Custer and Crazy Horse: A Story of Two Warriors

Scholastic Biography

by Jim Razzi

George Custer was an officer in the Union Army; Crazy Horse was a Sioux warrior. Written in alternating chapters of their lives, this powerful biography tells the story of two valiant warriors whose paths finally cross at the banks of the Little Bighorn River.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, American

170 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1989

Reviews

[Jesse705 · Rating 5 out of 5]

READING RESPONSE FOR ELA(RAVIN), BY JESSE

In this book, the author explained Custer and Crazy Horse's similarities really well. I liked how he began each chapter by explaining what just happened to the other character, and then compared it to the one he was about to write about.Custer and Crazy horse were really good characters to compare, because normally people pair Sitting Bull with General Custer. No one understands how Sitting Bull was a MEDICINE MAN, not a WARRIOR CHEIF, like Crazy Horse.

Crazy Horse, among other things, was a warrior. He showed early signs of courage, leadership, and strength. He fought many battles, and won most of them. Custer was almost the same. He went to his fathers militia drills as a child, and was a Union General in the civil war. They both were warriors, both leaders, and they both died fighting for the same cause, although on differant sides. The only real differences I see between Crazy Horse and General Custer are that Custer was white, and faught on the government side, and Crazy Horse was Native American and fought on the Anti-Reservation side.

Another really important similarity between Custer and Crazy Horse were that they both had some sort of luck surrounding them that protected them from bullets. Crazy Horse had a vision that told him he need to wear only a loincloth when he went into battle, and to always sprinkle gopher dust onto himself, always making hailmarks on his skin. It also told him that he wasn't to take any scalps from his enemies.If he followed these rules, he wouldn't get struck by a bullet in battle. Custer didn't have one of these visions, because it was considered crazy in his culture. Although he did have something the other soldiers called "Custer's Luck". When he went into battle, he was never injured, and he was always easy going before the fight.

The author,Jim Razzi, is brilliant, because he gave not the most unlikely pair, but the most unused pair, to write his story. He used some fact and some guess, which was a good idea, because you cant learn all that stuff from books. This book definately deserves its 5stars.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Custer and Crazy Horse, about their youth and the background running up to their famous clash. This was less about Custer being arrogant and much more balanced than other accounts I've read. It's aimed at a middle school audience. The military details, the governmental and economic situations, are outlined clearly and with enough detail to make clear that some kind of clash was inevitable, and that these two were not the only ones fighting, nor even the most influential. I would recommend this book for a balanced approach.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading aloud before we go on our road trip to Custer, SD...krb 7/25/17

We all really enjoyed this book and learning about the lives of these two warriors..krb 7/26/17

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book prior to our visiting the site of "Custer's Last Stand"--the "Little Bighorn Battlefield" which is now a National Monument in Montana. I wanted some background information on the history and this book provided it. It is a Scholastic biography, probably geared towards upper elementary or middle school age youth. It presented a fairly objective view of both sides of the battle and the two men who led their troops--Custer and Crazy Horse. The book gave me information which made my visit more meaningful, and yet because it was a "young adult" book, I was able to finish it fairly quickly.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable short read with my kids on the lives of Custer and Crazy Horse. It was interesting to see how the lives of the two warriors coincided while being on opposite sides of the conflict. It does a good job of giving enough historical background that the kids get the action, but not so much that it bogs the story down. My kids 6 - 14 loved it. It made my kids check out a whole bunch more books at the library about Indian chiefs and other history books during the same time period.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book as a kid. It was a great introduction to the history of the west and the conflicts between the Native Americans and white settlers looking to expand westward. The edition I had also had a lot of real-life pictures of the characters (except Crazy Horse, who was never photographed). Lastly, it was told from a very objective viewpoint - both sides had their flaws but also their saving graces.

[Rebecca Radnor]

paperback