38: Here were hanged 38 Sioux Indians Dec 26, 1862

by John Steven Beckmann

Mankato, Minnesota – the day after Christmas 1862: thirty-eight Lakota Indians of the Santee band will be hanged for their participation in the Great Sioux Uprising. Shackled together, the condemned warriors are led onto a scaffold the size of a large house and fitted with nooses. The doomed men chant their death songs, voices muffled by hoods covering their faces. When the scaffold is dropped, the men plunge downward together, dying in the largest mass execution in United States history. This work of fiction restores voices to those made silent on that cold and dark December day. From the grave, these 38 warriors confess their crimes, justify their actions, plead innocence or admit guilt in this unique, imaginative portrayal of one of the most tragic episodes in our American past.

104 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2012

Reviews

[Susan Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling account of an actual event from new perspectives that resonate reality. Not a book for the light-hearted, but rather seekers with unanswered questions willing to entertain potential truths.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent historical treatment of the effect on White settlers due to the progressive degradation of the Native American population in the Midwest. Following a discussion of the event itself, Beckman supplants our understanding of the disastrous effects of a carelessly inhuman treatment of a population that had every reason to do all they could to survive the consequences.

[John Beckmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the illustrator. So of course I am rating this book as 5 stars. The writings and illustrations are very concise, well crafted, and simple. I took it in very slowly, reading one or a few stories per day as I was creating the 39 illustrations.

The stories reflect a continuum of personalities, some more boring and dull while others are more exciting and flamboyant, others wise ect... On a personal note I found it enjoyable relating to the most vicious and courageous personalities, which are also the most despicable and cruel from a settler standpoint.

The introduction is a creative and well researched essay on the Sioux Uprising that discusses the comment "Let them eat grass." It is sure to add to anyone's understanding of the event.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!