Black Cloud Rises

by Douglas Robbins

🏅 Finalist – 2025 American BookFest Awards (Multicultural Fiction)

Black Cloud Rises

A story of resistance, reckoning, and the healing power of truth.

On Thanksgiving Day—hailed by most as a celebration of gratitude and abundance, yet mourned by many Native Americans as a symbol of loss and erasure—Black Cloud watches the Macy’s Parade from his Pine Ridge Reservation home with his young niece and nephew. Their innocent joy, set against the glossy backdrop of American pride, cuts him deeply, revealing just how invisible his people have become in the story of the nation.

That night, a powerful vision awakens him with not to destroy, but to confront. Not to hate, but to heal. He rallies a small group of allies, each scarred by generational trauma, and together they embark on a bold mission—to disrupt the country’s most beloved holiday tradition at the heart of New York City. What begins as a provocative act of protest becomes something far more a journey of truth, visibility, and spiritual reckoning.

As Black Cloud and his companions navigate personal demons, tribal politics, and systemic blindness, they also rediscover connection, courage, and the hope of redemption—not only for themselves, but for a nation long divided by myth and denial.

Set against the collision of commercialized Thanksgiving and The Day of Mourning, Black Cloud Rises challenges America to look beyond comforting traditions toward a more honest story of who we are and how we heal.
In the end, it asks one searing Can we ever find unity without first acknowledging the truth behind America’s oldest wound?

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2025

About the author

Doug’s journey as a writer began with a pivotal moment in high school, where a teacher encouraged him to craft a poem, sparking Doug's creativity. This transformative experience laid the foundation for Doug's path as a writer.

Doug has navigated through various jobs throughout his life, contributing to his growth. However, storytelling emerged as his true calling. As a prolific author, Doug explores diverse genres—sci-fi, romance, contemporary literature—while consistently delving into profound themes. Throughout his work, the consistent thread remains—a focus on characters undergoing personal growth, navigating life's complexities, and embracing introspective narratives that resonate deeply with dreamers and knowledge seekers.

His podcast, “The Douglas Robbins Show," extends this exploration. Here, Doug navigates the thematic complexities of relationships, the impact of choices on personal aspirations, and the tapestry of human connections.

Doug's artistic expression stands as a testament to his unwavering belief in an authentic life—a life deeply felt, explored through multifaceted emotions, experiences, and connections, persisting across genres and mediums.


Follow Douglas and his work at www.DouglasRobbinsAuthor.com.

Reviews

[Haly Hoards Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

5☆
"We are not relics or antiques, artifacts living in some museum of the past for tourists to poke and prod. We are the flesh and blood of this earth - of this Nation - as you are." Black Cloud

I have to say, for a White guy, Douglas Robbins did a great job writing a novel about American Indians from a Lakota Sioux viewpoint. He was responsible and respectful. There were a few things that he got wrong but they were so small and do not take away from the message.

If you have any opportunity to pick this novel up do it. If you do not want to read the entire novel then read Chapter 25 - The Speech. This chapter alone should be read by every person, especially those living in the United States of America.

I wish an event like the one Black Cloud and his friends pulled off had happened when I was a little Akimel O'Odam (Pima) girl growing up in an all Caucasian community. Maybe, one day a peaceful movement will start and spread healing this nation.

[connie glovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Thanksgiving

I would recommend this book to anyone who can read! The characters in this book Will steal your heart. You’ll never watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade on television again the same way you have seen it in the past after you read this book. The sadness of the American Indian Is told here with much compassion and understanding. References listed in the back of the Boo a history, lesson In its self.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything that was promised from the description and I'm so glad I was able to read this. The characters were everything that I was looking for and I really felt for them in this. I really brought a topic that we don't want to talk about to light. Douglas Robbins was able to weave a realistic story and glad I got to read this.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an ARC reader for Book Sirens and this is my honest opinion. I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I started the first chapters, but my goodness that all changed when Black Cloud, English name Abraham, gets the stirrings of and idea whilst watching the Macy's thanksgiving day parade with his grandchildren in his sister's trailer on their run down reservation, his mother dying in her trailer nearby with three women doing ritual wailing, her only medical treatment. Black Cloud's ideals were crushed when, as a young man with a history degree, he works for the Bureau of Indian affairs, only to find he's the only Indian and loses out on a promotion to a well off, blond blue eyed white man who everyone knows cheated in the promotion exam but turns a blind eye. When Black Cloud puts his idea to his friends during their beer drinking card game, they mock him but try doing exercises - and failing - anyway. Soon, a man turns up, having heard that there's an idea brewing, wanting to help. Then a woman who is a marshal arts expert. Eventually, Native Americans of all tribes from all parts of the country get involved simply by using runners, and passing word of mouth. The build up to the next Day of Mourning, as thanksgiving day is called by the First Nation builds in tension as the author gives the reader glimpses of the preparations, so that I couldn't put the book down. What happens on the day is so spectacular, so educational to the crowds in New York and everyone tuned in to the TV to watch the false representation of history, that anyone who thinks they know anything about the history of the white invasion versus the way the natives were treated ought to read this book. The piece by the author at the end, with quotes by great Chiefs of the past, and a bibliography for further reading, add to the significance of this book. It is well worth reading.

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It is very interesting, a topic we don't hear about much but should. It is well written. I was rooting for the team and glad the way it ended.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Georgia Tumbleweed McNabb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderfully written eye opening book that really needs to be experienced through reading or listening.
It brings to light many things the average American is completely unaware of.
Though a fictional book it dies address Really actual problems facing native American people today.

[Ruth Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry😕

I could only get to chapter seven, and then decided to throw in the towel. I just couldn't get into the storyline. It was repetitive, and was boring. Maybe the story picked up during chapter seven, I don't know. Good luck reading this book.