From Publishers Weekly
In one of the first Penguin Lives biographies (1999's Crazy Horse), novelist Larry McMurtry drew on what scant facts he had to craft a brief and rather novelistic look at the legendary Lakota warrior. Here, Lakota author Marshall (The Lakota Way; Winter of the Holy Iron) draws on a rich Native American oral tradition to carefully and lovingly "unfold the life of Crazy Horse as a storyteller would." The result is a vivid, haunting biography that acknowledges the author's boyhood hero worship but avoids hagiography. Raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, Marshall recalls hearing his grandfather share stories of battles fought 75 years earlier against "Long Hair," the Lakota name for Gen. George Custer, vanquished at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Marshall reveals Crazy Horse as loyal son, spurned lover, instinctive warrior, doting father, compassionate hunter and natural leader, one who "reluctantly answered the call to serve" and "literally had no desire to talk about his exploits." Marshall sidesteps blood-and-guts combat scenes, emphasizing the larger picture of the Indians' defiant, doomed struggle, as settlers and miners flooded the Great Plains of the Sioux tribes between the 1840s and the 1880s. This book adds spirit and life to our understanding of this enigmatic and important man. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Marshall's portrait of Crazy Horse builds on Mari Sandoz's 1942 biography of the great Lakota leader. Using his skills as a historian along with the oral histories Marshall collected from the children and grandchildren of contemporaries of Crazy Horse, he freshly characterizes the charismatic leader. The author of The Lakota Way (2001), Marshall seeks the man behind the legend; accordingly, less attention is paid to Crazy Horse's battlefield exploits than to his leadership qualities. Although Crazy Horse's famous taciturnity makes him an elusive subject, Marshall does a good job of bringing Crazy Horse to life by examining all his milestones: the boy's early military training by High Back Bone; his doomed love for Black Buffalo Woman; his role as leader of one of the last remaining bands wishing to retain their traditional ways. Marshall includes a few reminisces of his own Lakota boyhood, which reveal some nice parallels. A highly readable, as-accurate-as-the-record-allows study of the nineteenth-century's best-known Lakota chief. Rebecca Maksel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Wilma Mankiller
Captures the beliefs, values, and wisdom that have sustained the Lakota people since time immemorial.
Book Description
Most of the world remembers Crazy Horse as a peerless warrior who brought the U.S. Army to its knees at the Battle of Little Bighorn. But to his fellow Lakota Indians, he was a dutiful son and humble fighting man who—with valor, spirit, respect, and unparalleled leadership—fought for his people’s land, livelihood, and honor. In this fascinating biography, Joseph Marshall, himself a Lakota Indian, creates a vibrant portrait of the man, his times, and his legacy. Drawing on firsthand research and his culture’s rich oral tradition (rarely shared outside the Native American community), Marshall reveals many aspects of Crazy Horse’s life, including details of the powerful vision that convinced him of his duty to help preserve the Lakota homeland—a vision that changed the course of Crazy Horse’s life and spurred him confidently into battle time and time again. The Journey of Crazy Horse is the true story of how one man’s fight for his people’s survival roused his true genius as a strategist, commander, and trusted leader. And it is an unforgettable portrayal of a revered human being and a profound celebration of a culture, a community, and an enduring way of life.
About the Author
Joseph M. Marshall III, historian and storyteller, is the author of six previous books, including The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living, which was a finalist for the PEN Center USA West Award in 2002. He was raised on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation and his first language is Lakota. Marshall is a recipient of the Wyoming Humanities Award. He makes his home on the Northern Plains.
The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History FROM THE PUBLISHER
Drawing on extensive research and a rich oral tradition that is rarely shared outside the Native American community, Marshall brings to life Crazy Horse's role as a strategic genius and trusted commander. From the powerful vision that spurred him into battle again and again and convinced him of his duty to help preserve his Lakota homeland, to the woman he loved but lost to duty and circumstance, The Journey of Crazy Horse chronicles the life of a gifted young boy who grew to become a legendary leader among leaders.
SYNOPSIS
Many legends have arisen around the figure of the Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, in the non-Indian world. Historian Marshall brings a Lakota perspective to his biography of Crazy Horse, a biography that seeks to show him as a "Lakota person shaped by his environment, the times he lived in, and the culture that nurtured him. He develops Crazy Horse's biography "as a story-teller would" and intersperses his narrative with interpretive essays that expand upon aspects of the wider historical setting. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In one of the first Penguin Lives biographies (1999's Crazy Horse), novelist Larry McMurtry drew on what scant facts he had to craft a brief and rather novelistic look at the legendary Lakota warrior. Here, Lakota author Marshall (The Lakota Way; Winter of the Holy Iron) draws on a rich Native American oral tradition to carefully and lovingly "unfold the life of Crazy Horse as a storyteller would." The result is a vivid, haunting biography that acknowledges the author's boyhood hero worship but avoids hagiography. Raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, Marshall recalls hearing his grandfather share stories of battles fought 75 years earlier against "Long Hair," the Lakota name for Gen. George Custer, vanquished at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Marshall reveals Crazy Horse as loyal son, spurned lover, instinctive warrior, doting father, compassionate hunter and natural leader, one who "reluctantly answered the call to serve" and "literally had no desire to talk about his exploits." Marshall sidesteps blood-and-guts combat scenes, emphasizing the larger picture of the Indians' defiant, doomed struggle, as settlers and miners flooded the Great Plains of the Sioux tribes between the 1840s and the 1880s. This book adds spirit and life to our understanding of this enigmatic and important man. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Not just well researched but intuitively accurate: Marshall is a Lakota Indian. With a four-city author tour. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The legendary Lakota leader receives due honor in this searching biography. "Crazy Horse has been my hero since I was a boy," writes Lakota author Marshall (The Lakota Way, 2001). He is not alone; as the author observes, Crazy Horse's very "name floats in the consciousness of most Americans, along with the names of indigenous leaders and heroes from other tribes." By Marshall's account, Crazy Horse might have been surprised at his renown, which he seems never to have courted; he was of average height, perhaps average strength, and he did not participate in ritual bragging about his accomplishments. "As a matter of fact," Marshall adds, "Crazy Horse barely talked about his exploits to his immediate family." Yet Crazy Horse was always the right man at the right time, providing leadership and courage, appearing on the battlefield just when he was needed most. And he was often wanted; as Marshall writes, in one of the most effective stretches from the 19th century to the collapse of the Twin Towers, Crazy Horse's nation was most certainly under attack, and "we are not immune to attack no matter how strong or invincible we think we are. Within the shadows of that lesson is one equally important: we must be prepared to defend ourselves." Readers seeking war whoops may be a little disappointed by Marshall's reticent treatment of the many battles in which Crazy Horse fought, especially the one that secured his fame, the Little Bighorn. But those seeking a circumstantial, from-the-native's-viewpoint account of Crazy Horse's life and death will be intrigued by Marshall's respectful use of oral history, drawn from relatives who were very old when he was very young, and who filled his imaginationwith stories about the great warrior. As myths go, he hints, these are likely the most accurate-certainly more so than the " 'conqueror of Custer' version, the purveyor of violence ready to fight at the drop of a 'war' bonnet," or the many Hollywood Crazy Horses ("an eclectic bunch"), or the hagiographic Crazy Horse of Larry McMurtry and other recent biographers. A fine and necessary work.
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