From Publishers Weekly
Powers (The Man Who Kept the Secrets) details the rise and untimely fall of the Lakota's most famous warrior in this richly detailed, sensitive, and evenhanded portrayal. Little known before his stunning surprise victory over Custer's 7th Infantry at Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse (ca. 1840โ1877) became the strongest opponent of white incursion on Indian land in the Black Hills, revered for his strategic brilliance and bravery. Opposed to any concessions that would remove his people from their land, Crazy Horse terrified the American military as well as those Indian leaders who considered cooperating with the U.S. government's demands. Drawing on firsthand accounts by soldiers and officers, settlers and Lakota, the author assembles a savvy analysis of the conflicting interests and worldviews at play, highlighting the cultural and political misunderstandings that led to the (most likely) accidental slaying of the Lakota leader as he surrendered to U.S. forces at Camp Robinson. Numerous conflicting versions of what happened in Crazy Horse's final minutes are handled with aplomb by the author, as is the warrior's shifting legacy in the decades after his death. (Nov.) (c)
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From
Despite the title, this beautifully written and absorbing work is less about the death of Crazy Horse and more about the personality and life of the Native American icon. It is also an insightful and scrupulously fair examination of the culture of Plains Indian bands and their interaction with advancing white civilization in the nineteenth century. Crazy Horse, from the Ogalala Lakota (Sioux) band, remains one the most revered but mysterious Native American leaders. As Powers reveals, even those who claimed to be his close friends found him to be a distant, enigmatic figure. To his credit, Powers does not attempt to unravel any mysteries of his subjectโs persona. He explains Crazy Horse through his actions, and those actions seemed to constantly revolve around the incessant warfare that raged across the Great Plains during his lifetime. It seemed that he was most comfortable fighting, either against whites or against neighboring bands. As for his death at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, Powers accepts that it was the result of an inadvertent struggle, but he asserts that the U.S. Army had targeted him due to his apparent recalcitrance. --Jay Freeman