Spirits Do Not Rest : Heartbreak at Wounded Knee

by Margaret Lukas

Spirits Do Not Heartbreak at Wounded Knee. When twenty-two-year-old Lauder Ellison finds herself about to be exposed for plagiarism in a national magazine, she flees her teaching position in Omaha for a small Lakota day school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The year is 1890, and people are fleeing the area due to rumors of Sioux uprisings and Ghost Dancing, both of which have resulted in a massive buildup of army troops. Newspapers across the country are fomenting prejudice and fear. The country waits for war.
Lauder finds sanctuary and love amongst the Lakota, especially the starving children in her classroom and a man trying desperately to save the children from being torn from their families and shipped across the U.S. to Indian boarding schools. No one imagines the horror rising on the cusp.
Spirits Do Not Rest explores greed, death, and the power of love and forgiveness during one of our nation's darkest chapters. The novel also examines the far-reaching roots of injustice and pays tribute to people, who, having lived through unspeakable grief, gather the courage to rise from the ashes and forge a future for their children and grandchildren.

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

Reviews

[Sally Nimmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical novel takes place in the late 1800’s. Lauder is a young woman whose dreams of being a journalist are shattered by an unfortunate mistake of her own making. As a child of wealth, she’s able to use her family’s influence to run away from public humiliation by getting a teaching position at a South Dakota Indian reservation. There, she befriends fellow teacher, Mina, of the Lakota tribe. Through her interactions with Mina as well as her developing love for the young children she teaches, Lauder realizes how many false assumptions she’s made about the Indian culture. As she learns more, she also realizes the conceit of the government and its mistreatment of her fellow human beings.

This was an engrossing story. The author painted a descriptive picture of the place and times. There were plenty of juicy details to keep the reader’s interest including not only a love story, the spirituality of the Indian culture, and the goodness of the human soul; but also instances of misogyny and human weakness. Saddest of all was the realization that unfounded rumors can result in tragedy. That’s what happened when an estimated 300 people, mostly women and children, died at Wounded Knee. I love books that both teach and entertain. This did just that.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a fascinating book cover to cover. I would definitely recommend.