Hundred in the Hand

Lakota Western

by Joseph M. Marshall III

The first in a series of groundbreaking novels about the American West from the Lakota perspective

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Native American, Westerns, Audiobook, Indigenous, American History

375 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2007

About the author

Joseph M. Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and holds a PhD from the reservation university, which he helped to establish. The award-winning author of ten books, including Hundred in the Hand, The Lakota Way, and The Journey of Crazy Horse, he has also contributed to various publications and written several screenplays. His first language is Lakota, he handcrafts traditional Lakota bows and arrows, and he is a specialist in wilderness survival. Marshall's work as a cultural and historical consultant can be seen and heard in the Turner Network Television and Dreamworks epic television miniseries Into the West. "

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Remember it is better to lay a warrior naked in death than to be wrapped up well with a heart of water inside.”

The author tells the story of what history calls The Fetterman Massacre, the first significant defeat of the US army at the hands of the Sioux and Cheyenne from three points of view. There’s Cloud, a friend of Crazy Horse and married to a white woman, Rabbit, an angry young warrior who loses his right arm after being shot by traders and Hornsby, a white settler. The author is a Lakota and thus provides a new perspective on the events. It’s essentially a simple adventure story. What I especially enjoyed was the simple earthy cadence of the prose which seemed to reflect the rhythms of the Lakota language and the cultural details and sayings and customs depicted. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It really adds a lot to read a book about Native Americans written by an indigenous author. A solid, fascinating read.

[Jennifer Delamarter]

[This review is written from a Christian perspective. It also includes a parents guide (labeled "content warning) for those who may want to control how much their child is exposed to depending on their age and maturity.]


In 1866, Captain William J. Fetterman led 80 U.S. troops into a fight with the Lakota nation and their allies. None of the soldiers survived. This battle would come to be known as the Fetterman Massacre or Fetterman Fight. But, to the Lakota, it was known as the Battle of the Hundred in the Hand.

This historical fiction work focuses on the life of a Lakota man named Cloud, a participant in the Hundred in the Hand battle and preceding skirmishes between the Lakota and US forces. He is respected and looked to for leadership by the people of his nation. At the beginning of the story, Cloud and four other Lakota men discover white men on the Bozeman Trail. They intend to pass them by and report their presence to the elders, but one of their number, Rabbit by name, sneaks off and attempts to approach the white men for trading. When he is shot down, Cloud and the others must rescue him. They manage to get him away from the white men, but when they return to their village, the medicine man finds it necessary to amputate Rabbit's broken arm. In revenge for the unprovoked attack, Cloud and some of his friends follow the band of white men and kill four of them. Rabbit slowly heals, but is bitter. Cloud is able to help him some by giving him a six-shooter, but the young man is still hardened towards white people and determined for revenge.

In the days to come, the Lakota discover that, although they had not yet given the whites any word on whether or not they will allow them to build forts along the Bozeman Trail, a train of whites has arrived to begin work on a fort regardless of lack of permission. Cloud and his friends spy on the train of Long Knives (a Native phrase referring to US soldiers with their swords) who settle along Buffalo Creek and prepare to build. In one of his stays at home, Cloud learns that his wife, Sweetwater Woman, is expecting their first child. The couple is overjoyed. Sweetwater Woman is a white woman by birth but was found wandering alone by a wagon trail when she was only a toddler and was then raised by the Lakota people.

Back along the Bozeman, Cloud and the other Lakota men, led by Cloud's friend, Crazy Horse, prepare to steal the Long Knives' horse herd. They infiltrate the herd disguised in white man's clothes and make off with a large amount of horses and mules. In the fight, Rabbit kills three white men with malice in his heart. This will fuel him to later go on solitary vengeance raids, killing as many whites as he can.

Meantime, Cloud, Sweetwater Woman, and about twenty others go on an elk hunt. While they are traveling, a wandering white man named Max Hornby sees Sweetwater Woman through a glass, and, incensed to know there is a white woman held by Natives, he determines to rescue her. Setting out from Fort Philip Kearney with a trader's supplies, he wanders through Lakota territory, hoping to find the right village. He is discovered by the men of Cloud's village and held until the elders can decide what to do with him. As he waits fearfully, he sees Sweetwater Woman and goes running after her, calling out to her. Thinking he is trying to attack her, the Lakota men tackle him to the ground, and Cloud wants to kill him. But Sweetwater Woman's eyes plead for mercy, and the old men say he should be turned loose - naked - near the fort. This unusual incident stirs up feelings of confusion and desire to know about her past in Sweetwater Woman.

Shortly after, Cloud and another Lakota leader, Grey Bull, attend a council of elders and warrior leaders. The decision is made to lead many fast and hard-hitting raids against the Long Knives, in an attempt to wear them down. Cloud leads one particular ambush along the Powder River Road, in which Rabbit blows a hole in a dead man's arm - shattering it like his. While Sweetwater Woman worries about her biological past, Cloud goes on an elk hunt and, after a talk with the village medicine man, becomes concerned about Sweetwater Woman and decides to try to spend more time at home. After this, there is a failed ambush on a party of Long Knives that ride out to protect a wood-cutting train. After the failure, Hump and Grey Bull ride around, stirring up the young men and trying to prepare them for another ambush.

When Cloud goes out to hunt one day, he comes home to find his beloved Sweetwater Woman missing. It is bitterly cold and snowy outside, and he and other men are preparing to form a search party when Rabbit appears with her, having found her while he was hunting. When Sweetwater Woman explains herself - that she was looking for something she couldn't find, that she kept walking trying to think, but she couldn't find the answer because the answer was in her. She realized that she was meant to be the daughter of her Lakota mother and father and meant to be the wife of Cloud. She has found her peace, and she and Cloud embrace, weeping.

Back on the Powder River Road, Cloud and the other Lakota men endure bitter cold as they wait for another chance at the Long Knives. They choose a party of 10 men to act as decoys when the Long Knife relief column comes out of the fort to succor the wood-cutting train. Cloud and Crazy Horse are two of the ten. As they prepare for the attack, a young Mniconju prophecies of having a hundred Long Knife lives in his hand - victory for the Lakota and their Northern Cheyenne allies. The plan begins to work. As the wood-cutting train is attacked, eighty men under Captain William J. Fetterman ride out of the fort, and the decoys begin to harass them and insult them, teasing them by coming quite close and making obscene gestures. They finally manage to lead the column over Lodge Trail Ridge and down to Prairie Dog Creek. Then the trap is sprung. Over 150 Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors rise from ambush and wreak havoc on the troops. They close the ends of the ambush, and the Long Knives are trapped in the valley. The air is full of arrows, and when the chaos is over, all eighty soldiers are dead.

During the battle, Rabbit kills a white soldier who is preparing to kill Cloud. But as he shoots him, the Long Knife manages to get off a shot and kill Rabbit too. As Cloud bends over Rabbit, he himself is shot and remembers nothing else. When Cloud finally awakens, he is safe in his warm lodge, and his loving wife is sitting across from him, suckling their newborn daughter.

[Content Warning: “Hundred in the Hand” is definitely a book for older readers (young adult and up). There are multiple uses of "d..n" and "h..l", but only in the scenes with white people. More problematically, Jesus' name is taken in vain a couple times. Men are said to make obscene gestures, but they are never described. There is a reference to "testicles" once, when a man says something is not worth freezing them. There is another allusion to a man's private parts freezing off, and, of course, there is the part where Hornsby is left naked and so has to cover his private parts with his hand. There is a mention that Sweetwater Woman sleeps naked, but there is nothing sexual here and this is just cultural fact. It was a cultural norm for Plains nations people to sleep naked. There is one vague allusion to sex, but it is more of an inference. It is never specifically referred to. A man is said to relieve himself, but that is all. About the worst thing in the book is that some of the horrible atrocities committed by white soldiers at Sand Creek are briefly described, including what was done with private parts. There is a brief, bloodless description of scalping at one point. The most bloody things are the description of a complex arm fracture and a description of how bullets sound when hitting different parts of men. There is also a very brief talk about mutilations after the Hundred in the Hand battle. Perhaps more emotionally disturbing than some of the violence is Rabbit's lust for vengeance and the fear he sees in the white men he kills. "Dark images played in his memory, along with the sounds of gunfire and screams of terror and pain." It says that "a dark joy glistened in his eyes", and, as mentioned above, describes his shooting a man's arm so that it's mutilated like his. This is an accurate book about Lakota culture and lifeways, so there is the necessary amount of spiritual content. People burn sage and pray, offer tobacco to the four directions, and leave a bundle of sage as thanksgiving for an elk's life. They refer to "Father Sky" and "Grandmother Earth" and call out to different animals and "Great Spirit Grandfather". There are a couple men who are alleged to be able to see into the future. The medicine man, High Eagle, gives Cloud protection medicine to wear around his neck and tells him he saw something around his wife. "I thought it was a bad spirit trying to get at the baby. They do that sometimes." Unfortunately, when he said this, he was right. I have read stories of missionaries whose children were threatened by evil spirits, and they had to pray hard for Jesus to protect them. Thankfully, in this case, High Eagle realizes that this is not what's happening. High Eagle also speaks of intentionally inviting spirits (presumably good spirits) to enter Cloud's lodge and look after them, especially the baby. The book also includes a brief description of a typical Lakota altar and says a man sings a "gathering-the-powers" song. High Eagle and Cloud also sense a shadow, something coming for the Long Knives. Some of the spiritual content in this book can be explained away, but there are other things that happen that are just part of life when you allow the devil to rule the way you worship and live your life. Since this is a book about conflict between Indigenous people and Caucasian people, there is expected talking bad about each other. The Lakota view the white people as unclean and verbally despise them, while calling themselves "true human beings". The whites refer to the Lakota as savages and heathens and to the men by the animal term "bucks". The book also refers to a biracial man as a "mulatto". One man is mentioned who has a polygamous marriage, which was actually quite common. Finally, there is reference to gay or trans people. One is a prettily clad, effeminate man named Woman's Dress. The other is a man who acts and dresses as a woman and is referred to as a "half-man". Neither of these men's lives or characteristics are gone into in great detail. They are simply mentioned, and it is not stated whether their way of living is right or wrong.]

Joseph Marshall III is one of the authors I trust. Mainly because he uses not just official, written sources but, also, oral tradition. He is Lakota himself, and Lakota is also his first language. He is widely respected for his cultural and historical knowledge and has been consulted for such projects as the Western mini-series "Into the West". Besides knowing his work is trustworthy, I was able to see his accuracy in this book through the many little cultural details he included that you would miss if you don't something about the culture. For instance, the calling a person not by their name but by a kinship relation name - uncle, cousin, etc. Another would be a wife handing up a husband's rifle to him as he leaves for battle and saying "Remember, it is better to lay a warrior naked in death than to be wrapped up well with a heart of water inside." There are many of these little nuggets tucked throughout the book that lend it an air of authenticity and educate you while you're reading.

There are a couple things I want to mention that I disagreed with in this book. The first thing is that when the book describes Red Cloud's desire to have great power, they describe this desire as Red Cloud changing and being "like a white man". While I know that having an overall leader was not customary for the Lakota, I would disagree that some did not want that power. In every age and in every people, there are many who crave power. Each one of us has that innate desire in us that wants to rule. That's why we raise our fist against God. Even among the Lakota, you can see this in the constant tribal conflicts that have occurred on their reservations (ex. Dick Wilson and the Goon squad). Another thing I disagree with also has to do with human nature. The book claims the Crow let the Lakota take their land because they knew they needed it. It also conveniently explains away intertribal warfare and calls fighting among the tribes "fighting for honor". The other tribes are described as honorable enemies while the whites are portrayed as without honor of any kind. In reality, I can think of examples where Native tribes perpetuated great atrocities against each other. I do not say this to excuse Caucasians. There is no excuse for what our ancestors did. I say it to show that Native people, like all people, possess a fallen human nature and that fallen nature leads us to commit horrible sins against one another. We are all fallen and corrupt, and we all need Jesus.

The first time I read and reviewed this book, I didn't enjoy it that much. I'm not sure why. I wrote before that "the plot is not very captivating". But this time reading it, while I agree that the plot is not mesmerizing, I don't think it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be a thriller. It's a story about life and about family and about defending that life and family. In some spots it's slow in order to enjoy the beauty of the everyday, and in other spots it's faster in order to get across the urgency of protecting that everyday. And I guess that's why I like this book. Because it's about peace and contentment and fighting to protect one's own. And there is another reason I really enjoyed it this time. That is because it's a realistic novel in my favorite setting. I hope to write an explanatory blog page soon about how my relationships to Native people has helped overcome aspects of my autism. For now, suffice it to say that this story is set in a place where I love to wander and rest and feel Jesus and connect with humans. This particular world is a place of suffering, but it's also a place of beauty.

"The low voices and soft laughter of men and women floated up through the tall pines, rising into the cool night air of the Shining Mountains."

I really enjoyed "Hundred in the Hand" this time through, and I am eager to see how it helps me with my own writing. The book is rough at times, but it has the sweet times too. There are so few culturally (and even historically) accurate Indigenous fiction books out there, that I find this book to be invaluable. If you want to see a Native world through Native eyes, read this book. It is very educational and very human. I have added this book and its sequel to my library, and I'm excited to read the sequel - "The Long Knives Are Crying".

If you're looking for a real story about the Lakota people and a true story about the Battle of the Hundred in the Hand, look no further. I recommend this book.

[Cody Lasko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Lakota perspective. Joseph Marshall III has a knack for writing in a way that evokes the deep and rich storytelling traditions of his people. Both of these tremendous positives factor in to elevate what I found to be a rather generic western tinged historical fiction (albeit from a different lens) that was also mired by some choppiness to how the story flowed.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph M. Marshall III narrates the story of the "Battle of the Hundred" which took place in 1866 but told from the perspective of the Lakota.

[Patrick Oden · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Most people who are of the Earth live according to the truth that comes from the Earth," the old woman went on. "One truth is to take only what you need. It is a truth that was not always known, but we know it now. A nation of many people needs more land on which to hunt. We took this land because we were many and needed it. We took it from the Crow people. They fought us, but they understood that we are a nation of many more people. So they moved aside, not because they were afraid, but because they were wise... But we do not need to take any more of the land. The Long Knives are different. They take what they do not need, and I think some of us are learning their ways." (Hundred in the Hand, p. 167)

It is a reality of human culture that we see the world through our own values and priorities. We excuse and promote and honor and abuse to fit our perspectives, making those who compete against us the villains and those who fight for us the heroes. The story of the American West has long been told according to the perspective of the white settlers who came to find what they saw as new land, and new opportunities, to spread out and find a new freedom. Yet, there were people in that land who had already found their own freedoms and life.

Hundred in the Hand is the story of the people who were already there, people who were being pushed aside as more and more white settlers and soldiers came into the land. Although, a little foreign perspective at first Joseph Marshall's skilled story telling quickly draws the reader into the world of the Lakota and we begin to understand the events of the late 18th century from a different set of values and a different set of priorities.

At first the prose would catch me every once in a while, however I soon realized that this was being told as more of an oral tale, and in my head I tried to read it as though I was sitting and listening, rather than sitting and reading. The cadence and the voices began to live and I felt a part.

The story is not complex. It is mostly about various ambushes and preparations for these, with subtle character studies and gentle scenes that give insight into the Lakota perspective. But, in all of this we are smoothly drawn into the perspective of the Lakota, who faced the white soldiers with courage, and a little confusion.

Yet, this is not the whole of the book. About 100 pages in Marshall decides to bring in a white perspective, and so on and off through the rest of the book we occasionally see the story from the eyes of a white man, neither soldier nor settler who involves himself in various ways into the tale. Honestly I felt that while well written this 'white' perspective became a weakness for the book. Seeing the story solely through the eyes of the Lakota was a valued experience, and it seemed just when I was thinking along with them, I was pulled back, back into the typical stories and typical perspectives. I wish I could have gone through the whole book seeing the white settlers as true foreigners, and felt even more thoroughly the perception of the Lakota.

Yet, that is really the only negative. Hundred in the Hand is an engaging story that really is a valued addition to the genre. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Harley Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"WHO CREATED WHITE MEN?!" Even though this book is historical fiction, I'm always hesitant to read books on indigenous histories because they make me angry and sad. The beginning of this book was no different. The first chapter actually has a fairly graphic description of an injury, so squeamish readers beware! I don't think I've ever read anything considered a "Native Western" before, and I hope more authors come forward to make it a popular genre. It will be a challenge to match Joseph Marshall's skilled storytelling though. Somehow, he managed to modernize the language and speak with an ancestral voice. I'm thrilled that he narrated the audio version himself.

Marshall also portrayed 'true human beings' like no non-native could; the reverence for animals, the earth, women, and family all come through clearly and naturally. The stark cultural contrast and questions posed either directly or indirectly in this book are provocative.

This is the first of a two-part series (I think); the second is The Long Knives are Crying. I have added it and a few more of Marshall's books to my to-read list. And he's a Lakota historian, so most are non-fiction. I like that he has themes of resilience and perseverance.

It doesn't look like he's published anything since 2015, so I hope he keeps writing (or publishes whatever he's already written!) His website is down, and his wiki page hasn't been updated in several years. :-/

[Lindsay Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found out about Joseph Marshall III in the acknowledgements of a Longmire book. I enjoyed his history of Little Big Horn. This book is a historical novel rather than a history. It depicts the Fetterman Massacre, also known as the Battle of the Hundred in the Hand, from a Native American perspective.
The story is told by a an old Lakota man to his grandchildren. Cloud, the main Lakota protagonist, is married to a white woman who has lived among the Lakota since they found her alone as a small child. Also prominent is his cousin Rabbit, who has lost an arm in an encounter with whites. Hornsby, an adventurer seeking his fortune in the West, represents the white perspective. The book starts out slowly, but picks up as the background is set up and the time of the battle approaches.
The author was born in 1946, so his grandparents probably knew people who were alive at the time of the battle. By writing a novel instead of a history, he's free to create a realistic atmosphere that gives us a feel for the time. We see how Rabbit's injury affects him, how Sweetwater Woman deals with being a white girl adopted into the Lakota community, how Hornsby tries to infiltrate both the Fort and the Tribe. We also see the tactics Crazy Horse employs to win a battle the white soldiers thought they could not lose.
Most of the book is read by the author, with John Terry reading the parts told from a white man's perspective. This adds to the authentic feel of the book.

[K. Lang-Slattery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A window into the Native American view of the coming of pioneers to their lands. Well written and difficult to put down. A true historical drama, told mainly from the perspective of Cloud, a Lakota warrior, though a few sections are seen from the eyes of a white American adventurer, Max Hornsby, who comes west to expand his fortune and finds himself caught in a time of heightening conflict. The Lakota are pushed to the brink of war by the U.S. Army which is attempting to keep the newly opened Boseman Trail safe from Indian attack. The human, personal element is supplied by Cloud’s loving marriage to a white woman adopted into the Lakota tribe after she was found as a lost toddler. Sweetwater Woman has no memories of her life before, but when she meets her first white-men, she is plagued by doubts. Excellent writing and an unforgettable story.

[AttackGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, just a wonderful story. Many times I reflected on the history of the story and looking back at what was a terrible slaughter to what is now. What really makes up a people a land a government. Our government is o longer even recognizable to the original or the intent. What does it take to take over a country a slow change of leadership, or a war, no drama just a slow change. My mother used to say come on Margo how does the ant eat an elephant… one bite at a time. Just like sugar out of the sugar jar one teaspoon at a time and then just empty which is my Aunt Margaret’s saying.

So as the story goes back and forth telling the tale I was also moved with emotions…just a wonderful storyteller.

[Xarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story about the Battle of the Hundred in the Hand/Fetterman Massacre in 1866 from the point of view of the Lakota.

One reason I picked this book up was the fact it was told from the point of view of an American Indian and written by an American Indian. I thought it would be an interesting, and different, aspect to the same old "westerns" that I've read. At first the book was kind of slow and I didn't really get into to it. But as the story continued, it kept my attention. Also noted, this book is the first in a series about the Native American struggle with whites taking their land.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of a people rich in culture, pride, and love of the land they inhabited. Told through the eyes of a descendant Lakota, the dignified People did not deserve the treatment they received from both the settlers and the military, neither does it excuse the atrocities performed by both sides. If Mr. Marshall introduces a bit of personal bias, to me it is understandable. Whether specific events are right or wrong, or who fired first in a specific situation, the Lakota Sioux were here before us and we invaded their lands. So many things may have been able to be done differently, to avoid insult and injury, but it is much too late for that now. All we can hope is that we learned something positive from the struggle. Joseph Marshall is a pleasure to listen to and I will look into more of his novels.

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I liked this a lot, it didn't wow me in the way I expected. I wanted more non-warrior details about the Lakota, more of what day-to-day life in camp was like. I also think my enjoyment of this novel was hampered by the author's reading of the audiobook. His way of speaking is too monotone and stilted for me. He just sounded weary! I remember enjoying his reading of his nonfiction audiobooks, but this one differs and/or I want more variation and emotion in my fiction narrators. I loved that this was a Western from the Lakota perspective; I loved learning about their culture from the inside. Overall definitely worth reading, but didn't rivet me throughout the way Marshall's nonfiction does.

[Johan Agstam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of both books as I read them in succession and I can't really separate my thoughts about them as individual titles.

I've attempted this several times before, but never made it through the first book, but I completed both now. The Lakota Western is a duology of historical novels telling part of the story of westward expansion from the perspective of the Lakota, culminating with the death of Crazy Horse. It is a fantastic duology that showcases the culture of the Lakota, phenomenally written characters (all of which I assume did actually exist due to the nature of the work) that showcases a variety of emotions. It is a work at the same time incredibly harrowing (I cried a number of times during the read of both books) while at the same time absolutely beautiful.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hundred in the Hand has been called a Western but it is not a cowboy Western. It is an Indian story through and through. The Battle of Hundred in the Hand otherwise known as the Fetterman Massacre of 1866 tells the story from the perspective of the Sioux. Specifically, the story is told by Cloud to his grandchildren many years after the fact. The story is somewhat compelling and kept my interest throughout.

[Kf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went with 5 stars because this felt like a unique and fresh telling of a history I thought I knew. The narrative voice is Lakota, and the stories and battles are personal and full of heart. Through fictional characters the history comes to life and is not just from one perspective. My fascination for this era in America was sparked again after reading Joseph Marshall’s novel, so much so that I’m reading the next one as well as one of his factual accounts! Can’t get enough

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful piece of historical fiction. Several books have been written about the Fetterman Fight and Fort Phil Kearny. This one is written from the native people's perspective and it is fabulously written. Crazy Horse, Cloud, Rabbit, Big Nose, Sweetwater Woman and the rest of the characters are well developed and the native love of the land and their way of life is evident. Carrington actually comes across as a very sympathetic character in this retelling.

[Greg Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve lived most of my adult life in AZ and OK so I have been exposed to numerous Native Nations, especially the Diné (Navajo in NW AZ & NW NM). Though this is a novel, it can serve as an excellent beginning to better understanding the social structure and humanity of the native tribes as they struggled to preserve their culture and history. Look forward the reading the next book.

[Angela Holland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read more than one book by this author and really enjoyed them so I thought I would give this one a try. I hate to say it but I was disappointed in this one and think I will stick to his other books that I have. I just felt this one did not flow for me.

[Ross Cardillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me very emotional.

Also - frankly - Lakota warriors swinging around the side of their horses and shooting from out below their horses’ necks is so goddamn dope.

I’ve read two and now I want to read all of this man’s books.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intimate story of the invasion and occupation of tribal lands by the US Army and the role of small time settlers in those actions. Hundred in the Hand features an engaging primary cast supported by familiar names to the western historian. Definitely worth the read.

[Reinhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story brought you into the battle from both sides. I think it is so important to put yourselves in the other man's shoes. I learned a lot about indian culture that I have not been exposed to. Very well written.

[Teacatweaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and moving description of the Fetterman massacre from the Lakota point of view. Required reading, indeed.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book!

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping tale, told with an immediacy that I found gripping

[Daniel Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but a little slow paced

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writer never disappoints me. As is usual I finish this book looking forward to reading and hearing his next one. There are so many teachings in his work, if we are only ready to learn.

[B+ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely engaging story, just another great book by the master Joseph Marshall III. Explaining Lakota culture, with historical events.

Any fan of Marshall will enjoy it.

[Joy E. Rancatore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic historical fiction account of the Lakota nation, their neighbors and the challenges they all faced when settlers began their westward expansion.

[Mikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So great to hear the events of the infamous "Fetterman Massacre" from the Lakota's perspective.