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Love and Loss After Wounded Knee: A Biography of an Extraordinary Interracial Marriage
A dual biography of two activists whose marriage challenged the gender and racial norms of their time
Like any set of star-crossed lovers, Elaine and Charles came from different worlds. Elaine, an acclaimed childhood poet from a remote corner of the Massachusetts Berkshires, traveled to the Dakota Territories to teach Native American students, undaunted by society’s admonitions. Charles, a Dakota Sioux from Minnesota, educated at Dartmouth and Boston University Medical School, was considered by his Euro-American mentors the epitome of an assimilated Indian. But when they met just ahead of the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, the magnetic pull of love brought them together despite the tremendous odds stacked against them.
Love and Loss after Wounded Knee offers a dual biography of Elaine Goodale and Ohíye’Sa, (Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman), exploring their individual lives as well as their highly publicized interracial marriage. Both well-known in their own time–Elaine as a poet, journalist and advocate for Indian education and Charles as writer, public speaker, and ardent activist for Indian rights– their marriage started with a shared vision to work on behalf of Indians. In the face of extreme prejudice, financial burden, and personal tragedy however, the marriage began to unravel.
Dobrow paints an intimate, emotional portrait of the Eastmans’ lives drawn from Elaine and Charles’ letters, papers, and hundreds of accounts of the Eastmans’ lives from newspapers. Along the way, she skillfully illuminates the shifting late 19th and early 20th century definitions of Indigenous identity, and reveals how the Eastmans’ legacies reflect changing American attitudes toward gender, interracial relationships and biracial children. The result is a compelling new history that weds the private and the political, and Native America and the United States of America–entwined yet separated, inextricable yet never fully joined, just like Elaine and Charles themselves.
Like any set of star-crossed lovers, Elaine and Charles came from different worlds. Elaine, an acclaimed childhood poet from a remote corner of the Massachusetts Berkshires, traveled to the Dakota Territories to teach Native American students, undaunted by society’s admonitions. Charles, a Dakota Sioux from Minnesota, educated at Dartmouth and Boston University Medical School, was considered by his Euro-American mentors the epitome of an assimilated Indian. But when they met just ahead of the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, the magnetic pull of love brought them together despite the tremendous odds stacked against them.
Love and Loss after Wounded Knee offers a dual biography of Elaine Goodale and Ohíye’Sa, (Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman), exploring their individual lives as well as their highly publicized interracial marriage. Both well-known in their own time–Elaine as a poet, journalist and advocate for Indian education and Charles as writer, public speaker, and ardent activist for Indian rights– their marriage started with a shared vision to work on behalf of Indians. In the face of extreme prejudice, financial burden, and personal tragedy however, the marriage began to unravel.
Dobrow paints an intimate, emotional portrait of the Eastmans’ lives drawn from Elaine and Charles’ letters, papers, and hundreds of accounts of the Eastmans’ lives from newspapers. Along the way, she skillfully illuminates the shifting late 19th and early 20th century definitions of Indigenous identity, and reveals how the Eastmans’ legacies reflect changing American attitudes toward gender, interracial relationships and biracial children. The result is a compelling new history that weds the private and the political, and Native America and the United States of America–entwined yet separated, inextricable yet never fully joined, just like Elaine and Charles themselves.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
448 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2025
2 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
Julie Dobrow
3 books15 followersJulie Dobrow is a biographer, professor and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Tufts University. Her writing has appeared in publications such as the Boston Globe Magazine and the Huffington Post. She lives outside of Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 23, 2025
An incredible account Charles and Elaine Eastman! I'm so impressed by the work and research done by Julie Dobrow. The book is factual and concise but written so well and compelling. I've not often read dual biographies but I really enjoyed the separate introduction, the convergence, and eventual separation. The account of the Wounded Knee Massacre through the Eastman's eyes was deeply heartbreaking and I think you can really see the way it affected them through the rest of their lives, personally and professionally. I think it's essential reading for anyone who enjoys history as there are so many topics covered and experienced by the Eastman's: racial prejudice, biracial marriage prejudice and struggles, sexism, varying social and economic pressures. So much happened to these two, it's truly amazing they both lived so long under so much stress and pressure.
I will be purchasing a physical copy once it is published!
Thank you to NetGalley and NYU Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will be purchasing a physical copy once it is published!
Thank you to NetGalley and NYU Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2025
Another great non fiction this year. This interracial couple was all the rage in 1867, being the first of it’s kind to make newsprint. Besides this love story,Dobrow relates the time period in a way the reader can contextualize, as an era of invention and change, progress and back slides. Elaine Goodall is the real life woman so many historical fictions are based upon.
October 3, 2025
I had never heard of Dr. Charles Eastman or Elaine Goodale, and wow was this a wild ride. This book is so well researched. The beginning of their relationship is very romantic, despite them getting engaged just four days prior to the Massacre At Wounded Knee. The middle 25 years of their marriage is stressful, as they battle constant poverty and scrutiny of their interracial relationship at the turn of the 20th century. And the end of their relationship has a telenovela-esque, INSANE twist that I did not see coming AT ALL. Both Dr. Charles and Elaine are wildly unlikeable at times, but ultimately I was fascinated by them and ended up purchasing several of the books they published.
May 19, 2025
📖 Love and Loss After Wounded Knee: A Biography of an Extraordinary Interracial Marriage by Julie Dobrow
A poignant tapestry of love, resilience, and cultural collision in the shadow of America’s darkest hours.
✨ Review
🔹 Emotional Depth: Dobrow masterfully weaves a heart-wrenching yet hopeful narrative of love that defied racial and cultural barriers in post-massacre America.
🔹 Historical Context: The Wounded Knee backdrop adds profound weight to this personal story, revealing how national trauma shapes intimate lives.
🔹 Character Portrayal: The central couple emerges as fully dimensional figures—their struggles, joys, and quiet rebellions feel vividly immediate.
🔹 Writing Style: Elegant prose balances scholarly detail with novelistic sensitivity, though some sections could tighten their pacing.
🔹 Cultural Insight: Offers rare, nuanced perspectives on Native-white relations during a transformative and violent era.
⭐ Star Breakdown (0–5)
Emotional Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Historical Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Character Development: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Narrative Flow: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Original Perspective: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Overall: 4.8/5 - A love story that heals historical wounds while breaking your heart anew.
🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Dobrow for the advance review copy. Love and Loss After Wounded Knee transforms forgotten whispers of the past into an unforgettable chorus of human connection.
A poignant tapestry of love, resilience, and cultural collision in the shadow of America’s darkest hours.
✨ Review
🔹 Emotional Depth: Dobrow masterfully weaves a heart-wrenching yet hopeful narrative of love that defied racial and cultural barriers in post-massacre America.
🔹 Historical Context: The Wounded Knee backdrop adds profound weight to this personal story, revealing how national trauma shapes intimate lives.
🔹 Character Portrayal: The central couple emerges as fully dimensional figures—their struggles, joys, and quiet rebellions feel vividly immediate.
🔹 Writing Style: Elegant prose balances scholarly detail with novelistic sensitivity, though some sections could tighten their pacing.
🔹 Cultural Insight: Offers rare, nuanced perspectives on Native-white relations during a transformative and violent era.
⭐ Star Breakdown (0–5)
Emotional Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Historical Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Character Development: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Narrative Flow: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Original Perspective: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Overall: 4.8/5 - A love story that heals historical wounds while breaking your heart anew.
🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Dobrow for the advance review copy. Love and Loss After Wounded Knee transforms forgotten whispers of the past into an unforgettable chorus of human connection.
December 24, 2025
Julie Dobrow has written the definitive account of this remarkable couple. With confident prose and meticulous research, she traces the individual paths and achievements of Charles Eastman and Elaine Goodale, chronicles the news-making events of their marriage, and guides us through its turmoil and startling aftermath. All the while, Dobrow holds a mirror to America, forcing us to confront its prejudice, sexism, greed, and brutality.
This book is a remarkable achievement—decades in gestation and years in the making. I learned a great deal from reading it, and was also soberingly reminded that many of the social, political, and economic ills that plague our nation today reach back centuries.
This book is a remarkable achievement—decades in gestation and years in the making. I learned a great deal from reading it, and was also soberingly reminded that many of the social, political, and economic ills that plague our nation today reach back centuries.
May 19, 2025
ARC - May 2025
A well written dual biography about the Wounded Knee Massacre, showing the complexities of life.
DNF due to genre preference. I really admire the extremely descriptive writing - this book had to of been EXTREMELY well researched.. While I love learning about history, because I’m simply not a nonfiction person, I wasn’t able to finish. I’m sure it will resonate with readers who enjoy this genre. I’d definitely recommend this book to any lovers of Biographies.
A well written dual biography about the Wounded Knee Massacre, showing the complexities of life.
DNF due to genre preference. I really admire the extremely descriptive writing - this book had to of been EXTREMELY well researched.. While I love learning about history, because I’m simply not a nonfiction person, I wasn’t able to finish. I’m sure it will resonate with readers who enjoy this genre. I’d definitely recommend this book to any lovers of Biographies.
June 1, 2025
This is one of the best books I've read lately. Married during an era when biracial marriages were not acceptable, in a climate primed for violence, these two astounding people would make a difference by standing together against popular opinion. It's hard to believe that the prejudice was so prevalent. Julie Dobrow has written an essential record of the lives and events in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
October 13, 2025
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*.
Love and Loss After Wounded Knee is a dual biography that follows the marriage of Elaine Goodale and Ohíye’Sa (Dr Charles Alexander Eastman). This details their early lives and very different experiences with Elaine being a white woman poet and writer who traveled to the Dakota Territories to teach Native American students. She believed assimilation was the best way for Native Americans to succeed and remained firm in her ideas until she died. Dr Charles was a Dakota Sioux from Minnesota who was seen as the perfect assimilated Indian. Elaine and Charles met just before the Wounded Knee Massacre and had a shared vision to work on behalf of Indians. They faced prejudice but it was personal issues that pulled them apart.
This was written extremely well and this was really compelling. It was easy for me to imagine the scenes described in the book. It is clear the author has researched this book well. I would urge anyone who has a slight interest in this to give it a go. As a Brit, I don’t know that much about Native Americans and I had never heard of Elaine or Charles. I found this fascinating particularly how Elaine and Charles made their marriage work despite prejudice and personal differences. It is clear to me after reading this book that Elaine had good intentions to improve the lives of Indians but was very much stuck in the idea of assimilation and the values of the time period she lived in. Charles wanted to do good for Indian communities and knew he had to appear assimilated to the Euro-Americans in order for him to succeed. This was great, I really enjoyed this and I’ll be thinking about this for a long time.
Love and Loss After Wounded Knee is a dual biography that follows the marriage of Elaine Goodale and Ohíye’Sa (Dr Charles Alexander Eastman). This details their early lives and very different experiences with Elaine being a white woman poet and writer who traveled to the Dakota Territories to teach Native American students. She believed assimilation was the best way for Native Americans to succeed and remained firm in her ideas until she died. Dr Charles was a Dakota Sioux from Minnesota who was seen as the perfect assimilated Indian. Elaine and Charles met just before the Wounded Knee Massacre and had a shared vision to work on behalf of Indians. They faced prejudice but it was personal issues that pulled them apart.
This was written extremely well and this was really compelling. It was easy for me to imagine the scenes described in the book. It is clear the author has researched this book well. I would urge anyone who has a slight interest in this to give it a go. As a Brit, I don’t know that much about Native Americans and I had never heard of Elaine or Charles. I found this fascinating particularly how Elaine and Charles made their marriage work despite prejudice and personal differences. It is clear to me after reading this book that Elaine had good intentions to improve the lives of Indians but was very much stuck in the idea of assimilation and the values of the time period she lived in. Charles wanted to do good for Indian communities and knew he had to appear assimilated to the Euro-Americans in order for him to succeed. This was great, I really enjoyed this and I’ll be thinking about this for a long time.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews