!.......2007-09-14
After all is said and done, just read the thousands of pages that the U.S. government, through the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's office and court records, was forced to release about this case. It is their own words about their own deliberate withholding of evidence, fabrication of evidence, deliberate perjured testimony and numerous other violations of U.S. law, rules of evidence, and other assorted felonies.
Manifesto, Memoir, History, and the Fate of Mankind.......2007-08-09
Leonard Peltier, United States Prisoner 89637-132, has been imprisoned since 1977 for the deaths of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation of the Lakota Indians during the 1973 siege at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Most likely the scapegoat for the deaths during a blundered surveillance attempt, Peltier has been a cause celeb during the final throws of every president since Jimmy Carter as many supporters - including the U.S. Prosecutor that put him in jail in the first place - come together to call for his parden.
There are other sources for an in-depth understanding of the events that led to his imprisonment such as Peter Mathiesson's *In the Spirit of Crazy Horse* and the Robert Redford film *Incident at Oglala*. But Prison Writings is a must read in any study of not only the Wounded Knee incident, but the American Indian Movement as a whole and native issues throughout the country.
This book weaves Peltier's life as a prisoner in the U.S. prison system with his account of the events of 1973 and his views on the state of affairs for Native Americans as a whole. Peltier's life evolved from an aimless youth on the reservation to a political activist, and at times it seems that his life sentence is a natural extension of this progression - as if his destiny was to suffer for the cause.
When you look at the evidence of all that transpired at Wounded Knee in 1973 and the years that followed, including what happened to other activists such as Annie Mae Aquash, and the now revealed manipulation of evidence by the FBI and the all-out war against Native American activism in the 1970s, Leonard Peltier's *Prison Writings* become somewhat of a manifesto and call for a better future.
Innocent yet in prison.......2007-06-08
This is a true story of an Indian who is in prison
just because he's an Indian. I real eye opener and
interesting facts about the Indians here today.
A must-read!!.......2007-05-17
Words fail me when I try to describe this book, just as words fail me when I try to describe my feelings about this man, Leonard Peltier.
This is a moving, touching, powerful book that will evoke emotion in the coldest of hearts. I still wonder why it took me so long to finally read it. I'm so glad I did.
Suzanne Whitaker
Book Description
In this follow-up to his first book, "Considering the Horse," Mark Rashid continues to share his gift for using communication, not force, in working with horses. Rashid uses heart-warming and humorous stories to share his techniques of teaching horses by understanding their view of the world. These tales deal with many facets of buying, owning, and training horses. Stories of Arabs, appaloosas, and paints—mistrusted and mistreated because of their breed—will give you a new perspective on these breeds and others. Rashid's accounts of horses bound for slaughter because they couldn't be trained will inspire you to give your own problem horse another look. And when Wil, the ugliest horse you can imagine, turns out to be the best on the ranch, you'll understand why a good horse is never a bad color.
Customer Reviews:
Horse Salvation.......2007-09-04
It is hard to find people in my local horse world who don't believe that a firm hand (or boot) is the way to train horses. It was very refreshing to read about Rashid's successful training without physical abuse. I've been using many of his ideas to work with my donkey and have been so proud of the results. Thank you Mark Rashid!
I've bought this book three times!.......2007-08-28
Mark Rashid is amazing. Can't say enough about his books, ideas and training methods. I've been a horse owner for over 25 years, yet Mark has a way of teaching that still leaves me saying "ahh-HA! I never thought about that!!!". Mark's inspiring books have kept me trying with a Mustang I purchased that everyone else gave up on. If it weren't for Mark, I don't know where my horse would be today. I've purchased this book three times and given away two copies to friends that are also horse owners. Read Mark's books - get inspired - get enthused - and build a better relationship with your horse through understanding the "try". Thanks Mark, for putting things in perspective.
A Life Lesson In This Book.......2007-04-07
You know how Dr. Phil is always teaching his life lessons? This book does the same, but in a different sense. I have always wondered why certain people and animals were brought into my life. This book gave me an answer to that question. I have never had a person readily available to teach me anything about horses, what I have learned has been self taught. Simply from observing and from trial and error. Mark Rashid, shares wisdom from those who have taught him and the way that he gets this across is extraordinary! If you are looking for step by step instruction, this most likely won't fit the bill. However, this book is a learning experience that is interesting to read for once! I can't see how someone could be disappointed. In addition, this book is suitable for anyone, no matter their age. Read it to your kids! They will love it too!
Great Book.......2006-11-09
This bbook is a lot of fun to read. It really gives you some good insights into handling horses and what a good trainer does. If you have horses, want horses or just ike horses then I recommend this book.
Hokey stories starring an unbecomingly self-satisfied author.......2006-06-15
There are two things that make this book a surprising disappointment. One may not be a problem for everyone, though I find it annoying and unattractive, ie, the repetitive and slightly self-important harping on 'giving a breed a chance' and 'being gentle.' For some, that makes it a crossover, feel-good book with links to human relationships. For me, PW got it right with this line: "reiterates these two themes ad nauseam, illustrating them in long-winded and meandering anecdotes."
But the other problem is that it's very poorly written. Rashid, who probably has a thousand great stories, needed a good editor who could have cleaned up and sharpened his material.
Book Description
As the peerless warrior who brought the U.S. Army to its knees at the Battle of Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse remains one of the most perennially fascinating figures of the American West. Now Joseph Marshall—a masterful storyteller, historian, and descendant of the same Lakota community that raised Crazy Horse—goes beyond that image in this one-of-a-kind portrait of the legendary leader. Drawing on extensive research and a rich oral tradition that is rarely shared outside the Native American community, Marshall gives us a uniquely complete portrait of Crazy Horse, from the powerful vision that spurred him into battle to the woman he loved but lost to circumstance. The Journey of Crazy Horse celebrates a long-standing community's enduring culture and gives vibrant life to its most trusted and revered hero.
Customer Reviews:
Crazy Horse comes to life!.......2007-10-08
As a history instructor at a junior college, I highly commend Mr. Marshall for his first class work on the esteemed Crazy Horse. Based on the centuries-old tradition of oral history that is passed down from one generation to the next, Marshall relies on the many traditions of his youth and adulthood.
He has created a work that goes far beyond the idolization of heroes of the past. He presents Crazy Horse as the magnificent leader of his day but the author also tells of a mortal human being with strengths and weaknesses, as all leaders have been throughout history.
Marshall takes us to a time and place in our minds that is both vivid and revealing. The author has written a masterpiece, providing maps and an index explaining the various names given by the Lakota of the months and how they coincide with the Eurocentric definition of the calendar year. This was most helpful.
Marshall closes his book with a very moving story that I hope is not lost on American Indian readers of his book. The insights of his last chapter are so needed today.
"The Journey of Crazy Horse is the fourth book by Marshall that I have read and his works are gems. I highly recommend any and all of Marshall's books and I plan to continue reading his entire collection of works. He is a superb writer and captures the reader. He was also featured in the film productions "How the West was Lost" and the PBS special "The Native Americans."
Mr. Marshall, never put that pen down!
Too lacking in analysis and references .......2007-09-03
This book is too lacking in the analysis of Crazy Horse's political and military strategy, it lacks references (its prime source is Indian word-of-mouth) and it is too much an hagiography. Nevertheless a decent introduction to the man and, much more importantly, his predicament.
THE JOURNEY OF A GREAT MAN ! (the life, loves, and battles of Crazy Horse).......2007-08-27
The Journey Of Crazy Horse (2005) is a biography/history of the Lakota Sioux legend, from the perspective of a Lakota Sioux historian and storyteller. Joseph M. Marshall III was raised on a Sioux Indian reservation and Lakota is his first language. He has collected an oral history passed from Lakota generation to Lakota generation, and combined that history with his own research on this fascinating, but reticent warrior, to give us a personal look at a man who has been a symbol of pride and excellance for generations of Native Americans. It's all here, from his lively and free boyhood days in the North American plains to the Battle Of The Little Big Horn and his eventual capture and death at the end of a soldier's bayonet. Light Hair, as he was originally known (he later took the name Crazy Horse, also his father's name) was a man who lived with a wounded heart. He had lost his birth mother as a young child, and the love of his life, Black Buffalo Woman, was politically influenced into marrying another, who she eventually left for Crazy Horse, but returned to the marriage when violence erupted over the matter. As the white man advanced from the east, and made his way into Sioux territory, some of the Indians exchanged their way of life for "land", cattle, and other goods that were offered to them. Crazy Horse would have nothing to do with it, and resisted that comprimise right up to the very end of his life. Revered by his own people and the whites as a great and courageous warrior, his humility and compassion were also legendary. With colorful images and authentic emotional narrative, The Journey Of Crazy Horse reads like a historical novel, but also provides an education in the the life of this remarkable 19th century Lakota Sioux warrior and his people, as they bravely fought to maintain their way of life. A book everyone should read.
A great biography.......2007-05-15
Mr. Marshall's history of Crazy Horse and the upheavals in the Lakota culture make for a spell-binding book. It is very interesting to view history from a Lakota perspective, as opposed to the white-written history books many of us were force-fed in school. The people who lived on the plains in the 1800's were not the "savage and untamed" monsters depicted in many history books, just as the white forefathers (Washington, Jefferson, etc.) were not the "holy saints" they were portrayed as being. Mr. Marshall shows how words can be twisted to suit an agenda; Indians killing white soldiers in battle was called a "massacre," while white soldiers killing women and children in cold blood was called a "great victory." Indians defending their land and way of life were said to be "uprising," while whites invading the Indian lands were said to be "taming the wilderness." Be prepared to have your eyes opened as you read this well-written and fascinating book!
WORDS CANNOT TELL HOW GOOD THIS IS.......2007-04-23
I don't listen to books on CDs preferring to read the book; but in this case my local library had only the CDs. Not only am I enjoying this book via CDs but I've ordered the hardcover copy for my home library.
To listen to this author read his own work is almost a magnetic experience: one is just drawn to what he has to say and the manner with which he says it.
I've read on the 'west' for years and have always wanted to hear the Indian viewpoint of many matters and can now do that. My major in college was anthropology and I have always felt the oral traditions from the plain's people offer a much closer truth than many of our own historians have either sought or achieved.
This is an excellant example of not only the truth of Crazy Horse but a collective insight into the Lakota people themselves. Just an excellent work deserving of all awards it may garner.
Semper Fi.
Book Description
The contemporary go-to veterinary reference for horse owners, ensuring today's horse can perform to the best of his ability, whatever his task may be.
Customer Reviews:
A quick and easy for horse owners to gain immediate access and insights.......2006-05-26
If only one comprehensive horse care 'bible' were to be chosen for a library, it should be the extensive and well-illustrated reference ALL HORSE SYSTEMS GO: THE HORSE OWNER'S FULL-COLOR VETERINARY CARE AND CONDITIONING RESOURCE FOR MODERN PERFORMANCE, SPORT AND PLEASURE HORSES. Written by a horse vet specialist, it packs in not only the anticipated horse care and health solutions chapters, but includes tips on fitness, conditioning, and much more. Small color photos throughout add interest but the meat is in the chapters of medical insights backed by a practicing vet's long-time experience: chapters which can save a horse's life whether consulted quickly in an emergency or used as preventative points. Over 600 pages of facts and a clear organizational structure makes it quick and easy for horse owners to gain immediate access and insights - or for library patrons to use it as an instant reference.
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
This should be THE veterinary manual for horse owners........2006-03-15
How could it be this comprehensive? How can it be this beautiful?
This book should become a milestone in the equine veterinary literature for the horse owner. It is visually gorgeous. The photographs clearly depict the subject matter, and the detail of discussion is stunning. Dr. Loving manages that rare art of describing highly technical subjects in an understandable way. Yet, she also seems to address the horse owner as a colleague, capable of understanding and impacting his or her horses' well-being. So often, when I have read these sorts of books, they either stop short of telling me the details that really interest me, or they tell everything, but in Latin.
I have never seen laminitis illustrated and explained so clearly as it is in this book. Dr. Loving addresses its varied causes, as well as prevention, therapy and how to recognize it. She shows photographs of laminitic hooves, horses rocked back off their forelegs, detailed diagrams and x-rays of coffin bone rotation.
Every section I have read in this book shows the same level of clarity, detail and respect for the reader that is found in the section on laminitis. At every step, Dr. Loving shows us photos of horses, diagrams, X-rays and ultrasound images to reinforce and illustrate the written discussion.
I have ridden, cared for and lived with horses at home for nearly fifty years. I rode dressage and evented when I was younger, happily relax and ride trails now. No matter your level of equine insanity, this wonderful book will support and guide you well. In my view, it is an absolutely indespensible addition to every horse owner's library. I bought one for myself, and now I am going to buy one for each of my two sisters.
Customer Reviews:
Very pleased.......2006-07-05
I was very pleased w/ the detailed and informative content of this book. Nice reference source for the novice to more experienced miniature horse owner. This book makes a nice addition to any personal equine library.
miniature horses.their care breedingand coat colours.......2006-02-25
I have found so far that this book is very interesting and feel it a must for any miniature horse owner /breeder, the information given is very helpful,and I would highly reccomend any friend of mine to buy a copy so much information from people that have studied the covering items!!!!
Best Mini Horse book I've found!.......2005-09-26
This is the best book I've found pertaining to Miniature horses. It's well written and has lots of good advice. The second half has a lot of info on the genetics of color. While I thought I wouldn't find this very interesting, it's turned out that I spend lots of time reading this section and looking at the facinating pictures. I highly recommend this book for anyone seriously interested in minis.
the definitive book on minis.......2003-10-25
This is THE book on miniature horses. My library would not be complete without it. If you can buy only one book, get this one. I've just acquired 2 minis and one more is on the way as soon as he is weaned. I've had full sized horses before, but this breed is somewhat different, with unique problems and advantages. Ms. Naviaux covers every related subject very well. History of the breed, coat colors, dwarfism, correct physical characteristics, miniature horse association registration, veterinary concerns, showing, etc. I've since bought additional books specific to coat color and veterinary care but I didn't really need them. I am thrilled to have found this book and it is a treasure.
Wonderful Book!.......2003-02-08
This is the best book about miniature horses I have read to date. She goes in depth on several important things, two of which are color and breeding. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of buying one. Or if you already have miniatures and you're looking for a really good book on the breed look no more! This one's it!
Book Description
A simple yet thorough guide to horse color and equine color inheritance, featuring 185 color photos.
Customer Reviews:
Horse colors explained.......2007-09-24
Excellent book with great photos and genetics easily explained. Wish I had it when I was breeding a lot of horses. Using it just for info now but recommending it to a lot of people.
Good for beginners.......2007-09-23
This is a good beginner guide to equine color genetics. If you do not have any background in color breeding, this is an excellent place to start. I do think that they leave out some technical information that is very relevant and important for in-depth study, but if you are a recreational horse owner interested in experimenting with color breeding, you will find everything you need in this book. On the other hand, if you are a geneticist, research scientist, horse breeder, or have extensive knowledge about genetics and breeding, this book is a bit too basic for your needs. A fun, informative, and casual read for recreational horse owners/breeders; not recommended for scientists or professional breeders.
This book covers more than an equine genetics class!.......2007-03-08
I have studied Equine Genetics and done some research in the field, this book is my "pocket reference", it really lays out genetics in simple terms without taking away the important facts. I really have learned more about genetics of coat color than I did in my college class so that's got to be saying something. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know anything about horse coat color. It gives you a bunch of helpful facts.
An Interesting Book.......2007-01-10
I have enjoyed this book. It was just what I was looking for as I began researching paint and appaloosa horses
Excellent Reference Book.......2006-12-18
Well worth-while purchasing - very informative and valuable reference tool with great colour photos. Highly recommend.
Average customer rating:
|
The Western Buckle: History, Art, Culture, Function (Cowboy Gear Series)
David R. Stoecklein
Manufacturer: Stoecklein Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Color
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photographers, A-Z
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Subjects
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Riding
| Horses
| Animal Care & Pets
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Art Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Home & Garden Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Spur: History, Art, Culture, Function (Cowboy Gear Series)
-
The Cowboy Boot: History, Art, Culture, Function (Cowboy Gear Series)
-
Saddles of the West (Cowboy Gear Series)
-
The Art of the Western Saddle: A Celebration of Style and Embellishment
-
Cowboy Boots
ASIN: 1931153256 |
Book Description
This series of books by photographer David R. Stoecklein brings into focus a few of the most important elements of cowboy gear-boots, spurs, and buckles. The quality and superb craftsmanship of some of these exquisite pieces shine through in these images. In these pages you will find spurs from all across the West, handcrafted belt buckles, and weathered cowboy boots. There is a story behind each one that speaks of the tradition and rich heritage of cowboy life.
Learn about the different styles and varieties of Western gear that have emerged throughout the decades in different regions of the country. The set of three books is the perfect gift for a collector or Western enthusiast.
Amazon.com
In writing his superb life of Crazy Horse, Larry McMurtry faced the same obstacle as every previous biographer of the Oglala Sioux icon: a notable paucity of facts. This didn't inhibit such chroniclers as Mari Sandoz or Stephen Ambrose (whose dual portrait of Crazy Horse and George Custer featured a certain amount of authorial ventriloquism). In this case, however, the shortage of documentation actually works to the reader's advantage. Unencumbered by reams of scholarly detail, McMurtry's book has the shapeliness and inevitability of a fine novella. The author may describe it as an "exercise in assumption, conjecture, and surmise"--but his phrase does scant justice to this elegant, admirably scrupulous portrait.
As McMurtry recounts, Crazy Horse was born around 1840 in what is now South Dakota. Already the arrival of white settlers--who brought with them such mixed blessings as metal tools, firearms, and smallpox--had begun to transform the culture of the Plains Indians. But soon a more ominous note crept into the relationship: "The Plains Indians were beginning to be seen as mobile impediments; what they stood in the way of was progress, a concept dear to the American politician." As whites sought to remove these impediments with increasing brutality, Crazy Horse led his people in a sporadic and ultimately doomed resistance, which peaked at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. Within a year the young warrior (and occasional visionary) had surrendered to the United States Army. Four months later he was dead, stabbed in a highly suspicious scuffle with white and Indian policemen, and the Sioux resistance died with its legendary leader.
McMurtry's powers of compression are formidable. In no more than a few rapid paragraphs, he gives a sense of how this "prairie Platonist" divided the world into transient things and eternal, invisible spirits. He also conveys his opinion of Caucasian double-dealing with fine, acerbic efficiency: "In August, Custer emerged and described the beauties of the Black Hills in mouthwatering terms. In another life he would have made a wonderful real-estate developer. In this case he sold one of the most beautiful pieces of real estate in the West to a broke, depressed public who couldn't wait to get into those hills and start scratching up gold." McMurtry's Crazy Horse is the leanest and least rhetorical version yet of this American tragedy--which makes it, oddly enough, among the most moving. --James Marcus
Book Description
Legends cloud the life of Crazy Horse, a seminal figure in American history but an enigma even to his own people in his own day. This superb biography looks back across more than 120 years at the life and death of this great Sioux warrior who became a reluctant leader at the Battle of Little Bighorn. With his uncanny gift for understanding the human psyche, Larry McMurtry animates the character of this remarkable figure, whose betrayal by white representatives of the U.S. government was a tragic turning point in the history of the West. A mythic figure puzzled over by generations of historians, Crazy Horse emerges from McMurtry's sensitive portrait as the poignant hero of a long-since-vanished epoch.
Download Description
"Legends cloud the life of Crazy Horse, a seminal figure of American history but an enigma even to his own people in his own day. Yet his story remains an encapsulation of the Native American tragedy and the death of the untamed West. Crazy Horse strips away the tall tales to reveal the essence of this brilliant, ascetic warrior-hero. Larry McMurtry's vivid, carefully considered, succinct biography will lure not only his own fans but history buffs, Western enthusiasts, students of all things Native American, and anyone concerned with the white man's atonement and restitution to native peoples. In a portrait that only he could render, Larry McMurtry captures the poignant passing of a time and offers a vibrant new understanding of the mythic Crazy Horse and what he stood for.
Customer Reviews:
A Man, A Martyr, A Messiah.......2007-04-09
As he states in this volume, it's less a biography than a testament to the impact Crazy Horse had on his own people during and after his life and what he means to Americans today. Illusive yes, but Crazy Horse is a symbol of all that could've been for natives of the plains. He was an Indian who never capitulated, who never gave up on his way of life or on his dreams and those dreams, both figurative and actual, guided him through life and into the walk with the spirits. What does this man mean to us all? He's more than a simple representation. He's an embodiment to self-determination. He's an example of charity and caring of a leader who placed his own people ahead of all else.
Unlike Geronimo, who spent time in prison and then ended up selling autographed photos of himself for a dollar apiece to the very white people he'd sworn to kill, Crazy Horse avoided contact with Whites until his last days and never accepted their systems or their ideas of justice. He only came to the reservation because his people were starving. He only talked to the Fort's doctor because his wife had tuberculosis. He never allowed his photograph to be taken and wasn't known for talking much.
He took his responsibilities very seriously as a shirt wearer and did everything he could to provide for the poor of his tribe despite preferring to be alone and preferring the open prairie to population centers.
I can't help but draw parallels between another mythical figure after reading this tightly told tale. Jesus was said to express great concern for the poor and Crazy Horse was told in a vision that this was his mission in life. Jesus was a symbol for his people of a spiritual life outside the realm of Rome. Crazy Horse was a symbol of a way of life on the plains, free to pursue the Sioux ceremonies and religious observation. Jesus was killed through the betrayal of a friend and stabbed in the side by a Roman spear while hanging from a cross. Crazy Horse was restrained by his friend, the tribal policeman Little Big Man, when he was bayoneted by a soldier. In death, both Christ and Crazy Horse are rallying points for more than just their own people, but for people everywhere.
CV Rick
Crazy Horse - The Symbol of Sioux Freedom, Courage, and Dignity .......2006-08-22
Larry McMurtry (Telegraph Days, Lonesome Dove) brings his clean and concise writing style to this brief but illuminating life of Crazy Horse.
This compact little biography is one of the Penguin Lives series that features what Penguin Books web site describes as an "innovative series of biographies pairing celebrated writers with famous individuals who have shaped our thinking." The series is worth looking into for its other biographies of Churchill by John Keegan, Buddha by Karen Armstrong, and Saint Augustine by Garry Wills among others.
In the case of Crazy Horse not a heck of lot is really known about the man. As McMurtry points out, most of what we know about Crazy Horse and most Indians derives from their contact with whites and Crazy Horse generally avoided whites to the fullest extent possible. He was a brave warrior, a leader of his people at times, but not truly a chief, a loner, an iconoclast within a tribe of iconoclasts.
Crazy Horse is an iconic figure who captures the imagination. His life of some 35 or so years spanned the rapid transformation of the West from the free days of the nomadic Plains tribes and limitless buffalo herds to the confinement of those peoples on poor reservations and the destruction of the herds. Crazy Horse never really yielded to the whites unlike nearly all other Indian leaders, not that it mattered much in the grand scheme of things because no strategy was going to change the ultimate outcome. Crazy Horse declined to go to Washington, resisted any restraints, refused to attend the parleys with the whites.
He did ultimately sacrifice his own freedom when he brought his 900 or so followers after the brutal winter of 1876-1877 - just months after the twin victories over Crook at Rosebud and Custer at Little Bighorn. Crazy Horse was killed, probably by the bayonet of a white soldier as he resisted his final arrest. His death was a blessing as the whites planned to ship him to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, a tiny prison atoll in Florida.
Unlike other popular authors, notably Stephen Ambrose, McMurtry resists the temptation to let his imagination roam too freely and sticks mostly to the known facts and reasonable deductions to be drawn from them. Those facts however immutably established Crazy Horse as perhaps the single most romantic and heroic figure of the great American Western epic. He lived free, defeated Custer, the great white romantic figure, and then died young "in the last moments when the Sioux could think of themselves as free. By an accident of fate, the man and the way of life died together...he came to be the symbol of Sioux freedom, Sioux courage, and Sioux dignity." (Page 17, hardcover edition)
Highly recommended for any reader with an interest in the American West.
"A mythic figure puzzled over by generations of historians.".......2006-08-07
I don't generally go for books on tape,but decided to give this a try. I was exceptionally pleased with it. I guess just about anyone who has read anything of the West covering the period from the 1830's to the end of the century;knows something about Crazy Horse. There are so many references and they vary so much,one has difficulty in trying to separate fact from legend.
Mc Murtry puts on his historian hat for this one and tries ,and I might add very suscessfully,to sort it all out. To attempt such a thing,could result in a very long book with reams of details and references;but McMurtry has managed to avoid that;and comes up with a concise,easy to follow book that covers the whole Western Indian experience centered around one of the most prominent Indian leaders at the time.On top of that he builds into it references of other books where the "story" may differ;and where there is differences or actual unknown details;he addresses them. He also refrains from "making up" details and introducing them;which would do nothing but add to the confusion.
When you finish this book ,you will be left with the impression that you now know the story about as well as one can possibly know it,particularly at this stage of the game.
"Among a broken people an unbroken man can only rarely be tolerated.".......2006-02-26
Crazy Horse has been one of my American heroes ever since I read about him in "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West" by Dee Brown back in the 1970's. When I discovered that Larry McMurtry, a favorite author of mine, had written a biography of Crazy Horse, the book immediately made the top of my TBR list! And glad I am that I did immerse myself in this brief but rich biography. As usual, McMurtry does not disappoint - nor does his subject.
Despite extensive writings about the great Sioux warrior Crazy Horse, there is actually a dearth of hard facts about his life. The man was born around 1840, at a time when the nomadic way of life of the Plains Indians was dying....or to be more accurate, at a time when the traditional way of life was stomped out though the US government's broken promises, lies, ineptitude, and the sheer number of US soldiers with rifles and their seemingly never-ending supply of ammunition. Manifest Destiny was very much a reality and it could not be fulfilled while nomadic tribes roamed the Great Plains hunting buffalo, "impeding progress," the westward march of settlers, the building of the railroads.
What kind of written historical record would there be of a man who lived the life of a Sioux warrior, "raiding and hunting on the central plains?" He rarely had contact with whites until the end of his life. And what translations exist are appalling.
Worm, his father was an Oglala healer; his mother was thought to be the sister of Spotted Tail, the Brule leader. From the first, Crazy Horse, called Curly as a boy, marched to the beat of his own drum. He was a loner and although he lived in the traditional way, he was not interested in the usual rituals of purification, like the sundance rite. "He took his manhood as a given and proved it in battle at an early age."
He went on a journey as a young man, to seek a vision. Never orthodox in his beliefs or behavior, Curly did not purify himself in the ancient ways nor did he speak with a holy man, such as his own father, before making the trip. The vision or dream he achieved on this quest, and the interpretation, were to prove very significant throughout his life. There are enough consistent reports about this episode to prove its authenticity.
The author takes the known facts about the period, as well as material garnered from documented interviews with Native Americans and whites who knew Crazy Horse, and recreates here a vivid portrait of the warrior, the human being who cared first and foremost for his people - for the very young, the sick and elderly - the man of such moral authority that he sparked deadly jealousy amongst some of his own men. "Among a broken people an unbroken man can only rarely be tolerated." Crazy Horse "became a too-painful reminder of what the people as a whole had once been."
McMurtry, also paints a clear and accurate picture of the place, the times, the large Native American councils, of the Ghost Dance, the battles, the parlays, the betrayals. He recounts a much reported conversation Crazy Horse, near the end of his life, had with his old friend He Dog. General George Cook wanted all the Sioux at Red Creek "to move across the creek, nearer to White Butte, so he would have them handy for a big council. He Dog thought it might be best to do as he was told." Crazy Horse did not want to make the move for his own reasons. He Dog, concerned about what the move might mean for their friendship asked Crazy Horse if "such a move on his part would mean they were enemies now. Crazy Horse laughed, perhaps for the last time; then he reminded He Dog that he was not speaking to a white man. Whites were the only ones, he said, who made rules for other people. Camp where you please."
Larry Mc Murtry invites the reader to camp where we please amid the recountings and recollections of the life of the legend who was Crazy Horse. This is a brief but beautifully written story of a life...and of a death. It is also a tribute to a great man.
Apparently Penguin has published a series of brief biographies called "Penguin Lives." James Atlas, the editor, plans for six volumes a year from "celebrated writers on famous individuals who have shaped our thinking." The list includes the Buddha, St. Augustine, Joan of Arc, Dante, Mozart, Jane Austen, Dickens and Chekhov. Unfortunately I only see two women on his list. I sincerely hope this grave omission is corrected.
JANA
Elegant Read.......2006-02-17
Given the shortage of facts concerning Crazy Horse's life, McMurtry (who is truly one of the great living writers) was an inspired choice to write this little biography. He's just the sort of writer that was needed to tie together the skeleton of a life that's remembered. And, true to form, McMurtry in this little meditation seems really to capture something of the essence of Crazy Horse's fascinating, tragic life. It's well worth a read.
Product Description
42 accurate and exciting illustrations of all types of horses from around the world in authentic settings: fiery Arabian, royal Lipizzaner, Appaloosa, Shetland pony, knee-high Falabella, Morgan and more. Full-color illustrations on the covers. Captions. G
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-08-07
I have this book. I colored all the pages. It's awesome and you learn anout different and what they specially. I got it from Ceracker Barrel and I now need a new one.
Not definately a big fan and don't want to get this book because NOT up on our western breeds.......2007-03-14
I don't think I'd want to get this book "Horses of the World Coloring Book" by John Green becuase the horses all look alike...from the fiery arabian to the Anglo Arab to the quarter horse and that there is no dished head on the arab, the quarter horse looked like a pony, no BIG rear end...the drafters, and the other European horses probably and maybe looked ok. You could tell this author was definately NOT up on our western breeds! The only horse coloring books by John Green I only like are Wonderful World of Horses Coloring Book and Favorite Horses coloring book and those will be my only two favorites from now on and never Horses of the World Coloring book because it's awful that a Quarter horse looks like a pony with no big rear end and no dished head on the Arabian and I think the price is very low on this book as well, too.
The only horse coloring books by John Green I'll only like are Wonderful World of Horses Coloring Book and Favorite Horses coloring book because those two would be a lot of fun anyway and that's a fair better choice of two.
Beautiful and unique.......2006-11-12
This is a wonderful coloring book for any young person who loves horses and has an artistic bent. I was given this book as a young girl (about 18 years ago) and spent many hours lovingly shading in each detailed illustration. Everytime I look back through it, I'm reminded of the fun I had reading through it and bringing each picture to life with color. I still keep it now after all this time because in coloring book terms, it's quite a work of art.
High Quality Coloring Books for older children.......2006-07-12
My daughter enjoyed the quality of the illistrations of horses. They were very realistic and detailed.
Quality.......2005-12-23
I'm use to my children's jumbo coloring books, with cute, simple drawings and not the best quality pages or covers. This book is a step above the average coloring book. I like the added feature of the small images that show the child the "appropriate" colors. I know my eight-year-old will love this book, and I plan to buy her the other horse coloring books by Dover.
Books:
- Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden: Making Pots, Planters, Birdbaths, Sculpture & More
- Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders
- Deep South
- Design Details for Health: Making the Most of Interior Design's Healing Potential (Wiley Series in Healthcare and Senior Living Design)
- Discus Health: Selection, Care, Diet, Diseases & Treatments for Discus, Angelfish and Other Cichlids
- Drilling: The Manual of Methods, Applications, and Management
- Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk
- Exposure Analysis
- FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit
- Food, Energy, and Society
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Passive Solar Design and Construction Handbook
- The High Blood Pressure Solution: Natural Prevention and Cure With the K Factor
- Metallocenes 2e V1 & 2 - Synthesis, Reactivity, Applications
- The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs
- Spectrum 10: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
- System-on-a-Chip Verification - Methodology and Techniques
- Stepping Out of the Bubble: Reflections on the Pilgrimage of Counseling Therapy
- Beginner's Guide to the Humanities, A
- Monterey: Furnishings of California's Spanish Revival
- Oregano: The Genera Origanum and Lippia
Gall: Lakota War Chief
Washita Memories: Eyewitness Views of Custer's Attack on Black Kettle's Village
The Journey Of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History
The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn: A Lakota History
Crazy Horse (second edition): The Strange Man of the Oglalas (50th Anniversary Edition)
