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A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore
A comprehensive narrative history of Mt. Rushmore, written in light of recent political controversies, and a timely retrospective for the monument's 100th anniversary in 2025
“Well, most people want to come to a national park and leave with that warm, fuzzy feeling with an ice cream cone. Rushmore can’t do that if you do it the right way. If you do it the right way people are going to be leaving pissed.”
Gerard Baker, the first Native American superintendent of Mt. Rushmore, shared those words with author Matthew Davis. From the tragic history of Wounded Knee and the horrors of Indian Boarding Schools, to the Land Back movement of today, Davis traces the Native American story of Mt. Rushmore alongside the narrative of the growing territory and state of South Dakota, and the economic and political forces that shaped the reasons for the Memorial's creation.
A Biography of A Mountain combines history with reportage, bringing the complicated and nuanced story of Mt. Rushmore to life, from the land’s origins as sacred tribal ground; to the expansion of the American West; to the larger-than-life personality of Gutzon Borglum, the artist who carved the presidential faces into the mountain; and up to the politicized present-day conflict over the site and its future. Exploring issues related to how we memorialize American history, Davis tells an imperative story for our time.
“Well, most people want to come to a national park and leave with that warm, fuzzy feeling with an ice cream cone. Rushmore can’t do that if you do it the right way. If you do it the right way people are going to be leaving pissed.”
Gerard Baker, the first Native American superintendent of Mt. Rushmore, shared those words with author Matthew Davis. From the tragic history of Wounded Knee and the horrors of Indian Boarding Schools, to the Land Back movement of today, Davis traces the Native American story of Mt. Rushmore alongside the narrative of the growing territory and state of South Dakota, and the economic and political forces that shaped the reasons for the Memorial's creation.
A Biography of A Mountain combines history with reportage, bringing the complicated and nuanced story of Mt. Rushmore to life, from the land’s origins as sacred tribal ground; to the expansion of the American West; to the larger-than-life personality of Gutzon Borglum, the artist who carved the presidential faces into the mountain; and up to the politicized present-day conflict over the site and its future. Exploring issues related to how we memorialize American history, Davis tells an imperative story for our time.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2025
About the author
Matthew Davis
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
October 30, 2025
To echo Emerson, if all history is biography, then what can we learn about our country from a biography of a mountain? from A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis
Confession: previous to reading this book, my knowledge of Mt. Rushmore was pretty much gathered from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie North by Northwest. I knew nothing about the man who planned and designed the massive monument of four presidents, or why he chose those four. I did know that the Black Hills were sacred to the Lakota.
This book was a revelation.
A group of empire makers. Jefferson=Lincoln=Roosevelt. Gutzman Borglum quoted in A Biography of a Mountain
The sculptor Gutzman Borglum was revealed to be both a racist and embracer of Manifest Destiny, but also sympathetic to Native Americans even while dispoiling their sacred lands. He was dictictorial and abrasive as a manager, but as an artist achieved greatness. The monument celebrates white colonists whose policies killed Natives and was built on their sacred land.
At one point, Borglum considered adding Susan B. Anthony to the mountain, but there was no useable rock space left. So, our current president can wish to be up there too, but it ain’t gonna happen.
A key scene in he book centers on President Trump’s visit to the park to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks. His supporters were “as close to a Ku Klux Klan rally” as Amy Sazue had ever seen. Soldiers with automatic weapons surrounded unarmed Native Americans peacefully protesting the event. Davis remarks that Borglum and Trump would have hit it off.
The long and complicated question of who owns the land and the systematic erasure of Native culture and agency is central to the book.
This biography will alter how you see the monument.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
Confession: previous to reading this book, my knowledge of Mt. Rushmore was pretty much gathered from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie North by Northwest. I knew nothing about the man who planned and designed the massive monument of four presidents, or why he chose those four. I did know that the Black Hills were sacred to the Lakota.
This book was a revelation.
A group of empire makers. Jefferson=Lincoln=Roosevelt. Gutzman Borglum quoted in A Biography of a Mountain
The sculptor Gutzman Borglum was revealed to be both a racist and embracer of Manifest Destiny, but also sympathetic to Native Americans even while dispoiling their sacred lands. He was dictictorial and abrasive as a manager, but as an artist achieved greatness. The monument celebrates white colonists whose policies killed Natives and was built on their sacred land.
At one point, Borglum considered adding Susan B. Anthony to the mountain, but there was no useable rock space left. So, our current president can wish to be up there too, but it ain’t gonna happen.
A key scene in he book centers on President Trump’s visit to the park to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks. His supporters were “as close to a Ku Klux Klan rally” as Amy Sazue had ever seen. Soldiers with automatic weapons surrounded unarmed Native Americans peacefully protesting the event. Davis remarks that Borglum and Trump would have hit it off.
The long and complicated question of who owns the land and the systematic erasure of Native culture and agency is central to the book.
This biography will alter how you see the monument.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
February 14, 2026
I knew nothing about the creation of the Mount Rushmore monument. I found this ‘biography’ very interesting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 1, 2025
Finished: Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis
Rating: three stars⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Non-fiction
POV: Author Matthew Davis
Location: Mostly South Dakota
I enjoyed reading this non-fiction book on Mount Rushmore. It was just Okay though in my opinion. At times it seemed for Mount Rushmore. At times, not so much. I guess it is a complicated thing because you feel for the Native Americans, but you love America too, and Mount Rushmore is dedicated to the men who took on extraordinary feats to grow and bring about the United States of America. I guess the author was trying to be fair in his story. It was up and down at times. I really truly don’t know what can be done to make up for what was done to the Native Americans. I know that for many many years as Americans and the native Americans were peaceful with one another, but in expansion of the United States it displaced the Native Americans. But I do know that with this particular Black Hills location it was promised to the Native Americans only and years before Gutzson Borglum came along and sculpted Mount Rushmore a law was made between the Native Americans and the government of the United States of America, that that particular site where Mount Rushmore is was promised, and to be kept and not taken away from the Native Americans, but after many years it was. And the Native Americans are angered about it. I really don’t blame them. I believe it should be made up to them in someway.
This was okay/good book to read about everything surrounding Mount Rushmore, but it was too up and down for me. But it is probably because it is a complicated story to tell.
Rating: three stars⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Non-fiction
POV: Author Matthew Davis
Location: Mostly South Dakota
I enjoyed reading this non-fiction book on Mount Rushmore. It was just Okay though in my opinion. At times it seemed for Mount Rushmore. At times, not so much. I guess it is a complicated thing because you feel for the Native Americans, but you love America too, and Mount Rushmore is dedicated to the men who took on extraordinary feats to grow and bring about the United States of America. I guess the author was trying to be fair in his story. It was up and down at times. I really truly don’t know what can be done to make up for what was done to the Native Americans. I know that for many many years as Americans and the native Americans were peaceful with one another, but in expansion of the United States it displaced the Native Americans. But I do know that with this particular Black Hills location it was promised to the Native Americans only and years before Gutzson Borglum came along and sculpted Mount Rushmore a law was made between the Native Americans and the government of the United States of America, that that particular site where Mount Rushmore is was promised, and to be kept and not taken away from the Native Americans, but after many years it was. And the Native Americans are angered about it. I really don’t blame them. I believe it should be made up to them in someway.
This was okay/good book to read about everything surrounding Mount Rushmore, but it was too up and down for me. But it is probably because it is a complicated story to tell.
April 23, 2026
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore
by Matthew Davis was a compelling education over many days for me. I took the road slowly, as there is much information shared - starting before Whites marched all over shouting 'Mine!' seagull-like, and ending as late as Trump's 2nd ride on the roller coaster. And all of it about that piece of land with four well-known mugs on it.
The attention the author paid to the indigenous side of the story was very appreciated by this reader - it was the first time I've read of it in this detail about the monument I thought was merely an improvement on lonely, unclaimed emptiness. Davis successfully set me straight on that.
I was surprised to find out that the artist-manager-BigIdeaMan Gutzon Borglum was born to polygamous Mormons. His people may have even rubbed shoulders with my gr-gr-grands as they also hung out in those same worship regions & seasons, speaking the same language (Danish).
The book starts and ends with notes and references for further research - for which I always give points, and discusses at length ethics related to those Black Hills and Lakota rights and travesties imposed upon over these many years. What follows is the process of choosing where, when and whose faces would be replicated, management by state and federal bodies through the decades, as well as the latest issues faced by those stewards, champions and visitors of the park and land. I particularly was moved by this from the author moving toward his conclusion:
Ceremony, though, is also how we heal, how we make peace— with ourselves, our community, our culture, our past, our nation. During this project, I have learned that for many in the Lakota Nation and the broader Oceti Sakowin— for Amy Sazue or Nick Tilsen— ceremony is braided with existence. Protest, I have learned, can be ceremony. Memorial walks can be ceremony. Drumming, dancing, and singing can be ceremony. Traditional ceremonies that used to be illegal in this country— like the Sun Dance— have been revived. And ceremony will continue to shape the meaning of Mount Rushmore.
. . .
Ultimately, though, we each have individual agency to create and shape the meanings of our country’s memorials and monuments, just as we each contribute to our evolving national narratives. In very real ways, simply visiting a memorial like Mount Rushmore— whether in protest, with pride, out of curiosity, or some combination— is its own kind of ceremony.
Matthew Davis. A Biography of a Mountain (Kindle Locations 5096-5109). Kindle Edition.
*A sincere thank you to Matthew Davis, St. Martin's Press, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 26|52:18c
The attention the author paid to the indigenous side of the story was very appreciated by this reader - it was the first time I've read of it in this detail about the monument I thought was merely an improvement on lonely, unclaimed emptiness. Davis successfully set me straight on that.
I was surprised to find out that the artist-manager-BigIdeaMan Gutzon Borglum was born to polygamous Mormons. His people may have even rubbed shoulders with my gr-gr-grands as they also hung out in those same worship regions & seasons, speaking the same language (Danish).
The book starts and ends with notes and references for further research - for which I always give points, and discusses at length ethics related to those Black Hills and Lakota rights and travesties imposed upon over these many years. What follows is the process of choosing where, when and whose faces would be replicated, management by state and federal bodies through the decades, as well as the latest issues faced by those stewards, champions and visitors of the park and land. I particularly was moved by this from the author moving toward his conclusion:
Ceremony, though, is also how we heal, how we make peace— with ourselves, our community, our culture, our past, our nation. During this project, I have learned that for many in the Lakota Nation and the broader Oceti Sakowin— for Amy Sazue or Nick Tilsen— ceremony is braided with existence. Protest, I have learned, can be ceremony. Memorial walks can be ceremony. Drumming, dancing, and singing can be ceremony. Traditional ceremonies that used to be illegal in this country— like the Sun Dance— have been revived. And ceremony will continue to shape the meaning of Mount Rushmore.
. . .
Ultimately, though, we each have individual agency to create and shape the meanings of our country’s memorials and monuments, just as we each contribute to our evolving national narratives. In very real ways, simply visiting a memorial like Mount Rushmore— whether in protest, with pride, out of curiosity, or some combination— is its own kind of ceremony.
Matthew Davis. A Biography of a Mountain (Kindle Locations 5096-5109). Kindle Edition.
*A sincere thank you to Matthew Davis, St. Martin's Press, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 26|52:18c
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October 15, 2025Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this read. This book is exactly what I think nonfiction should be, researched to the bone, but still deeply human. Davis dismantles Mount Rushmore's accepted narrative, tracing its story back through the layers of history that were paved over, the land’s sacred importance to the Lakota, the trauma of Wounded Knee, the cultural erasure of boarding schools, and the enduring principles of the Land Back movement. You feel the contradictions everywhere, specifically how one country’s pride was literally built on someone else’s grief.
I liked that Davis doesn’t try to make it easy or heroic. It’s not a clean narrative, and it shouldn’t be. It left me thinking less about Mount Rushmore and more about all the other places we’ve built on bones, and as a Canadian that's a lot of places.
I really enjoyed this read. This book is exactly what I think nonfiction should be, researched to the bone, but still deeply human. Davis dismantles Mount Rushmore's accepted narrative, tracing its story back through the layers of history that were paved over, the land’s sacred importance to the Lakota, the trauma of Wounded Knee, the cultural erasure of boarding schools, and the enduring principles of the Land Back movement. You feel the contradictions everywhere, specifically how one country’s pride was literally built on someone else’s grief.
I liked that Davis doesn’t try to make it easy or heroic. It’s not a clean narrative, and it shouldn’t be. It left me thinking less about Mount Rushmore and more about all the other places we’ve built on bones, and as a Canadian that's a lot of places.
November 4, 2025
I enjoyed this look at the cultural and historical aspects of the making of Mt. Rushmore. I appreciated that, despite quite a bit of bias, Davis was aware of and explained well the complicated issues involved in its construction and tried to examine all the angles and all the politics. As a reader, I was aware of much of this history before reading the book, but I enjoyed learning new details and facts about Borglum and the actual choosing and making of the presidential faces.
This book will be appreciated by any history buffs and those who just want to know more about one of our cultural icons.
Thank you to the publisher for an early digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.
This book will be appreciated by any history buffs and those who just want to know more about one of our cultural icons.
Thank you to the publisher for an early digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.
May 15, 2026
A Biography Of A Mountain; the making and meaning of Mount Rushmore by Matthew Davis, when Gutzon Borglum Started chipping away at would what one day be Mount Rushmore the mountain already had a history of broken promises deadly battles and the death of the native Americans way of life. at the same time Borglum was scarring the mountain that once belong to the Lakota nation he also went to meet them and it was during the Great Depression and they seen with his own eyes at Indians were starving to death he not only pony up some of his own cattle but raised a bunch more to help the Native Americans make it through the next winter. They even honored Gutzon some Borglum by making him an honorary Lakota. Stories like this whose moral line is ambivalent at best makes me feel so good to hear about what he did for the Native Americans and what John Collier once a lobbies for Native American soon became the presidential envoy under Frank Roosevelt and although that has nothing to do with the mountain I just wanted to give a shout out to those who were on the right side of history you go Mr. Collier. Throughout the book we learn about Gutzon Borglum him growing up living in England with his first wife and coming home to America where he met his second I find history books so interesting when written right in this one definitely was although we look at a national monument and very few of us if any think about the story behind the making of it and I am glad very talented people do think that because I get to read their books. I read a book about Mount Rushmore years ago but it was a very white washed make white people proud to be Americans type book but I found this one more interesting and wish he would’ve delve deeper into the Native American experience but either way it was still a great book and one I highly recommend#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,
January 31, 2026
A generally informative look at the history behind the mountain and its sculptor, but also the native Lakota history pushed to the side for its creation. The final chapter delves into the mixed feelings of it being used as a political prop.
June 1, 2025
I have just completed the first section of “A Biography of a Mountain” and, sadly, this will be one of just a handful of books that I shan’t be reading to its conclusion. I have a passion for learning about our American history. And I do not object to an author slipping in some of his/her opinions on our history. However, as talented a writer as Matthew Davis is, I just cannot continue to turn page after page of his political screed coming from one side of the political spectrum. Here are just a few of the many observations from the author: you can judge his evenhandedness —
“ unwilling to confront our national darkness”
“ not much cool about Mount Rushmore…it can feel stuffy and square, overly familiar”
“History is glaringly absent from the memorial today, while myth is abundant”
“Devoid of cars (the new parking lot) on a blustery spring day, felt cold and soulless”
“the museum devoted to coal mining, where my pimply guide, a self-proclaimed creationist”
There is a lot ( and I emphasize, a lot) more of this available to the reader. For many of you this may be a great book by a talented author who shares with you his naivety of his pro-America visit when he was young and contrasts it with his current mature understanding of our historical “ national darkness.
“ unwilling to confront our national darkness”
“ not much cool about Mount Rushmore…it can feel stuffy and square, overly familiar”
“History is glaringly absent from the memorial today, while myth is abundant”
“Devoid of cars (the new parking lot) on a blustery spring day, felt cold and soulless”
“the museum devoted to coal mining, where my pimply guide, a self-proclaimed creationist”
There is a lot ( and I emphasize, a lot) more of this available to the reader. For many of you this may be a great book by a talented author who shares with you his naivety of his pro-America visit when he was young and contrasts it with his current mature understanding of our historical “ national darkness.
February 3, 2026
A sweeping history of the national monument, Mount Rushmore. We are taken all the way back to Louis and Clarke, to the days of gold mining in Deadwood, through the times of the KKK, and ending near present day. This is a well-organized history of racism, natural beauty, protests, and how all the factors played together to culminate into four founding father’s being blasted into the rock of of the Black Hills. Everyone should read this book.
As somebody who grew up 20 minutes from this monument, it was amazing to hear some of the history I had no idea had happened. Them the addition of how history and present day issues are connected was amazing. I also was transported back home as the various parts of the Black Hills were discussed.
The narrator did an incredible job. The inflections and pacing were perfect. He absolutely helped me stay invested in non-fiction, which I can struggle with.
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this ARC!
As somebody who grew up 20 minutes from this monument, it was amazing to hear some of the history I had no idea had happened. Them the addition of how history and present day issues are connected was amazing. I also was transported back home as the various parts of the Black Hills were discussed.
The narrator did an incredible job. The inflections and pacing were perfect. He absolutely helped me stay invested in non-fiction, which I can struggle with.
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this ARC!
March 28, 2025
This review is based on an ARC of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (St. Martin's Press).
A Biography of a Mountain is the story of one of America's most iconic--and controversial--monuments. As a recent transplant to the glorious Western South Dakota, one of my first excursions was a trip to Rushmore to see the Presidents' Heads. Some say they are boring, stagnant, underwhelming; I find the monument breathtaking, and it never ceases to amaze me.
When I came across this "biography", I was immediately compelled to read it. Davis presents an engaging, informative, and sensitive history of the monument, its making, and its effect on the American psyche--for good or bad. The writing and facts are presented clearly, with anecdotes of Davis' own history with the mountain sprinkled in. Davis recounts the story of Mount Rushmore like a kindly professor having a one-on-one chat with a student over a cuppa joe.
I concede that this book is not for every reader, but for the armchair historian it fits just right. (It would also make a fantastic coffee table book in any South Dakotan waiting room.) Imagine how many of these they can sell at Rushmore this coming tourist season, especially it being the 100th anniversary of the monument's completion!
ATY 2025 Reading Challenge: a prompt from the ATY 2016 list*
*ATY 2016 Reading Challenge: a biography, autobiography, or memoir
A Biography of a Mountain is the story of one of America's most iconic--and controversial--monuments. As a recent transplant to the glorious Western South Dakota, one of my first excursions was a trip to Rushmore to see the Presidents' Heads. Some say they are boring, stagnant, underwhelming; I find the monument breathtaking, and it never ceases to amaze me.
When I came across this "biography", I was immediately compelled to read it. Davis presents an engaging, informative, and sensitive history of the monument, its making, and its effect on the American psyche--for good or bad. The writing and facts are presented clearly, with anecdotes of Davis' own history with the mountain sprinkled in. Davis recounts the story of Mount Rushmore like a kindly professor having a one-on-one chat with a student over a cuppa joe.
I concede that this book is not for every reader, but for the armchair historian it fits just right. (It would also make a fantastic coffee table book in any South Dakotan waiting room.) Imagine how many of these they can sell at Rushmore this coming tourist season, especially it being the 100th anniversary of the monument's completion!
ATY 2025 Reading Challenge: a prompt from the ATY 2016 list*
*ATY 2016 Reading Challenge: a biography, autobiography, or memoir
December 20, 2025
An interesting look at how Mount Rushmore came to be, who carved it, what it meant then and what it means now.
No matter who you re and what you believe, I guarantee you'll never look at Mt. Rushmore the same ever again.
I was not a real fan of the narrator, but that is mostly a me issue [I struggled with the speed at which he read as well as some of his inflections; there were moments where you got the impression he deeply disagreed with what he was reading, just by tone and inflection] and I am sure that he will work just fine for others, and I would recommend this simply for that fact.
Thank you to NetGalley, Matthew Davis, Scott Merriman - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.
No matter who you re and what you believe, I guarantee you'll never look at Mt. Rushmore the same ever again.
I was not a real fan of the narrator, but that is mostly a me issue [I struggled with the speed at which he read as well as some of his inflections; there were moments where you got the impression he deeply disagreed with what he was reading, just by tone and inflection] and I am sure that he will work just fine for others, and I would recommend this simply for that fact.
Thank you to NetGalley, Matthew Davis, Scott Merriman - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2025
Rating: 3.5 stars.
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmoreis an ARC, which I received courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (publisher). I was initially interested in reading this, as Mount Rushmore is practically in my backyard (just a state away from Wyoming), and I really didn't know any of the history behind this national monument.
Overall, it's likely this book will appeal to those who enjoy historical non-fiction. The approach is a bit different than most history books filled with facts and dates, Matthew Davis provides his personal experiences and anecdotes of many locals who are or have been involved with Mount Rushmore in one way or another. Davis has a unique way of storytelling, however, as much as he attempts to remain unbiased, there are times his writing "takes sides," even if that wasn't his intention. That is one reason, I gave it a lower rating than what I wanted to (I would have liked to given 4 stars).
Another reason for the less than stellar rating involved the writing and style. Sometimes his language was a bit "lofty" (I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe) where it seemed the word choices could have been a tad more plain and not feeling like he was trying to show off vocabulary. I'm not one who needs to look up a lot of words when reading and can determine contextual meaning; after a while, I tired of needing to get out the dictionary and just skipped past. Additionally, there were times the book felt like it was skipping around a bit too much, making the overall flow a bit choppy sometimes. Despite that, overall, the stories and anecdotes were interesting and compelling.
From a historical perspective, I was impressed with Davis' research, especially the biography of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, along with the history of the land, the Black Hills where Mount Rushmore sits, and their spiritual significance to the Lakota Nation versus the "patriotic vision" behind the monument, plus the atrocities that took place at Wounded Knee and more recently at the Rapid City Indian Boarding School (and Pine Ridge). Much of these events probably will never make it into the history books, but need to be told--and Davis put his heart and soul into telling those stories.
The one thing that was missing from the book and would have been a wonderful addition, I believe, would have been to include some photographs. It would have helped with visualizing some of the events/places Davis did attempt to provide description through words.
Lastly, I would highly recommend offering this book at Mount Rushmore Bookstore, especially with the 100th anniversary coming up this year (2025).
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmoreis an ARC, which I received courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (publisher). I was initially interested in reading this, as Mount Rushmore is practically in my backyard (just a state away from Wyoming), and I really didn't know any of the history behind this national monument.
Overall, it's likely this book will appeal to those who enjoy historical non-fiction. The approach is a bit different than most history books filled with facts and dates, Matthew Davis provides his personal experiences and anecdotes of many locals who are or have been involved with Mount Rushmore in one way or another. Davis has a unique way of storytelling, however, as much as he attempts to remain unbiased, there are times his writing "takes sides," even if that wasn't his intention. That is one reason, I gave it a lower rating than what I wanted to (I would have liked to given 4 stars).
Another reason for the less than stellar rating involved the writing and style. Sometimes his language was a bit "lofty" (I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe) where it seemed the word choices could have been a tad more plain and not feeling like he was trying to show off vocabulary. I'm not one who needs to look up a lot of words when reading and can determine contextual meaning; after a while, I tired of needing to get out the dictionary and just skipped past. Additionally, there were times the book felt like it was skipping around a bit too much, making the overall flow a bit choppy sometimes. Despite that, overall, the stories and anecdotes were interesting and compelling.
From a historical perspective, I was impressed with Davis' research, especially the biography of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, along with the history of the land, the Black Hills where Mount Rushmore sits, and their spiritual significance to the Lakota Nation versus the "patriotic vision" behind the monument, plus the atrocities that took place at Wounded Knee and more recently at the Rapid City Indian Boarding School (and Pine Ridge). Much of these events probably will never make it into the history books, but need to be told--and Davis put his heart and soul into telling those stories.
The one thing that was missing from the book and would have been a wonderful addition, I believe, would have been to include some photographs. It would have helped with visualizing some of the events/places Davis did attempt to provide description through words.
Lastly, I would highly recommend offering this book at Mount Rushmore Bookstore, especially with the 100th anniversary coming up this year (2025).
May 1, 2026
I am writing a different review for Montana the Magazine of Western History, but I also wanted to insert more of my personal thoughts here. As someone who has both worked as a park ranger and wrote a significant part of my master's thesis about Mount Rushmore, I feel like Davis missed the mark on a lot of things. His best sections were modern history; otherwise, he did not accomplish anything that hadn't already been done before (and better). I understand that there is a dearth of literature about Mount Rushmore, but it is possible to contribute new analysis of the memorial if you do more primary source research than he did. Of course, he is primarily a journalist, and relying heavily on secondary sources is a classic move for a journalist writing history.
Davis tries to establish a middle ground where he acknowledges the Indigenous and White American positions and attempts to reconcile them with one another, suggesting that the memorial derives deeper meaning because of this conflict. While I don't disagree with this premise, Davis's execution encounters the age old problem where people who attempt to move in the middle get hit on both sides.
Davis used a variety of both popular and academic sources to create his analysis. Many of his secondary sources are not as moderate as he was, but they have the upper hand of better primary source usage than he does. There is tension between his attitude and the sources he used (if you've read them yourself) because of his attempts on occasion to appeal to more conservative audiences. Across the first half of the book, he praises figures like Gutzon Borglum and George Custer while also attempting to condemn them for their blatant bigotry. I can appreciate someone who takes a nuanced perspective on these historical figures, as that's how I think we should view them overall in society, but I don't think that Davis really accomplished a nuanced take. Instead, there were points where he would explain at length these figures' shortcomings, and then in the last sentence or two, call them legendary heroes, which doesn't leave the impression I think he was going for. Not only does he immediately alienate those who condemn these figures, but he also does a poor job of placating those who still consider these people worth honoring. Instead, I think it would have been more beneficial for him to dig into the reasons why some people still honor them and to explain the inherent nuances of a country that is trying to grow for the benefit of some people at the expense of others.
Davis made serious blunders with his handling of Lakota history in the first section of the book. I was deeply bothered by the fact that he admits that Lakotas do not maintain historical records (or even think about history) in the same way we do, and then he proceeds to use a Swedish historian (who is not a bad historian) to apply a Western time frame to Indigenous oral history and winter counts. Further, I think it is remarkably poor taste for him as a white man to pretty much deny the Lakotas' assertion that they were created in the Black Hills because they were in the Great Lakes region for a significant period of time when White people arrived on the continent. Jeffrey Ostler, who Davis cites, does a much better job of honoring Lakota traditions while acknowledging their Great Lakes presence.
Later in the book, Davis introduces a lot of interviews and analysis of recent history, which I really appreciated. His contextualizing of Indigenous protest was very illuminating! I really enjoyed that section, even though I felt it was kind of prone to rabbit holes. Davis is a good writer, especially when he is in his element as a journalist, and this section is where his skill was most apparent. The memory he shared with his father was poignant, and made Davis's position a lot clearer (I struggled to understand where he was coming from for the majority of the book).
However, Davis's portrayal of people on the other side of this conflict doesn't really do them justice-- not that I personally share their celebration of Rushmore or would ever want to see Trump anywhere ever. I just think that he attempts to humanize them and does a bad job, which is worse than just not doing it at all. I think part of this stems from the fact that Davis is not from South Dakota or the Great Plains region, so he doesn't fully understand their attitude when it comes to protest, patriotism, Native Americans, and how organizations should be run (and how exciting it is when literally anything happens). I've lived in South Dakota myself for 4 years now, and I still don't fully get it.
He also seems to not fully understand the predicament of park rangers and personnel at Mount Rushmore-- it is far from the job of the rangers to tell people what they should be getting out of the memorial. Many rangers (including myself!) have put in the effort to include Indigenous history in our programming. While I agree that it's not enough to have only temporary discussion, Davis has to realize that the memorial's direct history is what most people are prepared to learn about there. Not because they don't want to learn about Native Americans (in my experience, they often were receptive and we had great conversations) but because they want to learn about the history of the memorial in front of them and the presidents on it. There's only so much learning capacity for each tourist on vacation, and each person has the right to pursue the learning experience they want. Believe me, there is enough information about Mount Rushmore's carving and creation story to fill the average tourist's brain beyond capacity in about 45 minutes. I don't think there's anything wrong with people being more interested in that story and I also disagree that overall rangers present an uncritical history of this memorial. (Except for the evening lighting ceremony, which is as uncritical as it is because of its function as a ceremony and because of the high levels of visitation at those programs. I know Ranger Marie, and she is brilliant and has a lot more to say than Davis let on.)
I think one of the biggest missed opportunities in the work is the fact that he didn't really investigate why the Rushmore founders chose to carve a mountain rather than create a really really large sculpture. While I understand he already was doing more than really worked in this book, I think that's a pretty important question for him to have missed.
So, overall, I feel like Davis missed the mark. He isn't rooted enough in primary sources, nor does he do justice to the literature that he barely interacts with when he writes this history. There were parts that I appreciated, like when he discusses how Borglum's Mormon heritage positioned him towards empire building and racism, and when he provides modern interviews with people who witnessed parts of Rushmore's history. His writing is also very good. However, among all of the Rushmore books that I have read, I most likely would not recommend this one to people who want to learn about Rushmore or the region.
Davis tries to establish a middle ground where he acknowledges the Indigenous and White American positions and attempts to reconcile them with one another, suggesting that the memorial derives deeper meaning because of this conflict. While I don't disagree with this premise, Davis's execution encounters the age old problem where people who attempt to move in the middle get hit on both sides.
Davis used a variety of both popular and academic sources to create his analysis. Many of his secondary sources are not as moderate as he was, but they have the upper hand of better primary source usage than he does. There is tension between his attitude and the sources he used (if you've read them yourself) because of his attempts on occasion to appeal to more conservative audiences. Across the first half of the book, he praises figures like Gutzon Borglum and George Custer while also attempting to condemn them for their blatant bigotry. I can appreciate someone who takes a nuanced perspective on these historical figures, as that's how I think we should view them overall in society, but I don't think that Davis really accomplished a nuanced take. Instead, there were points where he would explain at length these figures' shortcomings, and then in the last sentence or two, call them legendary heroes, which doesn't leave the impression I think he was going for. Not only does he immediately alienate those who condemn these figures, but he also does a poor job of placating those who still consider these people worth honoring. Instead, I think it would have been more beneficial for him to dig into the reasons why some people still honor them and to explain the inherent nuances of a country that is trying to grow for the benefit of some people at the expense of others.
Davis made serious blunders with his handling of Lakota history in the first section of the book. I was deeply bothered by the fact that he admits that Lakotas do not maintain historical records (or even think about history) in the same way we do, and then he proceeds to use a Swedish historian (who is not a bad historian) to apply a Western time frame to Indigenous oral history and winter counts. Further, I think it is remarkably poor taste for him as a white man to pretty much deny the Lakotas' assertion that they were created in the Black Hills because they were in the Great Lakes region for a significant period of time when White people arrived on the continent. Jeffrey Ostler, who Davis cites, does a much better job of honoring Lakota traditions while acknowledging their Great Lakes presence.
Later in the book, Davis introduces a lot of interviews and analysis of recent history, which I really appreciated. His contextualizing of Indigenous protest was very illuminating! I really enjoyed that section, even though I felt it was kind of prone to rabbit holes. Davis is a good writer, especially when he is in his element as a journalist, and this section is where his skill was most apparent. The memory he shared with his father was poignant, and made Davis's position a lot clearer (I struggled to understand where he was coming from for the majority of the book).
However, Davis's portrayal of people on the other side of this conflict doesn't really do them justice-- not that I personally share their celebration of Rushmore or would ever want to see Trump anywhere ever. I just think that he attempts to humanize them and does a bad job, which is worse than just not doing it at all. I think part of this stems from the fact that Davis is not from South Dakota or the Great Plains region, so he doesn't fully understand their attitude when it comes to protest, patriotism, Native Americans, and how organizations should be run (and how exciting it is when literally anything happens). I've lived in South Dakota myself for 4 years now, and I still don't fully get it.
He also seems to not fully understand the predicament of park rangers and personnel at Mount Rushmore-- it is far from the job of the rangers to tell people what they should be getting out of the memorial. Many rangers (including myself!) have put in the effort to include Indigenous history in our programming. While I agree that it's not enough to have only temporary discussion, Davis has to realize that the memorial's direct history is what most people are prepared to learn about there. Not because they don't want to learn about Native Americans (in my experience, they often were receptive and we had great conversations) but because they want to learn about the history of the memorial in front of them and the presidents on it. There's only so much learning capacity for each tourist on vacation, and each person has the right to pursue the learning experience they want. Believe me, there is enough information about Mount Rushmore's carving and creation story to fill the average tourist's brain beyond capacity in about 45 minutes. I don't think there's anything wrong with people being more interested in that story and I also disagree that overall rangers present an uncritical history of this memorial. (Except for the evening lighting ceremony, which is as uncritical as it is because of its function as a ceremony and because of the high levels of visitation at those programs. I know Ranger Marie, and she is brilliant and has a lot more to say than Davis let on.)
I think one of the biggest missed opportunities in the work is the fact that he didn't really investigate why the Rushmore founders chose to carve a mountain rather than create a really really large sculpture. While I understand he already was doing more than really worked in this book, I think that's a pretty important question for him to have missed.
So, overall, I feel like Davis missed the mark. He isn't rooted enough in primary sources, nor does he do justice to the literature that he barely interacts with when he writes this history. There were parts that I appreciated, like when he discusses how Borglum's Mormon heritage positioned him towards empire building and racism, and when he provides modern interviews with people who witnessed parts of Rushmore's history. His writing is also very good. However, among all of the Rushmore books that I have read, I most likely would not recommend this one to people who want to learn about Rushmore or the region.
May 8, 2026
4.5, rounded up. Rounded up because two of the four 2-star reviews are MAGA PC. And, yes, I mean PC as in “politically correct,” and I encourage people to spread the idea of “MAGA PC.” Update: rounded down at 4.25. See below.
First, to qualify myself, I’ve been to Rushmore, along with the Badlands and Devil’s Tower. (Can we get that name changed?) I went to Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass on the same trip, shortly after forensic archaeology of the battlefield site started. I am familiar with AIM, but not the modern, Dakotas-focused offshoot and successor, NDN Collective. I have not been on any of the N/S Dakota reservations.
Parts of what I liked about the book, I already knew, but I’ll note them there.
Without arguing with any Lakota leaders, after presenting their origin story of their people — a hole at Wind Cave — he notes that evolutionary linguistics says the northern Siouxan people came from the Cahokia mound builders, and that definitely, we know the Ojibwe kicked the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota out of Wisconsin.
The Lakota only crossed the Missouri in any numbers about 50 years before Lewis and Clark went up it. So, the Black Hills may indeed be Lakota sacred ground; they are NOT “ancient” Lakota sacred ground. Before that, they were kind of a neutral ground between Crow, Shoshone, Arapahoe, Northern Cheyenne, the Lakota advance and others.
Also, yeah, Gutzon Borglum was an ass.
Semi-known to me, but with new details filled in?
Next was how the Dakota portion of the Sioux still remember how Lincoln had 38 of their people hanged after the Dakota War of 1862. One of the MAGAts reviewers turd-polishes as “only 38.” Reality? Had he lived to a second term, Lincoln almost certainly would have been no better on American Indian relations than the average of all post-Civil War presidents in actuality. His laughing off his service in the Black Hawk War without ever talking about why Black Hawk was fighting, combined with his push for colonization as an option for African-Americans up to the week before his assassination are two key tells.
Per Wiki’s page on the war:
This is key as background for the war, even if Little Crow had far less than unanimous support. Note that Lincoln never repudiated that himself. This was the Lincoln of the 1862 Homestead Act and the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. He had to know that both would affect Plains Indians.
Beyond that, the full details at the Wiki link largely refudiate Mr. Allen the one MAGAts reviewer on his framing of the war, including actual or alleged atrocities (note that word), and also shows that he ignores White atrocities.
Again, IMO, Lincoln would have been no better than his successors on Plains Indian issues.
New to me that I liked?
First, I did not know that Crazy Horse sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was such a grifter. (I went there, too, on the trip to Rushmore et al.) I’ve long known we have no photos of Crazy Horse and that’s because he chose that. I get Henry Standing Bear supporting the idea, even proposing it. But, I get, per it being bleah sculpture, seeming to indulge Ziolkowski’s grifing, Crazy Horse’s aniconism, and the carving seeming to be a second scar on the Black Hills that doesn’t heal the first, why many Lakota today don’t like it.
Second is the information about the memorial to Lakota sent to boarding schools, in Rapid City. Although Canada’s “truth and reconciliation” is not all that, it’s generally better than where the US is at. The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, has a critically acclaimed walk-through about the boarding school experience; for people visiting southern Arizona, I highly recommend it.
Third, known in bare bones, but not in detail, was Gerard Baker’s service as first American Indian superintendent at Rushmore. Before that, he was the first such at the Little Bighorn site, then at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
At Rushmore, as at Little Bighorn, he pushed to expand the story being narrated by the National Park Service. And, because Rushmore is The Shrine to American Democracy™ or The Shrine to American Exceptionalism™ or whatever, he got a lot more pushback.
A change in National Park Service directors left him with less support, and Baker notes he had a confrontational style at times.
That said, Davis also documents casual racism running around not just western South Dakota in general, but the Mount Rushmore Society in particular. While the society might, barely, admit to cliquishness, it wouldn’t and won’t to racism. And, on Trump 1.0’s visit to Rushmore, from the president of the society on down, there was and is plenty of non-casual MAGA.s
For some American Indians, this has a literal physical toll, like some African-Americans like Jackie Robinson. Like him, Baker has diabetes. He has had cardio problems, including a fairly severe stroke. The toll of racism and fighting back is surely a factor.
Not a full five stars for a couple of around the edges reasons.
No bibliography is not as bad as no index but it is something. I found that out when he cited Peter Matthiessen’s famous “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse” in discussing Leonard Peltier. There are better and more modern books out about Peltier in particular and AIM in general. So, I went to see what else he had read and could not find out. So, I hit the index; sadly, he doesn’t use Steve Hendricks’ excellent “The Unquiet Grave.”
And, the one map in the book is kind of meh.
UPDATE, May 8, 2026. Book is back at the library, so I am going by memory, but Baker was NOT the first American Indian superintendent at Little Bighorn. He was the second. Barbara Sutteer was the first. Per footnotes at her Wiki, she was not the first American Indian woman superintendent in the NPS (Alaska Native Ellen Lang was the first), which means neither she nor Baker was close to the first American Indian superintendent period. Her story is interesting itself regarding American Indian tribes, "blood quantum" and related issues.
In addition, Baker's Wiki page has nothing about him becoming superintendent at Theodore Roosevelt after Little Bighorn. Instead, from there (apparently directly) he went to being superintendent of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, then Rushmore.
These two issues combined, especially with Sutteer kind of getting written out of the larger picture of American Indian issues in general in the Park Service, get it dropped to 4-star level.
First, to qualify myself, I’ve been to Rushmore, along with the Badlands and Devil’s Tower. (Can we get that name changed?) I went to Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass on the same trip, shortly after forensic archaeology of the battlefield site started. I am familiar with AIM, but not the modern, Dakotas-focused offshoot and successor, NDN Collective. I have not been on any of the N/S Dakota reservations.
Parts of what I liked about the book, I already knew, but I’ll note them there.
Without arguing with any Lakota leaders, after presenting their origin story of their people — a hole at Wind Cave — he notes that evolutionary linguistics says the northern Siouxan people came from the Cahokia mound builders, and that definitely, we know the Ojibwe kicked the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota out of Wisconsin.
The Lakota only crossed the Missouri in any numbers about 50 years before Lewis and Clark went up it. So, the Black Hills may indeed be Lakota sacred ground; they are NOT “ancient” Lakota sacred ground. Before that, they were kind of a neutral ground between Crow, Shoshone, Arapahoe, Northern Cheyenne, the Lakota advance and others.
Also, yeah, Gutzon Borglum was an ass.
Semi-known to me, but with new details filled in?
Next was how the Dakota portion of the Sioux still remember how Lincoln had 38 of their people hanged after the Dakota War of 1862. One of the MAGAts reviewers turd-polishes as “only 38.” Reality? Had he lived to a second term, Lincoln almost certainly would have been no better on American Indian relations than the average of all post-Civil War presidents in actuality. His laughing off his service in the Black Hawk War without ever talking about why Black Hawk was fighting, combined with his push for colonization as an option for African-Americans up to the week before his assassination are two key tells.
Per Wiki’s page on the war:
In 2012 and 2013, Governor Alexander Ramsey's 1862 call for the Dakota to "be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the State" was repudiated, and in 2019, an apology was issued to the Dakota people for "150 years of trauma inflicted on Native people at the hands of state government."
This is key as background for the war, even if Little Crow had far less than unanimous support. Note that Lincoln never repudiated that himself. This was the Lincoln of the 1862 Homestead Act and the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. He had to know that both would affect Plains Indians.
Beyond that, the full details at the Wiki link largely refudiate Mr. Allen the one MAGAts reviewer on his framing of the war, including actual or alleged atrocities (note that word), and also shows that he ignores White atrocities.
Again, IMO, Lincoln would have been no better than his successors on Plains Indian issues.
New to me that I liked?
First, I did not know that Crazy Horse sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was such a grifter. (I went there, too, on the trip to Rushmore et al.) I’ve long known we have no photos of Crazy Horse and that’s because he chose that. I get Henry Standing Bear supporting the idea, even proposing it. But, I get, per it being bleah sculpture, seeming to indulge Ziolkowski’s grifing, Crazy Horse’s aniconism, and the carving seeming to be a second scar on the Black Hills that doesn’t heal the first, why many Lakota today don’t like it.
Second is the information about the memorial to Lakota sent to boarding schools, in Rapid City. Although Canada’s “truth and reconciliation” is not all that, it’s generally better than where the US is at. The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, has a critically acclaimed walk-through about the boarding school experience; for people visiting southern Arizona, I highly recommend it.
Third, known in bare bones, but not in detail, was Gerard Baker’s service as first American Indian superintendent at Rushmore. Before that, he was the first such at the Little Bighorn site, then at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
At Rushmore, as at Little Bighorn, he pushed to expand the story being narrated by the National Park Service. And, because Rushmore is The Shrine to American Democracy™ or The Shrine to American Exceptionalism™ or whatever, he got a lot more pushback.
A change in National Park Service directors left him with less support, and Baker notes he had a confrontational style at times.
That said, Davis also documents casual racism running around not just western South Dakota in general, but the Mount Rushmore Society in particular. While the society might, barely, admit to cliquishness, it wouldn’t and won’t to racism. And, on Trump 1.0’s visit to Rushmore, from the president of the society on down, there was and is plenty of non-casual MAGA.s
For some American Indians, this has a literal physical toll, like some African-Americans like Jackie Robinson. Like him, Baker has diabetes. He has had cardio problems, including a fairly severe stroke. The toll of racism and fighting back is surely a factor.
Not a full five stars for a couple of around the edges reasons.
No bibliography is not as bad as no index but it is something. I found that out when he cited Peter Matthiessen’s famous “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse” in discussing Leonard Peltier. There are better and more modern books out about Peltier in particular and AIM in general. So, I went to see what else he had read and could not find out. So, I hit the index; sadly, he doesn’t use Steve Hendricks’ excellent “The Unquiet Grave.”
And, the one map in the book is kind of meh.
UPDATE, May 8, 2026. Book is back at the library, so I am going by memory, but Baker was NOT the first American Indian superintendent at Little Bighorn. He was the second. Barbara Sutteer was the first. Per footnotes at her Wiki, she was not the first American Indian woman superintendent in the NPS (Alaska Native Ellen Lang was the first), which means neither she nor Baker was close to the first American Indian superintendent period. Her story is interesting itself regarding American Indian tribes, "blood quantum" and related issues.
In addition, Baker's Wiki page has nothing about him becoming superintendent at Theodore Roosevelt after Little Bighorn. Instead, from there (apparently directly) he went to being superintendent of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, then Rushmore.
These two issues combined, especially with Sutteer kind of getting written out of the larger picture of American Indian issues in general in the Park Service, get it dropped to 4-star level.
May 11, 2025
I was very pleased to read Matthew Davis’s A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN: THE MAKING AND MEANING OF MOUNT RUSHMORE, primarily because it helped me to crystallize some concepts that had been running loose inside my head.
A good bit of the political conflict in America stems from the collision of two historical points of view. Both of these are familiar, but they are not often fully articulated. The first is what I am calling, for the sake of convenience, the “patriotic vision,” which focuses on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, the greatness of the Constitution and the American form of government, and the success of free-market economics and military strength. The patriotic vision stresses the essential goodness of the American project, the decency and sacrifice of our pioneers, and the shared values of our people.
You may be rolling your eyes a bit at this point, and if so, you would not be alone. The patriotic vision is challenged by what I am calling the “critical voice,” which everyone has heard. “The land was stolen from the natives.” “The country was built on slavery.” “The Founding Fathers were self-interested white supremacists.” “There weren’t any women of people of color at the Constitutional Convention.” This is the message of the critical voice, and it is expressed, over and over again, with variations in fact but not in tone.
The patriotic vision has value because it is authentic, because it is inspirational, because it binds the nation together, because it distills our best achievements and desires into a positive, forward-looking philosophy. The critical voice has value because it is factually correct.
In 2017—specifically on July 4, 2017—I published a picture book, IF MY NAME WAS AMANDA, that was meant to be an expression of the patriotic vision at its best. Its heroine, a young mixed-race girl, travels America on an alphabet adventure, going from A (Atlanta) to Z (Zanesville), exploring the beauty and diversity of the United States of America. And there on the front cover, with the little girl holding an American flag, there in the background are Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln, as they appear on the slopes of Mount Rushmore.
I am not saying here that Matthew Davis is writing his book in opposition to my adorable little picture book for toddlers. He’s likely not ever heard of it. But what he is doing is giving the critical voice a hearing. Yes, Mount Rushmore is a great sculpture that depicts our great leaders, yes, it speaks to the greatness of our past and the ambitions of our future, yes, it is a sacred place for patriotism. Fine.
Most of the critical voice here is familiar: Washington and Jefferson were slaveholders; Washington’s very teeth were stolen from slaves. Lincoln signed the Homestead Act which was the machine that drove the mass theft of Indian land. Roosevelt was a white supremacist and expansionist of the American overseas empire. But Davis is not just echoing the familiar critique, but expanding it here specifically regarding the location of the sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the personality of its sculptor.
I won’t recapitulate the entirety of the argument, particularly because Davis makes it in a very even-handed and fair manner. The Black Hills of South Dakota were sacred to the Lakota people (although they were latecomers into the territory, being pushed there by new settlers into the Northwest Territory and their martial ability to conquer their neighbors). There was a treaty that granted the Lakota ownership over the Black Hills, which was abrogated unfairly (as a convoluted legal case would ultimately determine). The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, had been an enthusiastic supporter of the Ku Klux Klan whilst he was jockeying for the job of carving Confederate heroes into the face of Stone Mountain in Georgia. (There is a very interesting—which is a weasel word for “incomprehensible”--Borglum monumental bronze sculpture across the street from my office in Newark.) Davis does a masterful job of splicing the twin stories of loss and memory (although I would have liked a good bit more detail about the technical complexities of the actual sculpting process, which involved God’s green plenty of dynamite).
I appreciate Davis a great deal for writing the book the way he did. This is not in any way a “woke” book, or a work of iconoclasm. (The 2002 film Skins is much more iconoclastic, and much more focused on the here-and-now of life on the reservation; I caught it at the Atlanta Film Festival before it came out and was very impressed.) A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN is a deeply thought, deeply felt book that is of specific interest to anyone looking at the roots of our national division and the history of the Black Hills.
A good bit of the political conflict in America stems from the collision of two historical points of view. Both of these are familiar, but they are not often fully articulated. The first is what I am calling, for the sake of convenience, the “patriotic vision,” which focuses on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, the greatness of the Constitution and the American form of government, and the success of free-market economics and military strength. The patriotic vision stresses the essential goodness of the American project, the decency and sacrifice of our pioneers, and the shared values of our people.
You may be rolling your eyes a bit at this point, and if so, you would not be alone. The patriotic vision is challenged by what I am calling the “critical voice,” which everyone has heard. “The land was stolen from the natives.” “The country was built on slavery.” “The Founding Fathers were self-interested white supremacists.” “There weren’t any women of people of color at the Constitutional Convention.” This is the message of the critical voice, and it is expressed, over and over again, with variations in fact but not in tone.
The patriotic vision has value because it is authentic, because it is inspirational, because it binds the nation together, because it distills our best achievements and desires into a positive, forward-looking philosophy. The critical voice has value because it is factually correct.
In 2017—specifically on July 4, 2017—I published a picture book, IF MY NAME WAS AMANDA, that was meant to be an expression of the patriotic vision at its best. Its heroine, a young mixed-race girl, travels America on an alphabet adventure, going from A (Atlanta) to Z (Zanesville), exploring the beauty and diversity of the United States of America. And there on the front cover, with the little girl holding an American flag, there in the background are Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln, as they appear on the slopes of Mount Rushmore.
I am not saying here that Matthew Davis is writing his book in opposition to my adorable little picture book for toddlers. He’s likely not ever heard of it. But what he is doing is giving the critical voice a hearing. Yes, Mount Rushmore is a great sculpture that depicts our great leaders, yes, it speaks to the greatness of our past and the ambitions of our future, yes, it is a sacred place for patriotism. Fine.
Most of the critical voice here is familiar: Washington and Jefferson were slaveholders; Washington’s very teeth were stolen from slaves. Lincoln signed the Homestead Act which was the machine that drove the mass theft of Indian land. Roosevelt was a white supremacist and expansionist of the American overseas empire. But Davis is not just echoing the familiar critique, but expanding it here specifically regarding the location of the sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the personality of its sculptor.
I won’t recapitulate the entirety of the argument, particularly because Davis makes it in a very even-handed and fair manner. The Black Hills of South Dakota were sacred to the Lakota people (although they were latecomers into the territory, being pushed there by new settlers into the Northwest Territory and their martial ability to conquer their neighbors). There was a treaty that granted the Lakota ownership over the Black Hills, which was abrogated unfairly (as a convoluted legal case would ultimately determine). The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, had been an enthusiastic supporter of the Ku Klux Klan whilst he was jockeying for the job of carving Confederate heroes into the face of Stone Mountain in Georgia. (There is a very interesting—which is a weasel word for “incomprehensible”--Borglum monumental bronze sculpture across the street from my office in Newark.) Davis does a masterful job of splicing the twin stories of loss and memory (although I would have liked a good bit more detail about the technical complexities of the actual sculpting process, which involved God’s green plenty of dynamite).
I appreciate Davis a great deal for writing the book the way he did. This is not in any way a “woke” book, or a work of iconoclasm. (The 2002 film Skins is much more iconoclastic, and much more focused on the here-and-now of life on the reservation; I caught it at the Atlanta Film Festival before it came out and was very impressed.) A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN is a deeply thought, deeply felt book that is of specific interest to anyone looking at the roots of our national division and the history of the Black Hills.
October 15, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this very topical book of history and cultural studies looking at one of America's largest monuments, carved literally on the sacred land of the people who were here before us, the meaning, the reasons, and the many misunderstanding that people have about it, and what it means for your future.
I have loved history for the longest period of time, ever since I had a teacher in middle school who let us do self-tests, ie correcting our own answers, and spent more time talking about herself than the history class she was supposed to be teaching. Instead of listening I read the textbook go further than most of my school classes ever did. We always no matter the grade barely made World War II. My grandfather fed this by giving me inappropriate sized books like Arms of Krupp by Wiliam Manchester and Barbara Tuchman books. Though I loved to read history, I never cared for monuments or historical sites. Maybe it was the idea of turning history in toruism. A group of Americans died here and all I got was this shirt, idea. I'd rather read about it, because it happened years ago. Standing in an air conditioned pavilion, looking at statues of traitors won't let me experience what happened. So I have always been uninterested in Mount Rushmore. Alfred Hitchcock showed me enough in North by Northwest. Or so I thought. After reading this thoughtful and fascinating book I realise I barely knew anything at all. A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore is a personal and historical look at this monument, from both an American and Native American view, the importance of the land and what it tells of of who we are, and where we are as a nation.
I book starts with a look at the modern world of 2020 with the birth of the author's second child, in the nation's capital, under siege from a president and people tired of the way this country was dealing with race. Watching the president make a speech at Mount Rushmore, Davis thought of his own time there, years earlier, and he began to be interested in how Rushmore came about. We flash back to the author just a few weeks in the 21st century driving around America before embarking on a voyage to Asia. There are moments that spoke to Davis, one of them being near the Rushmore site, and how the people in the area viewed it, and more importantly viewed America. Davis than goes into the history of the area, the development of the South Dakota area, from both the white settlers and soon Americans, and more importantly the view of the Native Americans, whose mountains were sacred to them, and now bear images they have no interest in. Davis looks at the dreamer Gutzon Borglum a man with Klan ties, and other extremist politial views, the plans for a tourist destination and the building of the monument. Davis also looks at what it means on both sides of the political spectrum, while visiting the area and seeing how history is presented.
A book that people are going to probably go after, but a book that is well sourced, well researched and more importantly well-written. One can't write anything critical about America, though there is much to be critical about. I enjoyed the Native American history of the West quite a bit, a view that one does not get much of. And one that is hardly taught anymore. People don't like to ask questions, it makes us uncomfortable, so we have a society to scared to point out the truth, and people to scared to face it. That is the true remembrance of monuments and memorials. What is on the plate, what is in the tourist booth, for sale in the gift shops and what is real. Davis shows this in his book, one I am sure won't be for sale at the gift shop. This is a very clear look at America right now. Wanting something that never was, with tourist traps to back up these ideas.
I liked the personal stories that Davis shares, meeting people, talking to people, and more importantly listening. Not the book I expected, but something far more, and far more interesting. A book that leaves one with a lot of questions and a lot of thoughts about remembering the past.
I have loved history for the longest period of time, ever since I had a teacher in middle school who let us do self-tests, ie correcting our own answers, and spent more time talking about herself than the history class she was supposed to be teaching. Instead of listening I read the textbook go further than most of my school classes ever did. We always no matter the grade barely made World War II. My grandfather fed this by giving me inappropriate sized books like Arms of Krupp by Wiliam Manchester and Barbara Tuchman books. Though I loved to read history, I never cared for monuments or historical sites. Maybe it was the idea of turning history in toruism. A group of Americans died here and all I got was this shirt, idea. I'd rather read about it, because it happened years ago. Standing in an air conditioned pavilion, looking at statues of traitors won't let me experience what happened. So I have always been uninterested in Mount Rushmore. Alfred Hitchcock showed me enough in North by Northwest. Or so I thought. After reading this thoughtful and fascinating book I realise I barely knew anything at all. A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore is a personal and historical look at this monument, from both an American and Native American view, the importance of the land and what it tells of of who we are, and where we are as a nation.
I book starts with a look at the modern world of 2020 with the birth of the author's second child, in the nation's capital, under siege from a president and people tired of the way this country was dealing with race. Watching the president make a speech at Mount Rushmore, Davis thought of his own time there, years earlier, and he began to be interested in how Rushmore came about. We flash back to the author just a few weeks in the 21st century driving around America before embarking on a voyage to Asia. There are moments that spoke to Davis, one of them being near the Rushmore site, and how the people in the area viewed it, and more importantly viewed America. Davis than goes into the history of the area, the development of the South Dakota area, from both the white settlers and soon Americans, and more importantly the view of the Native Americans, whose mountains were sacred to them, and now bear images they have no interest in. Davis looks at the dreamer Gutzon Borglum a man with Klan ties, and other extremist politial views, the plans for a tourist destination and the building of the monument. Davis also looks at what it means on both sides of the political spectrum, while visiting the area and seeing how history is presented.
A book that people are going to probably go after, but a book that is well sourced, well researched and more importantly well-written. One can't write anything critical about America, though there is much to be critical about. I enjoyed the Native American history of the West quite a bit, a view that one does not get much of. And one that is hardly taught anymore. People don't like to ask questions, it makes us uncomfortable, so we have a society to scared to point out the truth, and people to scared to face it. That is the true remembrance of monuments and memorials. What is on the plate, what is in the tourist booth, for sale in the gift shops and what is real. Davis shows this in his book, one I am sure won't be for sale at the gift shop. This is a very clear look at America right now. Wanting something that never was, with tourist traps to back up these ideas.
I liked the personal stories that Davis shares, meeting people, talking to people, and more importantly listening. Not the book I expected, but something far more, and far more interesting. A book that leaves one with a lot of questions and a lot of thoughts about remembering the past.
December 6, 2025
Narrative history of the National Memorial, Mt. Rushmore. The origins of the Black Hills of South Dakota are explored, as is the life and work of Rushmore's creator Gutzon Borglum. The author weaves the past with current events to give a wide angle view of the monument and its significance.
The book is well researched. I learned much about Mt. Rushmore, its creation and the efforts of its main sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. Author Matthew Davis' sympathies lie with the native populations of the Bad Lands area, and as such, he has a dim view of the monument and its location. To his credit, he does appear to take an honest, unbiased opinion of events for stretches of the 275 page book. Unfortunately, the author's personal opinions began to subsume straight reporting more and more as the book approaches its later stages. (As an aside, one wonders if his reporting is also colored by the fact that his wife, Laurel Rapp, served as Deputy Director of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s Policy Planning Staff, during Biden's presidency.) When a reader reaches the final chapter, in which President Trump's visit to Mt. Rushmore in 2020 is dissected, all traces of impartiality are out the window. Trump's supporters in South Dakota are "drunken" mobs, who's support for the president is akin to "a Ku Klux Klan rally." The arrival of Air Force One is like a "UFO" descending from the heavens.
Davis also choose how he portrays native activists selectively, and unlike figures who he disagrees with politically, always in a positive light. For example, the controversial leader of a native advocacy organization, the NDN Collective, Nick Tilsen, is described in glowing terms. When he isn't organizing protests or law enforcement audits, he is "praying" and handing out water to overheated law enforcement personal. His extravagant salary is briefly mentioned and glossed over, as is the multi-million, and growing, endowment of his organization. One also wonders why Davis would fail to mention that Tilsen currently stands accused of obstruction and assault of a police officer, who also happens to be Native American, during an altercation in 2022 when Tilsen was "auditing" the police's interaction with a homeless man.
The most offensive passage of the text features a quote from Amy Sazue, the executive director of the Remembering the Children Memorial in Rapid City, South Dakota. When visiting the Lincoln Memorial for the first time, Sazue says, "All I could think was that someday the river is going to take its spot back, and I won't be sad about that. Water will reclaim what it wants to, and someday I hope that the water reclaims that space and that area is washed free of his legacy." Sazue feels this loathing towards Lincoln for his condemning of 38 native men to death for their roles in the wanton rape and murder during the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War. The author fails to delve too deeply into these events. Davis doesn't even think it worthy to mention that of the original 303 men condemned to die, Lincoln commuted the sentences of 264 of them. The 38 who did eventually hang, were found to have committed the most heinous murder and rape. I have no issue with the author giving Sazue a platform to share her thoughts and work in the pages of his book, but to offer no pushback either in the moment or afterwards in his recollection of the event is in poor form.
Not to be outdone, Borglum's grandson Jim, who appears to be reaping the rewards of the wealth accumulated from his ancestors, tells the author (after showcasing his large collection of old cars), "I'm afraid that these days, patriotism has become kind of divisive, and though I am very proud of my country, the flag has almost become a divisive symbol." One wonders if Jim has ever seriously considered divesting himself of any of the family land or money if he feels this strongly about the harm his grandfather and his country may have done.
Overall, an interesting book that does contain quality research, but fails in its mission to be an impartial narrative history.
The book is well researched. I learned much about Mt. Rushmore, its creation and the efforts of its main sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. Author Matthew Davis' sympathies lie with the native populations of the Bad Lands area, and as such, he has a dim view of the monument and its location. To his credit, he does appear to take an honest, unbiased opinion of events for stretches of the 275 page book. Unfortunately, the author's personal opinions began to subsume straight reporting more and more as the book approaches its later stages. (As an aside, one wonders if his reporting is also colored by the fact that his wife, Laurel Rapp, served as Deputy Director of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s Policy Planning Staff, during Biden's presidency.) When a reader reaches the final chapter, in which President Trump's visit to Mt. Rushmore in 2020 is dissected, all traces of impartiality are out the window. Trump's supporters in South Dakota are "drunken" mobs, who's support for the president is akin to "a Ku Klux Klan rally." The arrival of Air Force One is like a "UFO" descending from the heavens.
Davis also choose how he portrays native activists selectively, and unlike figures who he disagrees with politically, always in a positive light. For example, the controversial leader of a native advocacy organization, the NDN Collective, Nick Tilsen, is described in glowing terms. When he isn't organizing protests or law enforcement audits, he is "praying" and handing out water to overheated law enforcement personal. His extravagant salary is briefly mentioned and glossed over, as is the multi-million, and growing, endowment of his organization. One also wonders why Davis would fail to mention that Tilsen currently stands accused of obstruction and assault of a police officer, who also happens to be Native American, during an altercation in 2022 when Tilsen was "auditing" the police's interaction with a homeless man.
The most offensive passage of the text features a quote from Amy Sazue, the executive director of the Remembering the Children Memorial in Rapid City, South Dakota. When visiting the Lincoln Memorial for the first time, Sazue says, "All I could think was that someday the river is going to take its spot back, and I won't be sad about that. Water will reclaim what it wants to, and someday I hope that the water reclaims that space and that area is washed free of his legacy." Sazue feels this loathing towards Lincoln for his condemning of 38 native men to death for their roles in the wanton rape and murder during the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War. The author fails to delve too deeply into these events. Davis doesn't even think it worthy to mention that of the original 303 men condemned to die, Lincoln commuted the sentences of 264 of them. The 38 who did eventually hang, were found to have committed the most heinous murder and rape. I have no issue with the author giving Sazue a platform to share her thoughts and work in the pages of his book, but to offer no pushback either in the moment or afterwards in his recollection of the event is in poor form.
Not to be outdone, Borglum's grandson Jim, who appears to be reaping the rewards of the wealth accumulated from his ancestors, tells the author (after showcasing his large collection of old cars), "I'm afraid that these days, patriotism has become kind of divisive, and though I am very proud of my country, the flag has almost become a divisive symbol." One wonders if Jim has ever seriously considered divesting himself of any of the family land or money if he feels this strongly about the harm his grandfather and his country may have done.
Overall, an interesting book that does contain quality research, but fails in its mission to be an impartial narrative history.
October 11, 2025
Part memoir, part solid research project, I have to let you know up front that this one isn't an easy read. Despite the author's personal notes that help us understand his connection to Rushmore, the deep dive into the basic divides in cultural reaction to the setting make this an interesting, if not always easy read. Don't get me wrong. It reads fine. It's the topics, focusing on the concept of Mount Rushmore as a patriotic symbol, while acknowledging it's spiritual importance and meaning to Native Americans, particularly the Lakota Sioux, that make it a read that requires thought. Both sides have something worth conveying, so kudos to Davis for his effort to be even-handed while presenting the varying viewpoints and, trust me, it isn't even simple to break it down into the two most compelling ones.
I obviously won't rehash the contents but will say that those willing to set aside preconceived notions and read with an open mind may come away still divided. Why can't it be both? Both patriotic and spiritual, so to speak. The divides in our country are vast and this is just one of many. Davis' visits with various citizens of the Black Hills area were interesting, including the times he encountered residents who had never actually visited Rushmore. Living in Alaska with countless sights, I had to sympathize a bit as, well, you do tend to take things that are practically on your home turf for granted. Having a family tree that goes back to not just the Pilgrims and Jamestown settlers but the native population that surrounded them, my tendency is to go with the spiritual aspects but, well, despite the sculptor being a supporter of the KKK, sigh, it does shout American strength and forward thinking, too, both of these being aspects that have made progress possible. In other words, my brain was pinging and ponging back and forth as I read, which isn't a bad thing, I guess. Tiring but a sign the words were having an impact. Davis' efforts to remain unbiased, to be fair to all, worked, in other words, for the most part.
Bottom line, while it wasn't the light read I was expecting and I wish there had been photographs, I found this an intriguing read. His personal stories (he was eventually heading to Mongolia when he first visited the site, no lie...what a detour) and meeting the people of the area give it a personal touch, too, albeit it seemed to veer from that lighter tone to serious talk without much true transition. It was fun to know the role his son's birth had to the book. I applaud him for not avoiding the more negative aspects of the history of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills area, either, from the often troubling history of sculpture Borglum to working in conversation about the Lincoln Memorial and slave Archer Alexander, an ancestor of boxer Ali amidst the history of the site from both white and Native (largely Lakota Sioux) vantage points. As he noted at one point, writing the book made him ponder what it truly means to be American. My thanks to #StMartin'sPress and #NetGalley for allowing me this early look at this insightful, thoughtful look at one of America's best known symbols. Yes, symbols matter.
I obviously won't rehash the contents but will say that those willing to set aside preconceived notions and read with an open mind may come away still divided. Why can't it be both? Both patriotic and spiritual, so to speak. The divides in our country are vast and this is just one of many. Davis' visits with various citizens of the Black Hills area were interesting, including the times he encountered residents who had never actually visited Rushmore. Living in Alaska with countless sights, I had to sympathize a bit as, well, you do tend to take things that are practically on your home turf for granted. Having a family tree that goes back to not just the Pilgrims and Jamestown settlers but the native population that surrounded them, my tendency is to go with the spiritual aspects but, well, despite the sculptor being a supporter of the KKK, sigh, it does shout American strength and forward thinking, too, both of these being aspects that have made progress possible. In other words, my brain was pinging and ponging back and forth as I read, which isn't a bad thing, I guess. Tiring but a sign the words were having an impact. Davis' efforts to remain unbiased, to be fair to all, worked, in other words, for the most part.
Bottom line, while it wasn't the light read I was expecting and I wish there had been photographs, I found this an intriguing read. His personal stories (he was eventually heading to Mongolia when he first visited the site, no lie...what a detour) and meeting the people of the area give it a personal touch, too, albeit it seemed to veer from that lighter tone to serious talk without much true transition. It was fun to know the role his son's birth had to the book. I applaud him for not avoiding the more negative aspects of the history of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills area, either, from the often troubling history of sculpture Borglum to working in conversation about the Lincoln Memorial and slave Archer Alexander, an ancestor of boxer Ali amidst the history of the site from both white and Native (largely Lakota Sioux) vantage points. As he noted at one point, writing the book made him ponder what it truly means to be American. My thanks to #StMartin'sPress and #NetGalley for allowing me this early look at this insightful, thoughtful look at one of America's best known symbols. Yes, symbols matter.
August 6, 2025
Matthew Davis’ A Biography of a Mountain tries to do a lot, using Mount Rushmore as the centerpiece to connect it all together. I’m not sure it entirely works for me, but it may resonate better with another reader.
One of the storylines of the book is about the indigenous history of the area, how the government stripped land away with various excuses, allowed settlers to ramrod their way into the area with the prospect of gold, and continues an often dismissive approach today to the original inhabitants of the land.
Perhaps nothing more insulting to the Lakota is that a monumental tribute to four white men who contributed to the decimation of their people and their land was carved into a mountain on land that was stolen from them.
The fight in person and in court continues today as some people and parts of the government assess past treaties and legislation from a more progressive and enlightened perspective, but other politics want to maintain the glory days of Americana where we should see all the good our leaders accomplished without acknowledging the wrongs that were committed along the way.
The other side of this book is about the actual construction of the monument, the artist in charge of it, and the evolution of the monument over the years.
Gutzon Borglum was undoubtedly a singular artistic talent that in his most well known work accomplished something on a scale that no other American artist can claim. He was also a temperamental, inconsistent, controlling jerk who didn’t treat much of anyone well and had multiple questionable relationships across the course of his life.
The first part of the book is mostly the indigenous history, followed by the history of Borglum, then it starts delving into the politics in play right now. Davis seems to try and skirt an official stance openly, perhaps in deference to the readers who share the philosophies of people like Trump and Noem, though his heavier emphasis on indigenous issues provides insight.
I would rather see this as two books, even though it is impossible to separate Borglum’s work from the history of its location. I recently read David Treuer’s The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, which is referenced in this book. It is more comprehensive across all tribes in America, but I liked the way he structured it better than this book.
There is plenty of good information in this book, but I would have preferred something that flowed better than this did for me.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
One of the storylines of the book is about the indigenous history of the area, how the government stripped land away with various excuses, allowed settlers to ramrod their way into the area with the prospect of gold, and continues an often dismissive approach today to the original inhabitants of the land.
Perhaps nothing more insulting to the Lakota is that a monumental tribute to four white men who contributed to the decimation of their people and their land was carved into a mountain on land that was stolen from them.
The fight in person and in court continues today as some people and parts of the government assess past treaties and legislation from a more progressive and enlightened perspective, but other politics want to maintain the glory days of Americana where we should see all the good our leaders accomplished without acknowledging the wrongs that were committed along the way.
The other side of this book is about the actual construction of the monument, the artist in charge of it, and the evolution of the monument over the years.
Gutzon Borglum was undoubtedly a singular artistic talent that in his most well known work accomplished something on a scale that no other American artist can claim. He was also a temperamental, inconsistent, controlling jerk who didn’t treat much of anyone well and had multiple questionable relationships across the course of his life.
The first part of the book is mostly the indigenous history, followed by the history of Borglum, then it starts delving into the politics in play right now. Davis seems to try and skirt an official stance openly, perhaps in deference to the readers who share the philosophies of people like Trump and Noem, though his heavier emphasis on indigenous issues provides insight.
I would rather see this as two books, even though it is impossible to separate Borglum’s work from the history of its location. I recently read David Treuer’s The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, which is referenced in this book. It is more comprehensive across all tribes in America, but I liked the way he structured it better than this book.
There is plenty of good information in this book, but I would have preferred something that flowed better than this did for me.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 2, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook!
I fear that for roughly half of this book, I wasn't the target audience, which is reflected in my rating. The author went much into the histories of individuals involved in the creation of Mount Rushmore, in any way, including native families, as well as the architects (can you call someone who designs a mountain monument an architect? anyway) and various other people who, in one way or another, have a connection to the mountain and monument. For someone who is interested in the more technical details of Mount Rushmore, this is likely to be very interesting, but I fear the author set me up for disappointment by starting with the history of the Indigenous peoples of the area, mainly the Lakota, and the various contacts and conflicts they had with White settlers. There was a lot of historical background relating to groups of people, concepts, and ideologies, which in turn made the technical details on "x wanted funding but couldn't get funding so they did y to get funding" and similar feel very... underwhelming.
Still, by alternating between individuals and wider societal issues (including, for example, the representation of women or Black people), as well as by relating Rushmore to the present (including how the teaching about Rushmore has changed, in its content, its language, and who gets the chance to do the teaching) the author managed to keep my attention during the entire book, and while I probably will not remember most of the details, I feel like I now have a much better idea of Mount Rushmore and the conflicts involved. If I had had this as a physical book, I probably would have enjoyed it even more, as that would have made it easier to skip the sections that were not necessarily of interest to me personally.
(As for the narrator, he speaks SO SLOW. I generally listen to nonfiction on 2x, but this one I had to have on at least 2.5x... When the app crashed and reset the listening speed to 1x, I found it absolutely unbearable. This, too, is probably just my personal preference, though)
I fear that for roughly half of this book, I wasn't the target audience, which is reflected in my rating. The author went much into the histories of individuals involved in the creation of Mount Rushmore, in any way, including native families, as well as the architects (can you call someone who designs a mountain monument an architect? anyway) and various other people who, in one way or another, have a connection to the mountain and monument. For someone who is interested in the more technical details of Mount Rushmore, this is likely to be very interesting, but I fear the author set me up for disappointment by starting with the history of the Indigenous peoples of the area, mainly the Lakota, and the various contacts and conflicts they had with White settlers. There was a lot of historical background relating to groups of people, concepts, and ideologies, which in turn made the technical details on "x wanted funding but couldn't get funding so they did y to get funding" and similar feel very... underwhelming.
Still, by alternating between individuals and wider societal issues (including, for example, the representation of women or Black people), as well as by relating Rushmore to the present (including how the teaching about Rushmore has changed, in its content, its language, and who gets the chance to do the teaching) the author managed to keep my attention during the entire book, and while I probably will not remember most of the details, I feel like I now have a much better idea of Mount Rushmore and the conflicts involved. If I had had this as a physical book, I probably would have enjoyed it even more, as that would have made it easier to skip the sections that were not necessarily of interest to me personally.
(As for the narrator, he speaks SO SLOW. I generally listen to nonfiction on 2x, but this one I had to have on at least 2.5x... When the app crashed and reset the listening speed to 1x, I found it absolutely unbearable. This, too, is probably just my personal preference, though)
November 27, 2025
For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore by Matthew Davis tell the history of the famous monument, and the burden it carries. Mr. Davis is a journal and a published author.
Mt. Rushmore has always represented America to me. I credit my stamp collection (a “stamp” is a colorful sticker one puts on an envelope to let the Postal Service know you paid) when I was around eight years old. About 50 years later I finally got to see the monument … and it was amazing!!!
A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis is not just a book about sculpting, but also about the history of the region, and the United States relations with Native Americans. Th is not just the story of a sculpture into a rock, but a complex symbol whose meaning depends on your interpretation.
A lot of the book involves the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, how he came up with the idea, getting political backing and, of course, financing. Just as much space is devoted to the struggle and history of the Lakota Sioux. There’s a brief overview from the Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer’s Last Stand), the Wounded Knee Massacre, and a series of broken promises and treaties.
But this is not a simple history book, it’s a very personal story told from the point of view the author, those he writes about and their decadents – by blood or spirit. The book ask the reader to reflect on what Gutzon Borglum chose to memorialize, and how that idea changed with time and society’s understanding of history.
The book ends with the 2020 visit of President Trump to the monument, his speech, its politicization, and how it was seen from point of view of Native American activists. The narrative is not a easy one to read, but it should be.
I enjoyed a book which asked me to think without preaching, while blending an excellent narrative and meticulous research. Mt. Rushmore is, and seems like it always will be, and American icon until nature takes its course. It’s an amazing monument to the country, but with a complicated history.
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore by Matthew Davis tell the history of the famous monument, and the burden it carries. Mr. Davis is a journal and a published author.
Mt. Rushmore has always represented America to me. I credit my stamp collection (a “stamp” is a colorful sticker one puts on an envelope to let the Postal Service know you paid) when I was around eight years old. About 50 years later I finally got to see the monument … and it was amazing!!!
A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis is not just a book about sculpting, but also about the history of the region, and the United States relations with Native Americans. Th is not just the story of a sculpture into a rock, but a complex symbol whose meaning depends on your interpretation.
A lot of the book involves the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, how he came up with the idea, getting political backing and, of course, financing. Just as much space is devoted to the struggle and history of the Lakota Sioux. There’s a brief overview from the Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer’s Last Stand), the Wounded Knee Massacre, and a series of broken promises and treaties.
But this is not a simple history book, it’s a very personal story told from the point of view the author, those he writes about and their decadents – by blood or spirit. The book ask the reader to reflect on what Gutzon Borglum chose to memorialize, and how that idea changed with time and society’s understanding of history.
The book ends with the 2020 visit of President Trump to the monument, his speech, its politicization, and how it was seen from point of view of Native American activists. The narrative is not a easy one to read, but it should be.
I enjoyed a book which asked me to think without preaching, while blending an excellent narrative and meticulous research. Mt. Rushmore is, and seems like it always will be, and American icon until nature takes its course. It’s an amazing monument to the country, but with a complicated history.
October 12, 2025
For many, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is the quintessential American monument: the faces of arguably our most influential presidents, larger-than-life upon the wild landscape of western South Dakota, and a destination for family road trips for generations. Matthew Davis has created a comprehensive narrative of the monument, its sculptor Gutzon Borglum, the Black Hills, and the Lakota people who hold the mountain sacred. (This is not a history or analysis of those depicted on Mount Rushmore, by the way.)
While this book will be vastly uncomfortable to those who cling only to the naively patriotic version of American history, it is very fair in its approach to Borglum (portrayed as a human with human failings, his contradictory involvement with the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain and his admiration of Lincoln, and a sculptor of studied and artistic talents) and the complex relationship between the Lakota and the US government. Atrocities such as the deliberate suppression of Lakota culture through the Rapid City Indian School and betrayals such as the violation of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie are not minimized or sensationalized, but their impact is clearly described.
I had the good fortune to visit Mount Rushmore very recently, and I was reading this book throughout the trip. A Biography of a Mountain deepened the meaning of the visit in every aspect: the engineering and artistry of the Memorial, the struggle of its creation, the grandeur of its intention, the impact of the Memorial's existence upon the Lakota people. Mount Rushmore is as contradictory as Borglum's involvement with the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain that led to to his strong ties with the KKK and his open admiration of Abraham Lincoln, and this book captures that dichotomy.
Thanks to Matthew Davis, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While this book will be vastly uncomfortable to those who cling only to the naively patriotic version of American history, it is very fair in its approach to Borglum (portrayed as a human with human failings, his contradictory involvement with the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain and his admiration of Lincoln, and a sculptor of studied and artistic talents) and the complex relationship between the Lakota and the US government. Atrocities such as the deliberate suppression of Lakota culture through the Rapid City Indian School and betrayals such as the violation of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie are not minimized or sensationalized, but their impact is clearly described.
I had the good fortune to visit Mount Rushmore very recently, and I was reading this book throughout the trip. A Biography of a Mountain deepened the meaning of the visit in every aspect: the engineering and artistry of the Memorial, the struggle of its creation, the grandeur of its intention, the impact of the Memorial's existence upon the Lakota people. Mount Rushmore is as contradictory as Borglum's involvement with the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain that led to to his strong ties with the KKK and his open admiration of Abraham Lincoln, and this book captures that dichotomy.
Thanks to Matthew Davis, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2025
This is so much more than a book about Mount Rushmore. The author traveled to the South Dakota Black Hills region to learn more about the mountain, the people who live there, and the varied history of the area, and how the monument cam to be.
This book is about the history of the mountain, held sacred to Native Americans. It is about how Native Americans have been mistreated and forced out of their territories into boxes. It is about how our government, in its Manifest Destiny stance, has made treaties with Native Tribes, only to have the government reneged on their promises, it is about the tragic history of Wounded Knee, the horrors of Indian boarding schools in the Black Hills area and how Native American are still denigrated even today.
It is about Gutzon Borglum, and his history as well. Long before Mount Rushmore, he was involved with the project in the South honoring Confederate heroes at Stone Mountain. At one time, to raise funds for this monument, it was proposed to sell coins minted by the federal government.
"When the bill was passed, however, Borglum was approached by the Stone Mountain Association with a proposition. They asked him to minimize his vision and cut back on the design in exchange for $200,000. The implication was that the association planned to use the money from the coin not for the memorial, but for themselves. The KKK wanted to be funded by the US Treasury. Gutzon, was 'irate' and provided a firm no."
Gutzon left that project. When you visit the memorial at Rushmore, you will learn about the carving of the images, but Borglum was no honorable man. In many instances it was all about him and less about the meaning of the memorial.
It is about Native Americans seeking the return of territories stolen by the government, and restoring dignity.
The area has a complicated history, and, yeah, our history is messy. But it worth it to learn all of it.
This book is about the history of the mountain, held sacred to Native Americans. It is about how Native Americans have been mistreated and forced out of their territories into boxes. It is about how our government, in its Manifest Destiny stance, has made treaties with Native Tribes, only to have the government reneged on their promises, it is about the tragic history of Wounded Knee, the horrors of Indian boarding schools in the Black Hills area and how Native American are still denigrated even today.
It is about Gutzon Borglum, and his history as well. Long before Mount Rushmore, he was involved with the project in the South honoring Confederate heroes at Stone Mountain. At one time, to raise funds for this monument, it was proposed to sell coins minted by the federal government.
"When the bill was passed, however, Borglum was approached by the Stone Mountain Association with a proposition. They asked him to minimize his vision and cut back on the design in exchange for $200,000. The implication was that the association planned to use the money from the coin not for the memorial, but for themselves. The KKK wanted to be funded by the US Treasury. Gutzon, was 'irate' and provided a firm no."
Gutzon left that project. When you visit the memorial at Rushmore, you will learn about the carving of the images, but Borglum was no honorable man. In many instances it was all about him and less about the meaning of the memorial.
It is about Native Americans seeking the return of territories stolen by the government, and restoring dignity.
The area has a complicated history, and, yeah, our history is messy. But it worth it to learn all of it.
November 30, 2025
Matthew Davis offers a complicated history of the 60-foot-tall faces of four presidents carved into the Black Hills of South Dakota. He has drawn on archival sources, his own travels, and interviews with locals. Mt. Rushmore’s story is one of disputed claims and hidden origin including the bloody slaughter of the Indigenous people who inhabited the site, to the shadowy past of its sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. A KKK supporter, Borglum was recruited in 1927 because of his work on a Confederate monument in Stone Mountain,. Borglum refused to participate in a scheme to embezzle Stone Mountain’s federal funding for the KKK. The historian Doane Robinson saw it as a monument to the frontier, with early attractions including likenesses of Red Cloud and George Custer. While that meaning was obscured by the choice to carve U.S. presidents, the intention remains like a dark undercurrent, the author shows, with examples of how Rushmore continues to be a “flash point” between white and Native residents. It’s present a fuller representation of a murky past for Mt. Rushmore.
It is am amazing and fascination book to read. I have briefly seen Mt. Rushmore as I was driving to California. I had no idea of the history of it. I think that this an important part of the United States history that is overlooked by many—we just see the presidents and don’t think of how it came about. I am going to read this book again as the information is fascinating. Anyone who enjoys reading history and/or Mt. Rushmore would enjoy reading it too.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
It is am amazing and fascination book to read. I have briefly seen Mt. Rushmore as I was driving to California. I had no idea of the history of it. I think that this an important part of the United States history that is overlooked by many—we just see the presidents and don’t think of how it came about. I am going to read this book again as the information is fascinating. Anyone who enjoys reading history and/or Mt. Rushmore would enjoy reading it too.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
November 11, 2025
I'm a huge history buff and I have to say, I'm almost embarrassed by how much I didn't know about what went into building Mt. Rushmore! I felt like I understood why it is such a controversial monument to America and its history, but I really didn't know the half of it.
The amount of detail in this book is amazing. It is very well researched, and I think trouble was taken to give both sides of the history of the land and why it is so important to the Lakota Peoples. Some of it was very hard to read even when I knew it was coming, but it was absolutely necessary if we are to understand the complexities of this national monument.
Gutzon Borglum, the artist and drive behind the building of Mount Rushmore, was a very complicated and larger than life character. I enjoyed learning about his past, where he came from and the journey that led to his obsession with building this memorial. The length of time it took from the conception of the idea to its completion was much longer than I knew. I'm honestly surprised, knowing what I know now, that it was ever completed at all. There is no way this would have happened the way that it did in today's world. The whole process was very interesting and surprising, which made for a fascinating read,
All in all, this was a very in depth story of what went into the building of Mount Rushmore, and if you're into historical nonfiction as much as I am, this is the book for you.
5/5 stars.
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Matthew Davis for the opportunity to read A Biography of a Mountain, The Making of Mount Rushmore, in exchange for my honest opinions.
The amount of detail in this book is amazing. It is very well researched, and I think trouble was taken to give both sides of the history of the land and why it is so important to the Lakota Peoples. Some of it was very hard to read even when I knew it was coming, but it was absolutely necessary if we are to understand the complexities of this national monument.
Gutzon Borglum, the artist and drive behind the building of Mount Rushmore, was a very complicated and larger than life character. I enjoyed learning about his past, where he came from and the journey that led to his obsession with building this memorial. The length of time it took from the conception of the idea to its completion was much longer than I knew. I'm honestly surprised, knowing what I know now, that it was ever completed at all. There is no way this would have happened the way that it did in today's world. The whole process was very interesting and surprising, which made for a fascinating read,
All in all, this was a very in depth story of what went into the building of Mount Rushmore, and if you're into historical nonfiction as much as I am, this is the book for you.
5/5 stars.
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Matthew Davis for the opportunity to read A Biography of a Mountain, The Making of Mount Rushmore, in exchange for my honest opinions.
July 10, 2025
If I could give more than five stars to Matthew Davis for the voluminous and comprehensive research he has done for his book about Mount Rushmore, I would.
On the other hand, I believe some later parts of “A Biography of a Mountain” belong in another book.
Davis does a wonderful job explaining about the land, the indigenous people who have lived there for so very long and from whom the land was taken. He covers the treaty involving the land and court cases that have followed. Gutzon Borglum is portrayed as something of a scoundrel, as well as an accomplished artist. I had no idea he studied in Paris and that Auguste Rodin was his idol.
I imagine many of us wonder what it was like to be around Mount Rushmore while all the dynamite was exploding. Davis explained that Borglum had a special technique in which he used smaller amounts of explosive than others might have. In fact, in the original plan for the sculpture, Jefferson was supposed to be on the other side of Washington. It is possible that, on a day when Borglum was not present, the workers used more dynamite than he would have.
Davis did such a good job of reporting the feelings and experiences of those who call Mount Rushmore home. I hadn’t known what to expect when I began to read. Perhaps it would be more of a tour guide, mixed with some history. It is so much more than that.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.
On the other hand, I believe some later parts of “A Biography of a Mountain” belong in another book.
Davis does a wonderful job explaining about the land, the indigenous people who have lived there for so very long and from whom the land was taken. He covers the treaty involving the land and court cases that have followed. Gutzon Borglum is portrayed as something of a scoundrel, as well as an accomplished artist. I had no idea he studied in Paris and that Auguste Rodin was his idol.
I imagine many of us wonder what it was like to be around Mount Rushmore while all the dynamite was exploding. Davis explained that Borglum had a special technique in which he used smaller amounts of explosive than others might have. In fact, in the original plan for the sculpture, Jefferson was supposed to be on the other side of Washington. It is possible that, on a day when Borglum was not present, the workers used more dynamite than he would have.
Davis did such a good job of reporting the feelings and experiences of those who call Mount Rushmore home. I hadn’t known what to expect when I began to read. Perhaps it would be more of a tour guide, mixed with some history. It is so much more than that.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.
October 24, 2025
A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis is an ambitious, researched look at the complicated story of Mount Rushmore, its creation, meaning, and legacy. Davis traces the land’s origins as sacred ground for Native tribes, the expansion of the American West, and the monumental (and controversial) work of sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The book also connects the site’s history to modern movements like Land Back and ongoing debates about how America memorializes its past.
While I think Mr. Davis tried to be somewhat evenhanded in presenting both the United States National Park perspective and that of Native Americans, but for me he was not completely successful. I came away with too many personal stories, too much history told in a rather dull, textbook-like way, and not enough from the Native American side of the story. For a book that sets out to center those voices, their presence often felt secondary.
Still, I appreciated Davis’s effort to grapple with such a difficult subject and his willingness to confront the political and moral complexities of the monument. A Biography of a Mountain is a thoughtful, if uneven, read that may appeal most to history buffs and those curious about how a single mountain can embody so many layers of the American story.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on November 11, 2025.
While I think Mr. Davis tried to be somewhat evenhanded in presenting both the United States National Park perspective and that of Native Americans, but for me he was not completely successful. I came away with too many personal stories, too much history told in a rather dull, textbook-like way, and not enough from the Native American side of the story. For a book that sets out to center those voices, their presence often felt secondary.
Still, I appreciated Davis’s effort to grapple with such a difficult subject and his willingness to confront the political and moral complexities of the monument. A Biography of a Mountain is a thoughtful, if uneven, read that may appeal most to history buffs and those curious about how a single mountain can embody so many layers of the American story.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on November 11, 2025.
November 9, 2025
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
As someone with a history degree, sometimes I want to read about something historical I don’t know much about, but I don’t want it to feel like I’m reading it to write a paper or prepare for a test. Literary nonfiction fulfills this need. And few things, as far as books on history go, can beat a journalist writing literary nonfiction about a topic they have such an obvious curiosity and passion about. Matthew Davis’s “A Biography of a Mountain” reaffirms this.
I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. Davis gives you enough background information about the places, people, and peoples for you to have a decent grasp of the various contexts surrounding Mount Rushmore. If you don’t come to this book with particularly forceful feelings about the site, you may leave it with some. At the very least, unless you’re already an expert, you’re likely to come away with a much fuller understanding of this storied place in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
I particularly appreciated how accessible Davis makes what may be for some, a first venture into Native history. The Lakota are such central figures in the story of Mount Rushmore, past and present, and this book did a really beautiful job of trying to help the reader understand their story.
Would love to read more from the author and highly recommend this book. Very grateful to have received an early copy.
ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
As someone with a history degree, sometimes I want to read about something historical I don’t know much about, but I don’t want it to feel like I’m reading it to write a paper or prepare for a test. Literary nonfiction fulfills this need. And few things, as far as books on history go, can beat a journalist writing literary nonfiction about a topic they have such an obvious curiosity and passion about. Matthew Davis’s “A Biography of a Mountain” reaffirms this.
I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. Davis gives you enough background information about the places, people, and peoples for you to have a decent grasp of the various contexts surrounding Mount Rushmore. If you don’t come to this book with particularly forceful feelings about the site, you may leave it with some. At the very least, unless you’re already an expert, you’re likely to come away with a much fuller understanding of this storied place in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
I particularly appreciated how accessible Davis makes what may be for some, a first venture into Native history. The Lakota are such central figures in the story of Mount Rushmore, past and present, and this book did a really beautiful job of trying to help the reader understand their story.
Would love to read more from the author and highly recommend this book. Very grateful to have received an early copy.
ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
June 8, 2025
What a gift to be offered a copy of A Biography of a Mountain by Matthew Davis. I received this ARC from Net Galley and St Martin's Press.
It is a fascinating tale about so much more than Mount Rushmore. but that iconic monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota makes for a amazing adventure. My wife and I visited Mount Rushmore for the first time last August -- on our way back to Chicago following a cross country trip to Portland. I remember being awed by the majesty of the monument, but something felt off in the whole experience. Thankfully, Matthew Davis helped to identify that dis-ease that was in my soul.
This is an exceptional book that will give insight into the process that lead up to the building of the monument, the men who built it, and the worldview that they attached to the "four boys". But, fortunately, it doesn't end there. Davis also gives us insight into the "Land Back" movement and how it relates to Mount Rushmore.
I know our history isn't perfect, and I appreciate opportunities to learn and grow from some of the mistakes we have made along the way. Thank you Matthew Davis for this eye-opening look at the Black Hills. I am sure that many will not share this view, but I am always grateful for the opportunity to see the world from another's perspective and I now have a whole new appreciation for the Mountain we call Mount Rushmore.
It is a fascinating tale about so much more than Mount Rushmore. but that iconic monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota makes for a amazing adventure. My wife and I visited Mount Rushmore for the first time last August -- on our way back to Chicago following a cross country trip to Portland. I remember being awed by the majesty of the monument, but something felt off in the whole experience. Thankfully, Matthew Davis helped to identify that dis-ease that was in my soul.
This is an exceptional book that will give insight into the process that lead up to the building of the monument, the men who built it, and the worldview that they attached to the "four boys". But, fortunately, it doesn't end there. Davis also gives us insight into the "Land Back" movement and how it relates to Mount Rushmore.
I know our history isn't perfect, and I appreciate opportunities to learn and grow from some of the mistakes we have made along the way. Thank you Matthew Davis for this eye-opening look at the Black Hills. I am sure that many will not share this view, but I am always grateful for the opportunity to see the world from another's perspective and I now have a whole new appreciation for the Mountain we call Mount Rushmore.
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