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A Warrior of the People: How Susan La Flesche Overcame Racial and Gender Inequality to Become America's First Indian Doctor
On March 14, 1889, Susan La Flesche received her medical degree—becoming the first Native American doctor in U.S. history. She earned her degree thirty-one years before women could vote and thirty-five years before Indians could become citizens in their own country.
By age twenty-six, this fragile but indomitable Indian woman became the doctor to her tribe. Overnight, she acquired 1,244 patients scattered across 1,350 square miles of rolling countryside with few roads. Her patients often were desperately poor and desperately sick—tuberculosis, small pox, measles, influenza—families scattered miles apart, whose last hope was a young woman who spoke their language and knew their customs.
This is the story of an Indian woman who effectively became the chief of an entrenched patriarchal tribe, the story of a woman who crashed through thick walls of ethnic, racial and gender prejudice, then spent the rest of her life using a unique bicultural identity to improve the lot of her people—physically, emotionally, politically, and spiritually.
A Warrior of the People is the moving biography of Susan La Flesche’s inspirational life, and it will finally shine a light on her numerous accomplishments.
The author will donate all royalties from this book to a college scholarship fund he has established for Native American high school graduates.
By age twenty-six, this fragile but indomitable Indian woman became the doctor to her tribe. Overnight, she acquired 1,244 patients scattered across 1,350 square miles of rolling countryside with few roads. Her patients often were desperately poor and desperately sick—tuberculosis, small pox, measles, influenza—families scattered miles apart, whose last hope was a young woman who spoke their language and knew their customs.
This is the story of an Indian woman who effectively became the chief of an entrenched patriarchal tribe, the story of a woman who crashed through thick walls of ethnic, racial and gender prejudice, then spent the rest of her life using a unique bicultural identity to improve the lot of her people—physically, emotionally, politically, and spiritually.
A Warrior of the People is the moving biography of Susan La Flesche’s inspirational life, and it will finally shine a light on her numerous accomplishments.
The author will donate all royalties from this book to a college scholarship fund he has established for Native American high school graduates.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2016
235 people are currently reading
1965 people want to read
About the author
Joe Starita
4 books22 followersJoe Starita is a professor in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. For the past 10 years, he has taught many of the college's depth reporting classes - classes designed to give students the skills to probe deeply into a focused topic while also providing some international reporting opportunities. To that end, he has taken groups of students to Cuba, France and Sri Lanka. Closer to home, he has co-taught a depth reporting class that exhaustively examined the pros and cons of corn-based ethanol and a legislative attempt to significantly strengthen state immigration laws. His classes also have produced two depth reports focused on Native American women.
Before joining the journalism faculty in 2000, Starita spent 13 years at the Miami Herald and served as the paper's New York bureau chief from 1983-1987. He also spent four years on the Herald's Investigations Team, where he specialized in stories exposing unethical doctors and lawyers. One of those stories, an article examining how impoverished and illiterate Haitians were being used to extort insurance companies into settling bogus auto claims, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in local reporting.
Interested in American Indian history and culture since his youth, Starita returned to his native Nebraska in 1992 and began work on a three-year book project about five generations of an Indian family. "The Dull Knifes of Pine Ridge - A Lakota Odyssey" was published in 1995 by G.P. Putnam and Sons (New York), has been translated into six foreign languages and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
In 2009, St. Martin's Press published Starita's "I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice," a book on the life and death of Standing Bear, the Ponca chief who, in 1879, unwittingly ended up in the crosshairs of a landmark legal case. That book was the One Book-One Lincoln selection for 2011 and the One Book One Nebraska pick for 2012. In July 2011, Starita received the Leo Reano Award, a national civil rights award, from the National Education Association for his work with the Native American community.
Before joining the journalism faculty in 2000, Starita spent 13 years at the Miami Herald and served as the paper's New York bureau chief from 1983-1987. He also spent four years on the Herald's Investigations Team, where he specialized in stories exposing unethical doctors and lawyers. One of those stories, an article examining how impoverished and illiterate Haitians were being used to extort insurance companies into settling bogus auto claims, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in local reporting.
Interested in American Indian history and culture since his youth, Starita returned to his native Nebraska in 1992 and began work on a three-year book project about five generations of an Indian family. "The Dull Knifes of Pine Ridge - A Lakota Odyssey" was published in 1995 by G.P. Putnam and Sons (New York), has been translated into six foreign languages and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
In 2009, St. Martin's Press published Starita's "I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice," a book on the life and death of Standing Bear, the Ponca chief who, in 1879, unwittingly ended up in the crosshairs of a landmark legal case. That book was the One Book-One Lincoln selection for 2011 and the One Book One Nebraska pick for 2012. In July 2011, Starita received the Leo Reano Award, a national civil rights award, from the National Education Association for his work with the Native American community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
February 10, 2017
One of my greatest joys in reading, is when I find a book about someone or something I knew nothing about. As in this case, this amazing and admirable woman, who accomplished so much, against so many odds. Born in a tepee, a new member of the Omaha tribe, her father Joseph, the new chief. A man adopted before the old chief died so that he could lead his tribe into the future, a future that included adapting to the whites, whom were squeezing the Indian's out of their own territory.
Learned much about this tribe and their culture, their last buffalo hunt, the split in the tribe between those who wanted to adapt to the white man's ways and those who thought it was a betrayal to their culture. The giving up of their land and the constant changing rules of the Indian Bureau and the constant changing rules, betrayal and stipulations. Despite this, Susan made it to college, albeit with help, to college and became a doctor. Discussions on Women's rights as a whole and the remarkable career of not only this woman but her brother and sister, who fought mightily for the American Indian.
The language is easy to understand, simplistic at times, but I found the subject fascinating. Well researched, documented, many of the original letters used, a profound glimpse of a woman ahead of her time. Photographs included which allowed me to put faces to these people.
Learned much about this tribe and their culture, their last buffalo hunt, the split in the tribe between those who wanted to adapt to the white man's ways and those who thought it was a betrayal to their culture. The giving up of their land and the constant changing rules of the Indian Bureau and the constant changing rules, betrayal and stipulations. Despite this, Susan made it to college, albeit with help, to college and became a doctor. Discussions on Women's rights as a whole and the remarkable career of not only this woman but her brother and sister, who fought mightily for the American Indian.
The language is easy to understand, simplistic at times, but I found the subject fascinating. Well researched, documented, many of the original letters used, a profound glimpse of a woman ahead of her time. Photographs included which allowed me to put faces to these people.
January 20, 2025
I struggled with the content on this one. On the one hand, there's this passionate woman fighting for the health, survival, and rights of her people. She worked so hard that she actually worked herself sick. On the other hand, she had to subsume her Omahan heritage, language, and spiritual practices in order to assimilate and be good enough for white people in order to go and be a beacon of hope and love for them. Yet, this also meant accepting Christianity AND proselytizing. And no matter how hard she worked, how much she tried, she was never going to be good enough for the white people she worked so hard to emulate or good enough to be fully trusted by the Indigenous who often saw her campaign her ways of living as selling out, all the while lining up around the block for her medical services.
I think she lived the best life she could on terms that she could accept. I think she did way more than I would have for a population that only appreciated her when they needed her (and by this, I mean both the white and the Indigenous). I think I both admire her and pity her at the same time, and I wish she and her dad hadn't had to give up so much in order to see peace. I think that when she died, she died believing she lived a good life, one which God would be proud of.
There was a lot of white centrism, white saviorship, and government paternalism/Indigenous infantilization that angered me. I don't know. Sacrificing identity to be acceptable in order to reach your goals and actualize your dream - worth it? Only she could say. While I find it upsetting many years removed, maybe I might have done the same if I were she back then.
I think she lived the best life she could on terms that she could accept. I think she did way more than I would have for a population that only appreciated her when they needed her (and by this, I mean both the white and the Indigenous). I think I both admire her and pity her at the same time, and I wish she and her dad hadn't had to give up so much in order to see peace. I think that when she died, she died believing she lived a good life, one which God would be proud of.
There was a lot of white centrism, white saviorship, and government paternalism/Indigenous infantilization that angered me. I don't know. Sacrificing identity to be acceptable in order to reach your goals and actualize your dream - worth it? Only she could say. While I find it upsetting many years removed, maybe I might have done the same if I were she back then.
June 22, 2017
What a woman! And her entire birth family! Reading about them should be more than enthralling, they were that spectacular. Not only in their abilities but in their adaptions and their accomplishments AND in the core of intent that enabled all of that fulfilling those ambitions. Susan La Flesche herself deserves a better biography. One which has a stronger focus on the middle periods of her life.
This is a hard, VERY difficult, book to access. Its form in spots is terrible, the transitions and the order of format- worse than 3 star. And then there are other detailing segments of family interaction and tribal intersect between the Omaha internally that are 5 star. This includes the split in the tribe and the onus between the two factions before her birth- and the place her Father held within all that division of self-identity. But also within her traveling to the East USA for schooling and the emotive and inspirational aspects intrinsic in Susan that allowed her to take that very scary cultural divide step. How the La Flesche base lifestyle could go from circle (tipi transitional movement) to square (wooden grid permanent housing) and back to meld a life- that would have been a 5 star book, with Susan's life story as the diamond in the gem setting.
But instead, the title and the onus becomes much wider to all kinds of other tangents. Some of the past histories of other tribes and especially the hodgepodge inklings of Lakota "eyes" and so much more is ramble scramble presented.
This is the reason I often repeat myself. The BEST non-fiction has a tight focus. This book is a perfect example to that record. All the parts that have Susan's cognition/purposes/desires/needs/goals at the crux are 5 star or near to 5 star. Chunky prose and needless redundancy which is inherent here would not be such a drag to the heart of her heart. And of her skills so needed.
But no, the "bigger" picture of example to the century and a half later politico "eyes" has to be met. And so we lose some of the real Susan to a mummy wrapped as "symbol" in her glory rags presentation.
Fabulous person, incredible family. They deserve a much better prose form for their most excellent record of innovation and achievement. As does the parcel allotment history and the Omaha tribe intersect within the Federal dynamic over that 19th century. That does too- in a separate historical survey. Susan comes of age AFTER the last buffalo hunt occurred in 1876, and that progression of land loss is actually far more entangled in her Father's biography than in hers. The alcoholism, tuberculous and other dire fall outs becoming endemic- those and the building of her hospital are much more a part of her life's tale.
After all is read here, I have so many thoughts to the common methods of assuming and judging one era's reality and context with/by another era's sensibilities and judgments. And truly wonder what would be the reaction of and to a Joseph La Flesche today in 2017. His influence and his dictates! Not even allowing his daughters the Marking Ceremony and turning them from most of the Omaha practical applications and lifestyle that existed for at least two centuries of their own culture's tribal past? He would be vilified and demonized. Called worse names than a Ben Carson.
It would have been such a better book if the scope didn't yield to the universal and had the tighter focus to the Omaha and Susan herself. What bravery and what capacity for practical applications!
I'll read more about her, for sure. Phenomenal woman.
This is a hard, VERY difficult, book to access. Its form in spots is terrible, the transitions and the order of format- worse than 3 star. And then there are other detailing segments of family interaction and tribal intersect between the Omaha internally that are 5 star. This includes the split in the tribe and the onus between the two factions before her birth- and the place her Father held within all that division of self-identity. But also within her traveling to the East USA for schooling and the emotive and inspirational aspects intrinsic in Susan that allowed her to take that very scary cultural divide step. How the La Flesche base lifestyle could go from circle (tipi transitional movement) to square (wooden grid permanent housing) and back to meld a life- that would have been a 5 star book, with Susan's life story as the diamond in the gem setting.
But instead, the title and the onus becomes much wider to all kinds of other tangents. Some of the past histories of other tribes and especially the hodgepodge inklings of Lakota "eyes" and so much more is ramble scramble presented.
This is the reason I often repeat myself. The BEST non-fiction has a tight focus. This book is a perfect example to that record. All the parts that have Susan's cognition/purposes/desires/needs/goals at the crux are 5 star or near to 5 star. Chunky prose and needless redundancy which is inherent here would not be such a drag to the heart of her heart. And of her skills so needed.
But no, the "bigger" picture of example to the century and a half later politico "eyes" has to be met. And so we lose some of the real Susan to a mummy wrapped as "symbol" in her glory rags presentation.
Fabulous person, incredible family. They deserve a much better prose form for their most excellent record of innovation and achievement. As does the parcel allotment history and the Omaha tribe intersect within the Federal dynamic over that 19th century. That does too- in a separate historical survey. Susan comes of age AFTER the last buffalo hunt occurred in 1876, and that progression of land loss is actually far more entangled in her Father's biography than in hers. The alcoholism, tuberculous and other dire fall outs becoming endemic- those and the building of her hospital are much more a part of her life's tale.
After all is read here, I have so many thoughts to the common methods of assuming and judging one era's reality and context with/by another era's sensibilities and judgments. And truly wonder what would be the reaction of and to a Joseph La Flesche today in 2017. His influence and his dictates! Not even allowing his daughters the Marking Ceremony and turning them from most of the Omaha practical applications and lifestyle that existed for at least two centuries of their own culture's tribal past? He would be vilified and demonized. Called worse names than a Ben Carson.
It would have been such a better book if the scope didn't yield to the universal and had the tighter focus to the Omaha and Susan herself. What bravery and what capacity for practical applications!
I'll read more about her, for sure. Phenomenal woman.
November 27, 2016
I was listening to the Nebraska Educational Television (NET) podcast from the Lincoln City Library. They were interviewing, Joe Starita a professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus, about his new book “A Warrior of the People”. I was so intrigued I rushed over to Audible and bought the book in audiobook format.
In the 1800s women were considered unfit to be physicians. Also in the 1800s prejudice of Native Americans was extreme. Can you image what Susan La Flesche, the daughter of an Omaha Tribal Chief, had to overcome to graduate from medical school and become the United States’ first Native American female physician?
Starita covered her life from the Tribal Lands in Nebraska to private schools on the East coast then back to Nebraska to care for her tribe. She was actually born in a Tepee. She had to fight not only ethnic and gender prejudice but language, financial hurdles and all her life the government bureaucracy. The Omaha was a progressive tribe that valued the thoughts and opinions of women. Professor Starita has studied the Omaha and written extensively about them. Susan’s siblings were also trail blazers. Her sister Susette (Bright Eyes) was a famous spokeswoman for the Indian Civil Rights and her brother was the county’s first Native American ethnographer. Susan was the physician for the Omaha tribe but also found time to marry and have children. Susan spoke four languages: English, French, Omaha and Ponca. La Flesche died at age 50 of bone cancer.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. I found the story of La Flesche fascinating. Her courage and determination to help her tribe was inspiring. I found the section about her life on the East coast and medical school most interesting. I enjoy reading about people that broke barriers and overcame enormous odds to achieve their goals. I have come across some interesting author interviews about books that I heard about nowhere else except on the NET book review podcast.
Carrington MacDuffie did an excellent job narrating the book. MacDuffie is a singer/songwriter, voice over artist and a multi-award winning audiobook narrator.
In the 1800s women were considered unfit to be physicians. Also in the 1800s prejudice of Native Americans was extreme. Can you image what Susan La Flesche, the daughter of an Omaha Tribal Chief, had to overcome to graduate from medical school and become the United States’ first Native American female physician?
Starita covered her life from the Tribal Lands in Nebraska to private schools on the East coast then back to Nebraska to care for her tribe. She was actually born in a Tepee. She had to fight not only ethnic and gender prejudice but language, financial hurdles and all her life the government bureaucracy. The Omaha was a progressive tribe that valued the thoughts and opinions of women. Professor Starita has studied the Omaha and written extensively about them. Susan’s siblings were also trail blazers. Her sister Susette (Bright Eyes) was a famous spokeswoman for the Indian Civil Rights and her brother was the county’s first Native American ethnographer. Susan was the physician for the Omaha tribe but also found time to marry and have children. Susan spoke four languages: English, French, Omaha and Ponca. La Flesche died at age 50 of bone cancer.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. I found the story of La Flesche fascinating. Her courage and determination to help her tribe was inspiring. I found the section about her life on the East coast and medical school most interesting. I enjoy reading about people that broke barriers and overcame enormous odds to achieve their goals. I have come across some interesting author interviews about books that I heard about nowhere else except on the NET book review podcast.
Carrington MacDuffie did an excellent job narrating the book. MacDuffie is a singer/songwriter, voice over artist and a multi-award winning audiobook narrator.
March 12, 2017
Poorly written. Awkward transitions. Lots of repetition. She was an interesting woman, to be sure; she deserved a better biography.
August 10, 2017
Author wasn't right for this subject. I had been waiting for awhile to read this book. We often don't hear about many pioneers in their fields and I was intrigued by the tale of the first Native American doctor in US history. I was curious to read about the struggles she might have faced, what her life was like, how she coped (apparently she was the responsible for over 1,200 patients over a territory of 1,350 miles. And this was back before the car.
I don't know much about her but I felt overall disappointed by the book. The writing is awkward and I felt it tried a little too hard to try to get into Dr. La Flesche's POV without actually having the sources to do so. The cover talks about overcoming racial and gender inequality but it didn't seem like that was mentioned much.
Overall the writing was plodding and just hard to get through. The author seems to really love talking about his subject but that just didn't come through. It's clear he's very excited about his subject but the writing doesn't match the enthusiasm.
I also note that it's not clear to me if the author is Native American. The flap notes that all royalties of the book will go to a scholarship fund he established for Native American high school graduates, which is cool. But I wonder if he is unable to really understand and convey the doctor's accomplishments and life without that experience of sharing her heritage or Native American heritage, period.
This is a story that might not have been told without him as a reporter and academic (and it's clear he cites many sources of books, newspapers, interviews, etc.) at the end. But overall while I learned a bit more I just didn't think he was the person to tell the story. Recommend borrowing this from the library.
I don't know much about her but I felt overall disappointed by the book. The writing is awkward and I felt it tried a little too hard to try to get into Dr. La Flesche's POV without actually having the sources to do so. The cover talks about overcoming racial and gender inequality but it didn't seem like that was mentioned much.
Overall the writing was plodding and just hard to get through. The author seems to really love talking about his subject but that just didn't come through. It's clear he's very excited about his subject but the writing doesn't match the enthusiasm.
I also note that it's not clear to me if the author is Native American. The flap notes that all royalties of the book will go to a scholarship fund he established for Native American high school graduates, which is cool. But I wonder if he is unable to really understand and convey the doctor's accomplishments and life without that experience of sharing her heritage or Native American heritage, period.
This is a story that might not have been told without him as a reporter and academic (and it's clear he cites many sources of books, newspapers, interviews, etc.) at the end. But overall while I learned a bit more I just didn't think he was the person to tell the story. Recommend borrowing this from the library.
January 13, 2018
Since I am giving this book one star, I am going to explain. Susan La Flesche is/was an incredible woman. What gave this book one star was the writing. It was terrible. I am grateful to the author for writing something about this inspiring woman, but man, I couldn't get myself to read his unorganized and repetitive writing. So many sentences were repeated. The book would be talking about Susan, then her sisters, then her father, then different time periods, and then other Native American events (treaties, wars, etc.) without any warning. I often times was confused as to whom a sentence was referring to. I'm surprised an editor didn't pick out these things. I do hope to find another book about Susan La Flesche in the future because I would like to know more about her life...just in a format that I can get through.
July 20, 2020
I had not heard of Susan La Flesche before. She is the first Native American woman to graduate from medical school. A bright, highly motivated, generous woman, at home in two cultures, she served as the only doctor to a large Omaha community in the late 19th and early 20th century. I enjoyed meeting this woman who broke so many barriers. But, I thought the writing lacked polish.
July 7, 2018
Written in simple language with plenty of context, but overly sentimental and dramatic, often speculative, and repetitively didactic, in the manner of a young adult reader rather than adult nonfiction. While the context is generally good, it takes LaFlesche’s assimilationist stance as an almost unqualified good, even heroic, and fails to give the traditionalists their due.
November 1, 2016
A meticulously researched biography of Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first native woman to become a doctor. Susan, a member of the Omaha tribe, attended school in New Jersey and Virginia before applying to the Woman's Medical College in Philadelphia. It was difficult reading about all of the terrible treatment the natives received, but there were also some positives. Even though Susan had no money, many people assisted in her pursuit of a medical degree. A fascinating snapshot of a time I knew very little about, and a portrait of a strong woman who defied the odds.
October 28, 2021
A very interesting and also sad story of Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first female Native American physician. Dr. Picotte worked for more than 25 years among her Omaha tribe, fighting tuberculosis, measles, injuries, and influenza as she struggled to keep her own health intact as she worked extremely long hours in 1,350 square miles. Even as her story is inspirational, it also highlights the poor treatment of native people by the U.S. government.
November 19, 2016
So this year I tried to be reading most Native American books this month. Unfortunately, after the first week, I felt depressed enough about my country that I felt that I didn't want to read anything that would make that feeling worse.
This isn't to say that this book makes me feel great about this country - it doesn't. The most engaging parts of the book to me were actually how the author is able to portray a painfully changing world of Susan's people, the Omaha. A painful and incredibly unfair one. Despite how hard she works to do things the right way, to appeal to the government, to make it official law as opposed to an unwritten one, Native Americans (Omaha and others) are hounded by the apathy or straight up manipulation of white people around nearly every corner. The nuance of how some aspects of white culture are beneficial, but huge swaths of it are outright harmful, of how they needed to assimilate, but at the cost of certain aspects of culture, how Susan occasionally feeds into the public mindset of Native people once having been "savages" - these are all difficult, complicated things that are properly given their difficult, complicated due. But most importantly, it never shies away from the damning that America deserves. It's complicated, but it's not excusable.
On top of this, the subject of the book is one of the most intensely amazing people I've had the pleasure to read about. It would be a simplification to say that the doctor had no faults, but everything she did she did with the passionate fervor and a deep understanding of people. The type of person who you'd try to dig into her past to slander and find nothing but an insect she harmed inadvertently and still feels guilty about. To say she gave her life for the benefit of her people would be a painfully quick way to sum it up, but it's true. The wholesome admiration I felt for this woman, whose kindness compelled her to not only medical practice, but for lobbying and missionary work can't be understated. She was an amazing person, and there is a passion to the way that the book is written that makes you wholly believe it.
The writing is readable. I don't have complaints about the simplicity - the author having been a reporter likely means that their style is used to being read by a varied audience, as newspaper articles are supposed to be. But the fact that it isn't didactic or overwritten shouldn't mean that it's for a younger audience, and its accessibility is a nice feature, especially for a historical figure otherwise unknown. I have more problems with books that are dense and are trying to convolute things with long words that don't need it. The story is plenty complex for the complex lives and people in it. This book was not difficult to gobble up, but that was to its benefit.
A worthy, worthy read about a worthy, worthy human.
This isn't to say that this book makes me feel great about this country - it doesn't. The most engaging parts of the book to me were actually how the author is able to portray a painfully changing world of Susan's people, the Omaha. A painful and incredibly unfair one. Despite how hard she works to do things the right way, to appeal to the government, to make it official law as opposed to an unwritten one, Native Americans (Omaha and others) are hounded by the apathy or straight up manipulation of white people around nearly every corner. The nuance of how some aspects of white culture are beneficial, but huge swaths of it are outright harmful, of how they needed to assimilate, but at the cost of certain aspects of culture, how Susan occasionally feeds into the public mindset of Native people once having been "savages" - these are all difficult, complicated things that are properly given their difficult, complicated due. But most importantly, it never shies away from the damning that America deserves. It's complicated, but it's not excusable.
On top of this, the subject of the book is one of the most intensely amazing people I've had the pleasure to read about. It would be a simplification to say that the doctor had no faults, but everything she did she did with the passionate fervor and a deep understanding of people. The type of person who you'd try to dig into her past to slander and find nothing but an insect she harmed inadvertently and still feels guilty about. To say she gave her life for the benefit of her people would be a painfully quick way to sum it up, but it's true. The wholesome admiration I felt for this woman, whose kindness compelled her to not only medical practice, but for lobbying and missionary work can't be understated. She was an amazing person, and there is a passion to the way that the book is written that makes you wholly believe it.
The writing is readable. I don't have complaints about the simplicity - the author having been a reporter likely means that their style is used to being read by a varied audience, as newspaper articles are supposed to be. But the fact that it isn't didactic or overwritten shouldn't mean that it's for a younger audience, and its accessibility is a nice feature, especially for a historical figure otherwise unknown. I have more problems with books that are dense and are trying to convolute things with long words that don't need it. The story is plenty complex for the complex lives and people in it. This book was not difficult to gobble up, but that was to its benefit.
A worthy, worthy read about a worthy, worthy human.
September 13, 2020
**Update - In the Omaha World Herald this morning was an article about renovations to her hospital. Great that her memory is being honored. https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regi...
Susan La Flesche became the first Native American to receive a medical degree. Her story covers lots of issues, not just that of a woman facing gender obstacles, or the persistent stereotypes of Indians by caucasians, but the question of the appropriateness of assimilation into white culture. She was a reformer in championing causes for her Omaha tribe including land rights, women's rights, education and public health among others. The many instances of the Office of Indian Affairs stonewalling basic human rights were both disturbing and embarrassing but not surprising. One of those well known but ignored and oft not taught parts of our history. As well as the advantage taken of this population with the propagation of alcohol abuse and land grabs.
I haven't read much Nebraska history, but my in-person group picked this for February. I was stunned how many names dropped through Susan La Flesche's story were now various streets, schools and buildings in Bellevue where I live. This book really helped to put a narrative to this eastern part of the state and my suburb. Susan story was fascinating because of the personal connections. She was truly a remarkable and inspirational woman, working tirelessly as a physician to her people but also offering religious instruction in the Christian faith, at the same time incorporating some of their Native American spirituality. The book discusses how the efforts to assimilate to European social norms were sometimes successful and other times backfired. Much was expected in a few years time putting undue pressure on an already broken people. Susan worked hard to find that delicate balance of embracing and celebrating both new and old cultures, all while she struggled with her own health issues that only later in life were diagnosed as likely bone cancer.
Nice article in Smithsonian about her and the book. Warning there are spoilers as it addresses her whole story. If you've read the book - its another glimpse into her life. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
Add to that a wonderful PBS documentary:
https://www.pbs.org/show/medicine-woman/
Susan La Flesche became the first Native American to receive a medical degree. Her story covers lots of issues, not just that of a woman facing gender obstacles, or the persistent stereotypes of Indians by caucasians, but the question of the appropriateness of assimilation into white culture. She was a reformer in championing causes for her Omaha tribe including land rights, women's rights, education and public health among others. The many instances of the Office of Indian Affairs stonewalling basic human rights were both disturbing and embarrassing but not surprising. One of those well known but ignored and oft not taught parts of our history. As well as the advantage taken of this population with the propagation of alcohol abuse and land grabs.
I haven't read much Nebraska history, but my in-person group picked this for February. I was stunned how many names dropped through Susan La Flesche's story were now various streets, schools and buildings in Bellevue where I live. This book really helped to put a narrative to this eastern part of the state and my suburb. Susan story was fascinating because of the personal connections. She was truly a remarkable and inspirational woman, working tirelessly as a physician to her people but also offering religious instruction in the Christian faith, at the same time incorporating some of their Native American spirituality. The book discusses how the efforts to assimilate to European social norms were sometimes successful and other times backfired. Much was expected in a few years time putting undue pressure on an already broken people. Susan worked hard to find that delicate balance of embracing and celebrating both new and old cultures, all while she struggled with her own health issues that only later in life were diagnosed as likely bone cancer.
Nice article in Smithsonian about her and the book. Warning there are spoilers as it addresses her whole story. If you've read the book - its another glimpse into her life. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
Add to that a wonderful PBS documentary:
https://www.pbs.org/show/medicine-woman/
August 26, 2018
It is with heavy heart that I must admit defeat. The writing style of this book is just so very, very far from my preference for a nonfiction book, and the focus is shifted far enough away from the subjects that most interest me, that I'm not going to press on.
I want to stress that Susan La Flesche's story--indeed, the story of her whole family--is absolutely fascinating, and I would love to see a nice, fat book with even more details about everyone, from the Omaha chief who appointed her father his heir to her sister who chose to remain on Omaha land to raise children and teach. But I would also really--and I mean really--like to see such a book have end notes in it. Starita states that he chose not to use notes because they would disrupt the flow of the story, but it made me a tad suspicious to have no frame of reference every time he described Susan La Flesche's emotions. (Except for the first chapter, which he did let us know was sourced from a highly detailed account that La Flesche gave.)
Parts of the writing were also oddly repetitive: restating the obstacles that she had overcome so far, that she was equally comfortable with poetry readers and Omaha ceremonies (though I didn't read any examples of the latter), and that La Flesche "could not know" about conflicts happening concurrently at the national level. And several times a turn of phrase--like, "the half-blood Omaha and the full-blood Sioux"--would be used at the end of one paragraph and at the beginning of the following paragraph.
I have to admit, I was hoping for a lot more information about La Flesche's education growing up. What elements of traditional Omaha beliefs did her father permit the his children to learn? What was her time at the school in New Jersey like? There's plenty of textual evidence about how she fit in to white society, but were there ever moments when she stood out and stood up for her heritage? What did she think of attitudes towards American Indians playing out on the national stage? What did she think of her black classmates at Hampton? And what did a mid-to-late nineteenth century medical education consist of? I really was hoping for more information about medicine, particularly if there were any Omaha medical practices that La Flesche did approve of, or work with. And I wanted a more socially critical examination of her interactions with white America.
Even though the book didn't meet my expectations, the facts spoke for themselves: the details of white America's cruelty to the country's first inhabitants were as appalling as expected. And even the good-intentioned support of white people stung: the language used to praise La Fleshce is condescending in the extreme (I would have liked Starita to comment on this), and this behavior did seem to start impacting the way she wrote about her own people in letters to her family. I would have liked examples of ways that she preserved her Omaha heritage (as we are told she did), not just the ways she blended into white society.
And of course, shining through everything was La Flesche's brilliant resilience. I went into this book knowing that she overcame obstacles--but that didn't make it any less impressive to read about how she worked in correspondence with women she'd never met to scrape together the money to attend medical school, or how she graduated at the top of her class.
Like I said, I'm disappointed to be giving this up--but the ratio of "narrative" to "nonfiction", and literary flourishes to facts is far too high for my taste and comfort. If you like your history to read more like a story, you will love this book. If you, like me, occasionally try to vary your embarrassingly high fiction intake with distinctly differently-written nonfiction, this book probably won't be to your taste. If you have similar stylistic taste to me but are a better person than I am and are willing to push past style to read about this amazing woman and her family, I would love to hear your Cliffs Notes version. In the meantime, I will slink over to Wikipedia with my tail between my legs.
Quotes & Notes
37) "It is either civilization or extermination."
It may have been Joseph La Flesche and Big Elk's attitude, but that doesn't make it any less sad that a long-established way of life that wasn't European-based was not considered "civilization". It's not clear whether this thinking had been internalized by the "Young Men's Party" faction of the Omaha, or whether the use of "civilization" was used somewhat ironically in his sense. (It's also not clear whether this was Starita's encapsulation of a complex situation or something that someone said at the time. An end note might have settled that question...
55) As low as white America had stooped, I was still unpleasantly surprised to learn that a federal prosecutor tried to argue in 1879--after the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments--that the logic of Dred Scott ruling that denied citizenship to black people should be applied to American Indians. Fortunately (amazingly), the judge didn't buy it.
70) "Among the Indians, frustrated Senator Dawes once remarked, 'there is no selfishness, which is at the bottom of civilization.'"
Oh boo-hoo, you narrow-minded capitalist.
79) One of the coolest things about this book is the number of interesting women La Flesche bumped elbows with. This wasn't like royal Europe, where you had a handful of Queens surrounded mostly by male politicians. Alice Fletcher turned out to have a bad streak in the end, but she still campaigned on incredibly hard on behalf of the Omaha, with Susan La Flesche's brother at her side, and helped them sort out land allotments that, according to Starita, calmed the tribe members' fears that they would be shipped off to a reservation down south. The next two quotes cover other cool women:
114) "'Far from being a period when women physicians were an anomaly, the late nineteenth century witnessed a remarkable increase in their numbers. In Boston, the peak was reached in 1900 when women physicians accounted for 18.2 percent of the city's doctors."
Just to be clear, this wasn't the all-time peak. In 2014, 40% of doctors in Boston were women.
126) "Susan and her classmates (including one from India, one from Syria, and another from Japan)..."
What! I want to read about all of them! I think I just need a more-factual-than-flowery book about women practicing medicine through the ages--that would probably hit the spot for me.
The views and opinions expressed in this review are my own and should not be construed as representing those of my company.
I want to stress that Susan La Flesche's story--indeed, the story of her whole family--is absolutely fascinating, and I would love to see a nice, fat book with even more details about everyone, from the Omaha chief who appointed her father his heir to her sister who chose to remain on Omaha land to raise children and teach. But I would also really--and I mean really--like to see such a book have end notes in it. Starita states that he chose not to use notes because they would disrupt the flow of the story, but it made me a tad suspicious to have no frame of reference every time he described Susan La Flesche's emotions. (Except for the first chapter, which he did let us know was sourced from a highly detailed account that La Flesche gave.)
Parts of the writing were also oddly repetitive: restating the obstacles that she had overcome so far, that she was equally comfortable with poetry readers and Omaha ceremonies (though I didn't read any examples of the latter), and that La Flesche "could not know" about conflicts happening concurrently at the national level. And several times a turn of phrase--like, "the half-blood Omaha and the full-blood Sioux"--would be used at the end of one paragraph and at the beginning of the following paragraph.
I have to admit, I was hoping for a lot more information about La Flesche's education growing up. What elements of traditional Omaha beliefs did her father permit the his children to learn? What was her time at the school in New Jersey like? There's plenty of textual evidence about how she fit in to white society, but were there ever moments when she stood out and stood up for her heritage? What did she think of attitudes towards American Indians playing out on the national stage? What did she think of her black classmates at Hampton? And what did a mid-to-late nineteenth century medical education consist of? I really was hoping for more information about medicine, particularly if there were any Omaha medical practices that La Flesche did approve of, or work with. And I wanted a more socially critical examination of her interactions with white America.
Even though the book didn't meet my expectations, the facts spoke for themselves: the details of white America's cruelty to the country's first inhabitants were as appalling as expected. And even the good-intentioned support of white people stung: the language used to praise La Fleshce is condescending in the extreme (I would have liked Starita to comment on this), and this behavior did seem to start impacting the way she wrote about her own people in letters to her family. I would have liked examples of ways that she preserved her Omaha heritage (as we are told she did), not just the ways she blended into white society.
And of course, shining through everything was La Flesche's brilliant resilience. I went into this book knowing that she overcame obstacles--but that didn't make it any less impressive to read about how she worked in correspondence with women she'd never met to scrape together the money to attend medical school, or how she graduated at the top of her class.
Like I said, I'm disappointed to be giving this up--but the ratio of "narrative" to "nonfiction", and literary flourishes to facts is far too high for my taste and comfort. If you like your history to read more like a story, you will love this book. If you, like me, occasionally try to vary your embarrassingly high fiction intake with distinctly differently-written nonfiction, this book probably won't be to your taste. If you have similar stylistic taste to me but are a better person than I am and are willing to push past style to read about this amazing woman and her family, I would love to hear your Cliffs Notes version. In the meantime, I will slink over to Wikipedia with my tail between my legs.
Quotes & Notes
37) "It is either civilization or extermination."
It may have been Joseph La Flesche and Big Elk's attitude, but that doesn't make it any less sad that a long-established way of life that wasn't European-based was not considered "civilization". It's not clear whether this thinking had been internalized by the "Young Men's Party" faction of the Omaha, or whether the use of "civilization" was used somewhat ironically in his sense. (It's also not clear whether this was Starita's encapsulation of a complex situation or something that someone said at the time. An end note might have settled that question...
55) As low as white America had stooped, I was still unpleasantly surprised to learn that a federal prosecutor tried to argue in 1879--after the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments--that the logic of Dred Scott ruling that denied citizenship to black people should be applied to American Indians. Fortunately (amazingly), the judge didn't buy it.
70) "Among the Indians, frustrated Senator Dawes once remarked, 'there is no selfishness, which is at the bottom of civilization.'"
Oh boo-hoo, you narrow-minded capitalist.
79) One of the coolest things about this book is the number of interesting women La Flesche bumped elbows with. This wasn't like royal Europe, where you had a handful of Queens surrounded mostly by male politicians. Alice Fletcher turned out to have a bad streak in the end, but she still campaigned on incredibly hard on behalf of the Omaha, with Susan La Flesche's brother at her side, and helped them sort out land allotments that, according to Starita, calmed the tribe members' fears that they would be shipped off to a reservation down south. The next two quotes cover other cool women:
114) "'Far from being a period when women physicians were an anomaly, the late nineteenth century witnessed a remarkable increase in their numbers. In Boston, the peak was reached in 1900 when women physicians accounted for 18.2 percent of the city's doctors."
Just to be clear, this wasn't the all-time peak. In 2014, 40% of doctors in Boston were women.
126) "Susan and her classmates (including one from India, one from Syria, and another from Japan)..."
What! I want to read about all of them! I think I just need a more-factual-than-flowery book about women practicing medicine through the ages--that would probably hit the spot for me.
The views and opinions expressed in this review are my own and should not be construed as representing those of my company.
October 20, 2024
4.3 ⭐ I did a project on Dr. Picotte years ago, but I certainly did not know enough about her. This book was extremely insightful. I also grew up in Nebraska, so I had a lot of fun reading about a native Nebraskan who did so much for her people and her country :)
I did not give this book 5 stars because the author included a bunch of info that probably could have been left out, so there were parts where the book felt like it was droning on and I felt pulled out of the narrative.
My favorite part was how the author detailed Susan's multi-cultural approach to life, highlighting how she was able to live and grow in a changing world while remaining true to her cultural roots and values. Thank you to Libby for recommending!!
I did not give this book 5 stars because the author included a bunch of info that probably could have been left out, so there were parts where the book felt like it was droning on and I felt pulled out of the narrative.
My favorite part was how the author detailed Susan's multi-cultural approach to life, highlighting how she was able to live and grow in a changing world while remaining true to her cultural roots and values. Thank you to Libby for recommending!!
June 9, 2024
A glorious book that I thoroughly enjoyed. As a resident of Omaha, Nebraska I related closely to this story.
Beyond the powerful story of Ms. LaFleche. Is fantastic story of a brilliant woman and her people put up with white people.
Beyond the powerful story of Ms. LaFleche. Is fantastic story of a brilliant woman and her people put up with white people.
November 11, 2016
Summary: An incredible and engaging story, although written a bit simply.
Susan La Flesche was the first Native American to become a doctor, at a time when any female doctors were rare. She overcome many obstacles and made difficult personal sacrifices to serve her people. Her level of community involvement while in school and while serving as a doctor was almost unbelievable. She led a fascinating and inspiring life.
As you can tell from my gushing summary, I was blown away by Susan La Flesche's accomplishments. She really was an inspiration to read about! The author did a great job bringing her story to life. He won me over at the beginning by explaining that he was drawing on a large collection of primary documents (mostly letters written by Susan) whenever he speculated about her thoughts or emotions. I love when authors of narrative nonfiction employ this technique to add emotion to a story while remaining as factual as possible. I do wish he had also addressed his choice to use the identifier "Indian" instead of "Native American" throughout. Personally, I found it inappropriate and inaccurate, at least when used by the author and not in a direct quote.
My only other complaint could actually be a strength as well and that is that I found the writing somewhat simplistic. I felt as though I was reading a book intended for a younger audience. The reason that's also a good thing is that I would definitely recommend this book to any high school or middle school girls. It's approachable, as well as inspiring. There were a few other little problems with the writing that may be due to the fact that I had an ARC. I feel they're worth mentioning though, because they go beyond the problems I usually see in a review copy. Not only were there several paragraphs repeated verbatim (which I'm positive will be fixed), there were sections where the text was different but the content was repetitive. I'm less confident this second problem will be fixed. Speculation aside, I am giving away a review copy (with thanks to St Martin's!), so I would recommend only entering to win if, like me, you won't be too bothered by a few typos to enjoy an otherwise good book.
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This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
Susan La Flesche was the first Native American to become a doctor, at a time when any female doctors were rare. She overcome many obstacles and made difficult personal sacrifices to serve her people. Her level of community involvement while in school and while serving as a doctor was almost unbelievable. She led a fascinating and inspiring life.
As you can tell from my gushing summary, I was blown away by Susan La Flesche's accomplishments. She really was an inspiration to read about! The author did a great job bringing her story to life. He won me over at the beginning by explaining that he was drawing on a large collection of primary documents (mostly letters written by Susan) whenever he speculated about her thoughts or emotions. I love when authors of narrative nonfiction employ this technique to add emotion to a story while remaining as factual as possible. I do wish he had also addressed his choice to use the identifier "Indian" instead of "Native American" throughout. Personally, I found it inappropriate and inaccurate, at least when used by the author and not in a direct quote.
My only other complaint could actually be a strength as well and that is that I found the writing somewhat simplistic. I felt as though I was reading a book intended for a younger audience. The reason that's also a good thing is that I would definitely recommend this book to any high school or middle school girls. It's approachable, as well as inspiring. There were a few other little problems with the writing that may be due to the fact that I had an ARC. I feel they're worth mentioning though, because they go beyond the problems I usually see in a review copy. Not only were there several paragraphs repeated verbatim (which I'm positive will be fixed), there were sections where the text was different but the content was repetitive. I'm less confident this second problem will be fixed. Speculation aside, I am giving away a review copy (with thanks to St Martin's!), so I would recommend only entering to win if, like me, you won't be too bothered by a few typos to enjoy an otherwise good book.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
February 11, 2019
This book is a comprehensive look at the achievements of the first Native American doctor. Susan La Flesche used her ambition and intellect to achieve her goals: traveling to the East coast to become a trained doctor and returning to her Omaha Native American tribe in Nebraska. As a doctor she worked tirelessly, traveling far and wide throughout the Omaha reservation to heal the sick and preach healthful habits for a better life. She fought against alcoholism, peyote, tuberculosis and unsanitary health conditions that contributed to these diseases.
Susan's grandfather, Big Elk had seen the future of his Omaha Indians and it was grim. Unless they learned to adapt, he declared, their existence would vanish. His adopted son-in-law, Joseph La Fresche, carried his message to his daughters and sons. He encouraged them to build wooden homes, wear western clothing and learn to speak English. He believed that education was the way to achieve success. Susan and her siblings were the benefit of this vision. Her oldest sister, Susette, became a great orator, traveling across the eastern half of the U.S. teaching whites about the history and culture of Native peoples. Her brother, Francis, became the first Indian ethnographer. Another sister, Marguerite, worked in the Episcopal church along with Susan.
This book shows the treatment of Susan's tribe by the ignorant and prejudiced American government. Native Americans were thought of as child-like and lazy, as dependent as babies to be cared for. This led to erroneous backlogs of bureaucratic paper shifting that often led to Native Americans being deprived of their livelihood and ultimately their lives. Susan spent many days and nights in letter writing to various government departments in Washington D.C., explaining what needed to be done, but it usually fell on deaf ears.
This highly readable account of Susan La Flesche would be a great read for March, Women's History month.
Susan's grandfather, Big Elk had seen the future of his Omaha Indians and it was grim. Unless they learned to adapt, he declared, their existence would vanish. His adopted son-in-law, Joseph La Fresche, carried his message to his daughters and sons. He encouraged them to build wooden homes, wear western clothing and learn to speak English. He believed that education was the way to achieve success. Susan and her siblings were the benefit of this vision. Her oldest sister, Susette, became a great orator, traveling across the eastern half of the U.S. teaching whites about the history and culture of Native peoples. Her brother, Francis, became the first Indian ethnographer. Another sister, Marguerite, worked in the Episcopal church along with Susan.
This book shows the treatment of Susan's tribe by the ignorant and prejudiced American government. Native Americans were thought of as child-like and lazy, as dependent as babies to be cared for. This led to erroneous backlogs of bureaucratic paper shifting that often led to Native Americans being deprived of their livelihood and ultimately their lives. Susan spent many days and nights in letter writing to various government departments in Washington D.C., explaining what needed to be done, but it usually fell on deaf ears.
This highly readable account of Susan La Flesche would be a great read for March, Women's History month.
February 18, 2020
Note, this book was read before I got a Goodreads account as part of a challenge to read 50 new books by the end of 2019. I wrote a review for it right after I read it and copy pasted it here. I should also note that after I wrote this I learned that all the profit from A Warrior of the People is going towards a scholarship fund for native college students which improves my opinion of the book somewhat.
So I have mixed feelings about this book. Let's start with the good. I'm really glad to have gotten more info than the footnote in an American history book from high school provided about Susan LaFlesche. Wow, she was an amazing woman! Even apart from the titular claim to fame which was very hard won, this woman did darn near everything. She was a doctor (operating solo on the Omaha reservation which was spread out and didn't exactly have paved roads), a mother, a farmer, a Sunday school teacher (and later a missionary), a translator, a civil rights activist, and a bunch of other things. And I thought her marginally more famous older sister Bright Eyes was the impressive one of the family! The book does a good job both of telling about her numerous accomplishments but of exploring all the extra obstacles put in her way due to western white society's nonsense. It also provides some good background on how bigger events that effected the culture around LaFlesche (ex. the Civil War, the Ghost Dance, etc.) influenced her life. The book is pretty obviously heavily researched (including lots of excerpts from LaFlesche's letters) and the subject matter is on point.
So now for the bad. First off, it was a book about an Omaha woman written by a white man and sometimes it really shows. Like, even for a reader like me who is white, it shows. Don't get me wrong, the author researched (and annotated) the hell out of this book, but sometimes the way he phrases things or the particular things he focuses on are just a little off. Plus, the picture he paints of mission schools and on the way missionaries in general handled being on reservations was...rosier than expected. It's especially odd given that elsewhere in the book he's pretty blunt about the racism that LaFlesche and other Native Americans had to deal with and even how a lot of it still effects modern Native folks. On a less drastic note, sometimes the narration felt a little bit clunky. It was nothing horribly bad, but just enough to make it noticeable.
So I have mixed feelings about this book. Let's start with the good. I'm really glad to have gotten more info than the footnote in an American history book from high school provided about Susan LaFlesche. Wow, she was an amazing woman! Even apart from the titular claim to fame which was very hard won, this woman did darn near everything. She was a doctor (operating solo on the Omaha reservation which was spread out and didn't exactly have paved roads), a mother, a farmer, a Sunday school teacher (and later a missionary), a translator, a civil rights activist, and a bunch of other things. And I thought her marginally more famous older sister Bright Eyes was the impressive one of the family! The book does a good job both of telling about her numerous accomplishments but of exploring all the extra obstacles put in her way due to western white society's nonsense. It also provides some good background on how bigger events that effected the culture around LaFlesche (ex. the Civil War, the Ghost Dance, etc.) influenced her life. The book is pretty obviously heavily researched (including lots of excerpts from LaFlesche's letters) and the subject matter is on point.
So now for the bad. First off, it was a book about an Omaha woman written by a white man and sometimes it really shows. Like, even for a reader like me who is white, it shows. Don't get me wrong, the author researched (and annotated) the hell out of this book, but sometimes the way he phrases things or the particular things he focuses on are just a little off. Plus, the picture he paints of mission schools and on the way missionaries in general handled being on reservations was...rosier than expected. It's especially odd given that elsewhere in the book he's pretty blunt about the racism that LaFlesche and other Native Americans had to deal with and even how a lot of it still effects modern Native folks. On a less drastic note, sometimes the narration felt a little bit clunky. It was nothing horribly bad, but just enough to make it noticeable.
February 7, 2018
I really wanted to fall in love with this. I've only listened to a few audiobooks so far (and up until this one, I had been enjoying everything I had heard). I had also only heard of Susan LaFlesche when I stumbled across this book, and I thought she sounded fascinating. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy this nearly as much as I wanted to.
Susan LaFlesche was an incredibly interesting woman, both for her time and in general. A Warrior of the People was filled with many details that were interesting, intriguing, exciting. Carrington MacDuffie did this particular narration (my first of anything I have heard her narrate), and I enjoyed it. Her tone was soothing, informative, and straight forward. What makes me give this book a two star rating is its writing. The book was formatted so strangely. I felt like the author jumped from topic to topic, sometimes with no rhyme or reason. I also feel like the author couldn't decide what timeline we were following; the year seemed to jump around with little consistency. It mostly followed a chronological order, which made it so much more frustrating when the story jumped way into the future or way into the past. I found myself having to relisten to parts just to determine when in the story I was, where in the story I was, and what was happening that made it so. I liked that information was shared about her parents, her siblings, her children, and the society and culture around her. I just felt like it jumped around in a way that didn't feel cohesive.
I wanted to love this. With such fascinating content (and definitely right up my alley), and a decent reading, I felt like it should have been my thing completely. Unfortunately the chaos it is presented in made it rather difficult to enjoy.
Susan LaFlesche was an incredibly interesting woman, both for her time and in general. A Warrior of the People was filled with many details that were interesting, intriguing, exciting. Carrington MacDuffie did this particular narration (my first of anything I have heard her narrate), and I enjoyed it. Her tone was soothing, informative, and straight forward. What makes me give this book a two star rating is its writing. The book was formatted so strangely. I felt like the author jumped from topic to topic, sometimes with no rhyme or reason. I also feel like the author couldn't decide what timeline we were following; the year seemed to jump around with little consistency. It mostly followed a chronological order, which made it so much more frustrating when the story jumped way into the future or way into the past. I found myself having to relisten to parts just to determine when in the story I was, where in the story I was, and what was happening that made it so. I liked that information was shared about her parents, her siblings, her children, and the society and culture around her. I just felt like it jumped around in a way that didn't feel cohesive.
I wanted to love this. With such fascinating content (and definitely right up my alley), and a decent reading, I felt like it should have been my thing completely. Unfortunately the chaos it is presented in made it rather difficult to enjoy.
May 26, 2018
Susan La Flesche was impressive; this book, however, not as much. The writing was uncultivated and immature. Its fourth-grade level writing is a bit distracting at times. The timelines are messy. I enjoyed some of the references especially the ones about the Omaha people, Susan’s older sister (I hope someone else has written a book about her. I’d like to read it.) and her father. It’s good but not great. But I love that at least someone took the initiative to write about her. She was truly remarkable.
September 8, 2019
There is fascinating material here. Susan La Flesche, her family, and her schools all are worthy subject material. However, the author repeats a lot, sometimes trying to be overly poetic, and while he even mentions paternalism is not himself immune to it.
March 18, 2017
There is something about a person who is the first. And, Susan La Flesche pioneered in education, medicine and public health. She was the first Native American doctor in the United States. Imagine what her life was like- born in 1865 to the last Omaha chief, Susan saw first hand the transition from open lands, tipis and buffalo hunts to the reservation, the impacts of the Dawes Act, and the challenges of the governments' expectation her people assimilate.
The first half of the book focuses on her triumphs. This is a strong counter point to the second half where she attempts to serve 1350 square miles of people, some starving, many desperately sick. Her fight to educate about public health issues (like common drinking cups) is at once inspiring and discouraging. Similarly, her fight to keep alcohol off the reservation in the interest of preserving her people shows her persistence. There is no doubt that she fights for her people, often at the expense of her own health.
I picked up the book because the Omaha/Winnebago reservation is often in the news in the Omaha area because of the continued alcoholism, hardship and poverty. Although she passed more than a hundred years ago, her people appear to still wrestle with the same challenges. This is hard to know.
The first half of the book focuses on her triumphs. This is a strong counter point to the second half where she attempts to serve 1350 square miles of people, some starving, many desperately sick. Her fight to educate about public health issues (like common drinking cups) is at once inspiring and discouraging. Similarly, her fight to keep alcohol off the reservation in the interest of preserving her people shows her persistence. There is no doubt that she fights for her people, often at the expense of her own health.
I picked up the book because the Omaha/Winnebago reservation is often in the news in the Omaha area because of the continued alcoholism, hardship and poverty. Although she passed more than a hundred years ago, her people appear to still wrestle with the same challenges. This is hard to know.
December 7, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. I loved learning about this wonderful, generous, hardworking, terrific woman. Born in a tepee, and grew up to become first American Indian physician, she faced prejudice and challenges all her life. She was a defender of the rights of her people, she helped people in so many different circumstances, from translating to illnesses, to interpreting government documents, advocating for her people to a stubborn and narrow minded government. Yes, I agree with some of the other reviews that at the beginning this book was jumpy and seemed disorganized, but once it got rolling, it's smooth sailing. I got so caught up in learning about this wonderful Susan La Flesche who accomplished so much...her siblings also were very accomplished and they all worked to better the lives of their people. Just a wonderful book....her life is captivating...she accomplished SO MUCH...even though she'd get over exhausted and land in bed to recuperate, she pushed and pushed to go to rallies, teachings, ceremonies. Wonderful and amazing woman. It's imperative we know the history of our terrible treatment of American Indians in our history.
October 11, 2017
What a wonderful book describing the way of life in the 1890s for Native Americans and woman. I hope authors keep on writing more books like this so we do not forget how much we have in today's times.
January 3, 2021
The story is incredible. The writing is not great. Jumpy, redundant, at times unclear. But hard to rate it any less because Dr. Sue’s story is amazing.
September 1, 2024
What a woman! I wish I had heard more stories like this in my history classes.
November 10, 2021
An inspiring life story of a truly heroic woman of her time. In Nebraska, we are familiar with Susan Picotte. We have an elementary school named after her and a new statue of her in our state capital. I wanted to learn more about her. The biography gives the reader the complexity of this woman, her family, her relationship with her father, her desire for a family and career and the struggles of the Indian nation she served. I was truly inspired by her. Read this book!!
April 3, 2024
Five stars for this woman's amazing life, 3 stars for the slow, meandering way this book tells her story.
September 29, 2020
I feel this was a well told story of Susan La Flesche's life and all that she accomplished as well as the accomplishments of the other members of her families. Being from Nebraska I've heard of so many of the stories related in the book. I enjoyed reading about the details of what happened, from a the Indian's viewpoint, during the battle of Wounded Knee. The La Flesche family played a huge part in Nebraska history.
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