The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History

by Joseph M. Marshall III

As the peerless warrior who brought the U.S. Army to its knees at the Battle of Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse remains one of the most perennially fascinating figures of the American West.

Now Joseph Marshall—a masterful storyteller, historian, and descendant of the same Lakota community that raised Crazy Horse—goes beyond that image in this one-of-a-kind portrait of the legendary leader.

Drawing on extensive research and a rich oral tradition that is rarely shared outside the Native American community, Marshall gives us a uniquely complete portrait of Crazy Horse, from the powerful vision that spurred him into battle to the woman he loved but lost to circumstance.

The Journey of Crazy Horse celebrates a long-standing community's enduring culture and gives vibrant life to its most trusted and revered hero.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Native American, American History, Audiobook, Indigenous

Audible Audio

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

Joseph M. Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and holds a PhD from the reservation university, which he helped to establish. The award-winning author of ten books, including Hundred in the Hand, The Lakota Way, and The Journey of Crazy Horse, he has also contributed to various publications and written several screenplays. His first language is Lakota, he handcrafts traditional Lakota bows and arrows, and he is a specialist in wilderness survival. Marshall's work as a cultural and historical consultant can be seen and heard in the Turner Network Television and Dreamworks epic television miniseries Into the West. "

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully engaging book written from the opposite viewpoint of accepted settler history. The telling of Crazy Horse’s journey in life was like listening to a captivating story around a crisp night’s campfire.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

You read or hear about Gen. George Custer and think, "oh I know all about Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse" but upon reflection you realize you do not know a damn thing about the Native American side of things...and then you go and do something about that.

Joseph M. Marshall III


The name doesn't sound very "Native American," but Marshall is about as close as you'll get these days. According to his Wiki page he speaks Lakota and "can craft a Lakota bow in the traditional style. He was on the founding board of the tribal college, Sinte Gleska University, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Joseph is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Joseph grew up in Horse Creek Community near White River (Maka Izita Wakpa, Smoking Earth River) on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota."

He is Lakota. He studies and teaches the Lakota ways and history. What better person to tell you about one of the Lakota's greatest heroic figures of all time?

Marshall's The Journey of Crazy Horse gives the reader more of an insight into the true daily life of this northern plains tribe than most depictions of Native Americans often receive.

How do we know this is true? Granted, much of this is taken from oral history, since written accounts of Crazy Horse have mainly been from whites, soldiers, boastful victors and the sour defeated (funny how the US Army named their loses as "massacres" back then, isn't it? Makes it sound like they were blind-sided in a unfair fight).

I'm on the side of Native Americans and their gripes about the Europeans that took their lands. If there's anyone in America with the right to complain about illegal aliens it's these guys. However, I'm not a fan of whiny losers. You fought, you lost, the victor gets your shit. That's the way war works. Were the Americans underhanded in their dealings with the Native Americans? Hell yes. Did the Romans treat the Celts kindly or did they hunt down their leaders and holy men and stamp out their culture? Did one tribe wipe out another? When they had the chance. It's the way of conquerors. Much of human history is about war. Just think about what gets recorded and retaught, the battles or the times when blood-shed was avoided? History bluffs are more apt to read/write about the strategies at Waterloo rather than poring over the notes and lab hours of Louis Pasteur. To this point, we've been a war-like people. Expect it. Don't be surprised and shocked by its disgusting ways when it shows up upon your doorstep. My point is, I have a low threshold for listening to or reading "woe is us" laments from the losing side. Genocide of a peaceful people is one thing. They can righteously complain all they want and have my heart and ear the whole way through. But a people that pride themselves upon their fighting prowess, and the Lakota certainly did, get a little less sympathy from me.

So, with that rather long harangue in mind, I'm happy to say Marshall's The Journey of Crazy Horse does not go overboard with the laments. Yes, there is sorrow for the tribe and hatred for the whites, which I suppose some with a lower threshold for complaints might balk at, but I didn't have a problem with it. I've seen worse.


(From a '70s anti-pollution campaign. Which bothers me, because the Native Americans were some of the worst polluters. Look into the heaping midden piles they left behind. Again, I'm on their side. I'm glad there are anti-pollution campaigns, but let's have some perspective...and less misguided melodrama, please.)

As far as biographies go, this sets a good tone and pace, and it's the perfect length. I sensed that creeping feeling of boredom I get with a book that's pushing it's interest-limits coming along just as it ended. It's a tough subject to tackle. It's so much easier to research written histories from a people long-versed in writing things down. The Lakota were not that kind of people. However, they did have a long and rich oral history from which Marshall has crafted a fine biography upon a figure that would be intriguing no matter what people Crazy Horse came from.

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up at a time when the only good American Indian was Tonto, I was deeply moved by reading the book "The Journey of Crazy Horse." As a matter of fact, I felt myself rooting for the Indians in their battles with the Long Knives (US Cavalry)! Sorry, Errol Flynn (who played General Custer.in the movie "They Died With Their Boots On.")  A lot of my boyhood perceptions about those days of the Wild West have changed as I looked at the big picture through the eyes of an Indian.

Yes, this was a great historical read and what made it so, in my opinion, was not that the author just dug through old printed material of a bygone age but talked to Indian relatives who remembered the stories as passed down through the generations. As the saying goes, there are two sides to every story, and this truly was.


I just have to share some things with you, and I hope I don't give away too much in the way of spoilers. First of all, Crazy Horse's original name was 'Light Hair' because it was, for an Indian. His Father gave away his own name to him which was 'His Crazy Horse' when he took the name 'Worm' for himself.

We can learn a lot from the Indians and from what happened to them. Treaties (and contracts) are often a way for evil people to get what they want. As written, they can be full of loopholes and confusing to the innocent party. And when it suits them, and one side is strong enough, they can break it at will.

A successful Indian who came back from a hunt or raid didn't strut around showing off his material wealth but rather gave away a fair share of the ponies and loot to the elderly, poor, and widows.

Those Indians that gave up their land and freedom and went to live on the handouts in the form of blankets, food, and manufactured goods were called 'Loafers' by the 'wild' Indians who despised them for taking the easy life and forgetting their heritage.

Much like the highways out here in the country where the idiots throw their beer cans or fast food wrappers out the window on their way to work, the covered wagons left their own garbage along the trails in the form of graves, dead carcasses, and discarded items of no value. Besides being a form of litter, they drove away the buffalo which the Indians relied on for food during winter.

Had the Indians truly united instead of fighting each other like their distant relatives down in Central America, they might have at least fought the white invaders to a standstill.

Yes, there is much we can learn from the Indians. This book really makes you think.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent biography.

Joseph M. Marshall III’s 2005 history of Crazy Horse was a mesmerizing, sometimes heartbreaking account of the enigmatic Lakota leader.

The Crazy Horse that we meet in Marshall’s chronicle is a quiet man who loved solitude but who was gifted with an exceptional, almost supernatural fighting ability. A somewhat reluctant leader, Crazy Horse was first a fighting man, a warrior who led others because of his ability rather than any ambition to lead.

Marshall punctuates his narrative with editorial asides that adds depth and understanding. Born about a hundred years after his subject, Marshall was nonetheless raised to appreciate the Lakota ways and so he has a unique perspective to offer a sympathetic rendering of the man whose leadership is still studied today.

Leadership as a theme is one in which Marshall spends much time and a subject that adds value and detail to Crazy Horse’s biography. In a time of transition when many other Lakota chose to live within the parameters of agency with the encroaching whites, Crazy Horse was a steadfast defender of the older ways but also a thoughtful steward of the trust in which his people held him.

Marshall describes Crazy Horse’s interactions with other Native American leaders such as Red Cloud and Sitting Bull and provides illuminating depictions of several important events, including the Battle of Little Big Horn, known to the Lakota as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Most histories are written from the standpoint of the US soldiers, but Marshall’s view from the side of the Lakota was noteworthy and thought provoking.

Marshall does not cast his subject in a false but heroic light (as many depictions of Custer do) but provides an accurate portrayal of a man who was an often-violent defender of his people. Crazy Horse was a warrior and killer, but Marshall reveals that this bellicosity was out of a sincere love of his land and people and out of a desperate defense of what he valued.

Ultimately, out of a love for his people and a desire that they be treated fairly, Crazy Horse surrendered to US General Crook and was murdered only a few months later in disputed circumstances. Crazy Horse had accepted that he could fight to the death, but his selfless concern for those left after him led him to attempt to lead his people to a more secure future.

Marshall has given us a glimpse into a warrior, leader and a great man.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Crazy Horse is tragic on so many levels. This book gives a fair and balanced portrait of a true American hero. We know so little about the indigenous people of America (a friend of mine who is a member of the Ohlone people has told me that the term 'Native American' is offensive to many - you can't be 'native' to something that you had not say in creating). Will try to find more books that help me better understand the history of indigenous people.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Crazy Horse the author, Joseph M. Marshall is a Lakota himself and in his introduction tells us how the legendary Lakota leader was his boyhood hero thanks to the stories told to him by his elders. He says these were merely stories to his boyhood sensibility but that as he grew older he realised they were also essential historical and cultural insights into his people. He finally tells us this biographic narrative is an attempt to unfold the life of Crazy Horse as a storyteller would and this is the great triumph of this biography – it possesses all the vitality and detailed cultural fabric of a well written novel. Crazy Horse’s biography would be any novelist’s dream – he has to overcome outsider status, there’s a tragic love story, there’s betrayal from his own kin, there’s a spiritual quest, alienation, persecution and ultimately the fight to the death to protect his family and friends and conserve the values he cherished above even his own life.

Another facet of this book that makes it so compelling is the author’s intimate insight into the detail and rituals of life as a Lakota in the 19th century. Of course it’s a culture that never was going to survive into the 20th century without massive compromises and time and time again, because of the author’s detailed insight into and account of a culture that had much that was poetic, beautiful and deeply spiritual I was made to feel the tragedy of this loss. You could say Crazy Horse was the prototype or inspiration for the likes of Luke Skywalker and every other Hollywood hero or heroine who fights for his homeland against oppressive intruders - except the accepted notion of him is still essentially as an outlaw, a wild savage. Okay, he was never going to win the Nobel Peace Prize but surely it’s time Crazy Horse was honoured as a noble and courageous man who did everything in his power to preserve a culture that still has so much wisdom to offer the world. We don’t have to demonise his oppressors to do that. We all know they were essentially unwitting agents of history. The author has done a great job of changing popular perception in this book. I just wish Hollywood would make it into a film.

Thank you to Joseph Marshall for this beautiful and profoundly moving book.

And here’s a beautiful Sioux song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n--U_...

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy Horse’s life is by necessity based largely on Native American oral traditions since his actions didn’t produce direct documentation. The author grew up on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and first learned about the legendary Lakota warrior from the stories told by older men of the tribe. This biography is told from the viewpoint of the Lakota much in the storyteller style the author first heard it. The narration doesn’t shift to the world of the whites to explain motivations and plans being made in Washington DC or the U.S. Army on the plains. Rather, any news is learned in the same way those living in the Lakota world learned about it. For example, when gold is discovered in the Black Hills the book tells us the Indians noticed unusual numbers of white men going to the Black Hills, and then learned later that it was in response to gold being discovered.

The author avoids dramatic combat scenes but instead emphasizes the larger picture of the struggle of the Sioux tribes between 1840s and the 1880s to defy the settlers and miners coming onto their portion of the Great Plains. One example of book's avoidance of blood-and-guts is how the Battle of Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn) was portrayed. From my prior knowledge of history I knew the battle was about to occur, but the book was giving no hint of a pending battle. Then it’s mentioned that a scout came over a ridge shouting that soldiers were coming. The narrative suddenly skips to the next day when the warriors are trying to decide whether to kill off the remaining stranded soldiers. At first I thought some pages had been skipped. Where was the battle? As the narrative continues we’re told that Crazy Horse later learned of happenings as told by people from various parts encampment. No attempt is made to describe Crazy Horse’s actions during the battle, probably because there is no way to know that kind of detail.

The author emphasizes the importance of the Battle of the Rosebud that occurred eight days prior to Little Bighorn. He describes it as an outstanding example of the fighting abilities of the Indians under Crazy Horse's leadership. It is a battle that is often overlooked by many history buffs.

Crazy Horse is described as a loyal son, spurned lover, instinctive warrior, doting father, compassionate hunter and natural leader, one who “reluctantly answered the call to serve” and “had no desire to talk about his exploits.” It is the enigmatic nature of this man that makes him so interesting.

I as a pacifist have mixed feelings about the warrior life as personified by Crazy Horse and described in this book. I appreciate the sense of service and responsibility shown for his people. It is also easy to feel sympathy for the impossible situation his people were in. I acknowledge that Crazy Horse did finally have the wisdom to capitulate and surrender. Doing so saved the lives of his wife and others in his group. But his inner defiant spirit led to actions that resulted in his death at the hands of another Lakota who was in the pay of the U.S. Army as a guard. His untimely death contributes to his legend and mystery.

[R.K. Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love learning more about Crazy Horse, there were a lot of interesting stories in this book, the pacing halted me a few times. The very end of the book wrapped it up nicely to the point where it explained the entire meaning but still the pacing is why I struggle to go higher than 3 stars.

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book. Listened to the amazing audible version narrated by the author about the incredible life of Crazy Horse, the Lakota chief who was at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The author is also Lakota too, and it was so interesting to hear his viewpoint about the events of Crazy Horse's life.

[Angela Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and learned more about Crazy Horse as I read. Of course the more I read the the more I angry I got. Growing up around Native American Reservations I have a respect for them. I know they were treated badly but I did not realize exactly what they did to him and his family. I liked that this was told from their point of view which I feel should have been done a long time ago. I enjoyed the story at the end as well as who the author got his information from. There is a lot of information packed in this book but not so much that it is overwhelming. The way the author wrote it makes you want to continue reading to learn more about Crazy Horse and his people. I recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to learn a little more about our history from the way it happened and not the way the history books want you to think it all happened.

[Jenny a.k.a....Jenny from the block · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition on the story of Crazy Horse left me with a deep sense of profound admiration, respect and honor of a legitimate war hero. If anyone ever thinks their a true leader then read this and let me know if you are or not. I would say leading anything in life is a lot of hard work and dedication. It's easy to say follow me but it's entirely a different story if anyone follows your direction or not. What happened to the different tribes of the Native American Nations is a travesty and true sadness in my inner essence. My heart burns there too and can't even think what that must feel like. I do know the feeling of what IT feels to be discriminated against but being driven from your home is definitely a horse of a different story.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography written by a Lakota author whose boyhood hero was Crazy Horse. You couldn’t ask for a better person to write such a book. Reading this felt like sitting in front of a fire in the mountains listening to Joseph M. Marshall III tell the story of a great warrior, leader, and man. Crazy Horse is one of the most noble resistance figures in American history. His fight to preserve the way, traditions, and culture of the Lakota people is truly inspiring and continues to live through those people today. The author’s reasons for writing this book was what immediately drew me in– It’s an honor to learn the full story of Crazy Horse from someone who grew up listening to the stories from a Lakota perspective. This story tells the grim truth of colonization and the Natives fight to protect themselves and their culture.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines the life and legacy of Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota (c. 1840 – 1877). It goes well beyond his known role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, called The Greasy Grass Fight by the Lakota. In this book, Jospeh Marshall III, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota, bases much of his narrative on oral tribal histories that have been passed down through the generations.

He interviewed Lakota elders to probe into the stories they had heard from their grandparents and great grandparents as well as researching the available history, much of which is written from the settlers’ viewpoint. His goal is to provide the perspective of the indigenous people, and in doing so, he provides an idea of what Crazy Horse was really like as a person. He pieces together a biography, starting with Crazy Horse’s birth, death of his mother when he was four years old, coming of age, leadership role, and early violent death.

Crazy Horse was initially called Light Hair by his mother, and later, the name Crazy Horse was bestowed upon him by his father. He was a quiet and pensive man who did not seek the limelight. He did not engage in the traditional storytelling of his exploits, leaving it to others to speak of them. He had only a few close friends and was admired by his community.

Marshall details what life was like in the Lakota community. We learn how they lived, including foods, culture, rituals, customs, and ways of life. He describes the vast changes that were occurring due to the arrival of settlers. The bison were diminishing, their lands were being used as westward trails, military forts were being established, and the US powers were making and breaking numerous “agreements.”

The differences between the two groups regarding the concept of a treaty are glaringly obvious. The US negotiators wanted signatures on a piece of paper, but the Lakota did not believe that one (or even a few) people could sign for everyone. As we know, eventually the Lakota defended their land and way of life, and battles ensued. The way it is told, it is easy to put oneself into their shoes.

Marshall’s narrative transports readers back in time, where we witness Crazy Horse’s journey from a young ambitious warrior to a legendary figure. This is, of course, ultimately a sad story, but also insightful. The author inserts sections he calls “Reflections” after each of the primary topics. These sections feel a bit repetitive, and perhaps could have been summed up and incorporated into the main narrative.

Marshall delves into Crazy Horse's spiritual beliefs, his commitment to preserving the Lakota way of life, and his leadership, shedding light on the values and traditions that guided him. I feel like I learned a lot from this book. I think it is important to view history from many angles since it provides a better idea of what really happened.

[Kurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the Lakota people, focusing on one of their most interesting and revered leaders. It is told by Lakota author Joseph M. Marshall III using primarily information passed along through generations of Lakota oral history. It is unlike any history I have ever read about the Native American conflicts in the United States – and I have read a lot of them.

In the closing chapter, the author relates his own feelings about Crazy Horse. His words speak for me also:

Crazy Horse still lives in the shadows of my mind, as he always will. The boy in me sees him as a glorious warrior. The man I've become sees him as someone who reluctantly answered the call to serve and who became a leader in the most trying of times.

There were struggles within me from time to time, between the temptation to make Crazy Horse into a shimmering legend and the need to see him as a real person. He is certainly both, but it is immeasurably reassuring and inspiring to know him as a real man

This book superbly shows Crazy Horse to be a real man – a man with faults, flaws, and weaknesses like all of us have, but also a man who somehow inspired and led his people during their most difficult times and through heartbreaking sorrows.

[Brian Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hau kola! Interesting take on a biography of Crazy Horse. Marshall skillfully avoids the "look-how-many-Lakota-words-I-know" trap of most native writers and gives a not-always-flattering portrayal of the Oglala leader. The tales come alive, and in so much more clarity and strength than any other portrayal of Crazy Horse I've encountered (I'm talking to you, Son of the Morning Star author). Both the author and I are Sicangu, and members of the same tribe, so there's a certain kinship I feel that I suspect might not translate. I was also, again, given to wonder if there had been a greater resistance at the outset, had the Lakota adopted the whites method of warfare earlier, what would the outcome of the Great Sioux War have been? The Lakota were limited by two key factors: 1) an initial unwillingness to engage in outright warfare, and 2) divided attention between being warriors and providers for their families. The Long Knives certainly proved their willingness to massacre the elderly, women, and children and the warriors had little choice but to divide their attentions between defense and repulsion. I hope my non-Indian friends give this one a try. I promise we only look mad in all those pictures. But, yes, we would like the Black Hills back, please.

[Feisty Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waffling between 3 and 4 stars (honestly, it's probably a 3.5 star book). This isn't exactly a biography, although Marshall has done extensive research into the life and times of Crazy Horse, Lakota warrior in the 1860s and 1870s in what is now the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming. Most notoriously (to white Americans) is his defeat of Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn, however Crazy Horse led the Lakota people in battle for years, fighting for their independence from white annuity payments and "peace papers."

Ok, I learned a lot about the Lakota, Crazy Horse, and their history. The first 180 pages of this book tell the mostly chronological story of Crazy Horse's life. The voice took some getting used to, the tale is told as--I believe--it would have been told in an oral history from the ancient ones. Time and place are all Lakota, as they should be, but without a footnote or parenthetical translation of what month or in what geographical space we were talking about, I got lost easily. There is a map at the beginning, but it wasn't all that great for me. An example: Crazy Horse's mentor was an older man named High Back Bone, which I interpreted as Hunchback (he is called Hump sometimes too), as a description of his physical form. It wasn't until almost 200 pages in that Marshall explains that High Back Bone/Hump meant like that of a buffalo, which makes WAY MORE SENSE than what I had been imagining. So, again, this is my fault for not fully understanding, but I also felt like if I'm reading this book specifically to learn about the Lakota some footnotes or other explanations would have been helpful. "Moon of the Popping Trees" is a mystery for me, but a quick (December-ish) parenthetical would have helped immensely. General Custer was referred to as Long Hair, which is what the Dakota called him, but as I am unfamiliar with all the details surrounding Little Bighorn that battle was over completely before I realized that I'd just read about Crazy Horse and his band of warriors most famous (to white Americans) deed. The few chapters at the end use English/American dates and names, and were much easier to follow. I am not asking Marshall to change his storytelling voice for the Lakota legend, NOT AT ALL, but a few footnotes or explanations to help me connect the dots would have been really helpful.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Crazy Horse is more interesting when the story is told in a oral history. Joseph Marshall III a Lakota Indian tells this story which was pass down to him by his Lakota ancestry. To me this is the best history one can get on a subject by ancestors who have lived it. He details Crazy Horse's struggles, his incredible intuition and foresight. His acts of valor and genius in battle and his leadership by example are explored by Marshall were inspiring. I'm glad I read this book that gives the Native American Indian's perspective on this person. I learned a lot about the Indian culture as well about the man himself. Marshall writes on a culture that we should respect and mourn for something that can never be replaced.

[Alene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Montana and remember studying some key battles and some key Native American figures, but this was really the inside story it felt like. It was both truly heartbreaking and truly inspiring about how leaders should serve their communities, being first an example above all other things. It has made me want to learn so much more of the Lakota history and of course reminded me how much I want to teach my children about having character.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about Crazy Horse is an eye-opening experience because of the perspective of its Lakota author. I listened to it on Audiobook, where it was beautifully read by the author. Living in Nebraska, very close to the region where Crazy Horse lived and led his Lakota people, made the story especially meaningful. Understanding history requires our attention to the narratives of the different groups of people who played a part in that history. Marshall is an excellent voice for the "Lakota narrative." One of his goals is to teach the reader to separate the myth of Crazy Horse from the man, and to appreciate the complexities of the pressures that influenced him. While many Lakota found it expedient to cast their lot with the "agencies" of the US government, and receive the benefits of food, shelter, clothing, and safety that they afforded, Crazy Horse chose to defend the Lakota way of life and resist the enticements of the white man. Eventually, knowing he was outnumbered and outgunned, he, too, submitted, and ended up being captured and murdered by his guards. But this book is an excellent way to "feel" the encroachment of the Euro-American immigrants into Lakota territory from the Lakota point of view and to develop an appreciation for the values and traditions that Crazy Horse was trying to protect.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting hybrid of traditional and oral history. The author is a Lakota who was born and raised on Rosebud Indian Reservation and grew up surrounded by the stories and legends of Crazy Horse. The author makes a point early on about the shift from the oral tradition of history and he argues that too often those types of "history" are ignored or neglected. As a result there are moments throughout the book where the author takes some liberties with dialogue or actions and makes assumptions on what might have been going through the head of Crazy Horse and others. I have read some criticism of the book for this method of writing but I think that is missing the point of what the author is attempting to achieve with this blending of sourced and oral history. It is also interesting to read a book from the "other" side of the history.
Structurally the book suffers a bit from jumping out of a linear chronological mode and repeating some moments throughout the timeline but overall there is a decent flow. I listened to the audio narrated by the author and would recommend this format.

8/10

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main flaw for me: I'm looking for accurate information. I felt I was reading historical fiction because some of the scenes could not possibly be known. But no one can do Crazy Horse accurately. Excellent reading by the author on the cd.

[CindySR · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the battles just ran together in a river of sad.

[Dził · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Marshall creates a personalized story of the life of Crazy Horse by webbing together Lakota traditional stories and knowledge of the man with European settler historical information. He does a good job showing the true side of the story between the confrontation of the settlers and Lakota people, which is mainly the struggle of the Lakota people to keep living their way of life and practice the beliefs and teachings of their ancestors. One thing that stood out for me was the comparison of waging war or battle by the two different cultures. For the Lakota they connected battles or war with gaining courage, strengthening the people, making boys into men, or sometimes to get even for wrongs done to them. They did not just do it to kill of an enemy or exterminate them, this may be why counting coup was thought of as being more courageous than killing or mortally wounding a foe. This differs greatly with the European settlers though, who fought to either take out Indigenous nations completing, whether it be by war, colonization, forced secularization, or oppressive education. A favorite read for me, and a great story put together to show the Crazy Horse as how he was known to be by the Lakota, which makes for a more authentic account, although Joseph should of gave credit to the people with this traditional historical knowledge in the very body of the text.

If his life was made into a movie it would be epic, but even he would not want this, how much more humble can one get. Shirt wearer for life.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This biography of Crazy Horse written and narrated by a Lakota author blew me away. I learned so much ch about the man, his people, and his history.

I chose this book to listen to while I drove between Medicine Wheel National Monument and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. I drove right through the Powder River country and stopped to experience Ft Phil Kearny, the site if Fetterman’s Fight, and wild camped among the ridges and grasslands immediately to the south.

Add to that Marshall’s wonderful narration including Lakota flute music as accents and I had a full immersion experience. I know most people will read the book from their armchair or listen while commuting to work - but read this book. Not only does it clarify history from a needed perspective, it provides valuable insights into humility and leadership.

One of the best reading experiences I’ve ever had.

[Larissacherpeski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think because I was just recently at the Crazy Horse Monument by Rushmore and because I have some really good Lakota friends this book really affected me. It was a beautifully written Lakota perspective, and I feel like I got more insight into the Lakota culture as well as Crazy Horse himself. It's hard to read at times, because you know how it's going to end.

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is special. Marshall grew up with his grandparents (born 1890s-1910s) telling him stories of Crazy Horse, the same stories their parents and grandparents (born 1850s-1890s) had told them - except from them, the stories were first-hand accounts.

The book shows how this oral tradition serves as the fabric of a community that transcends the boundaries of time: the Lakota culture is in sound waves themselves, in the air, in the blowing winds of the Great Plains. Crazy Horse still lives there, too.

Equal parts biography and historical narrative, the book is worded as if the reader is being told a spoken story; being welcomed into the Lakota world to listen to history the way humans have for a hundred thousand years. I absolutely loved it. I cannot emphasize enough how much this book moved me.

Being in the same Army that did everything it could to destroy the Lakota people and culture was not lost on me. It felt reasonable to be ashamed on behalf of the US Cavalrymen that harbored no guilt in their hearts for their actions.

Regardless of the highs and lows of the narrative, the book is steeped in sorrow and in the “poo-tee-weet” of incomprehensible loss. So it goes.

Favorite quotes:

“We stopped to rest and he grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me so that I could look back along the trail we had walked. ‘Look back at the way we came,’ he said. ‘Remember the trail we have walked. Someday I might send you down that trail by yourself. If you don’t remember it, you will be lost.’”

“The stories of the deeds of men who had lived before push him toward that heartbeat in time when he must answer the question: will I run or will I face the moment?”

“There were many realities in life that could not be avoided, the old women reminded one another, and two most of all: heartbreak falls into every life as surely as snow falls in winter, and life moves in a circle.”

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long respected the great Oglala warrior of the Lakota people, Crazy Horse, probably best known for his great victory in the defeat of General Custer at Little Big Horn, but there is so much more about this man to admire, as one learns by reading this sensitive and intelligent biography, written by a Lakota historian who draws upon the oral histories passed down by many of his relatives and revered community elders. As a historian, Marshall employs traditional scholarly research too, but his greatest sources of information are those who lived and knew the Lakota culture one generation removed from Crazy Horse--they never knew the man themselves, but they heard the accounts, tales, and Lakota history accounts from many who had. What emerges is the story of a true hero as seen from within his own cultural system and on their own terms, celebrated not only for his military genius and fighting ability, but even more so for what he would suffer or endure as an individual for the good of his community.

Crazy Horse put strong emphasis on the traditions, practices, rituals, and the form of community governance of his people, and he received a powerful calling early on to protect their way of life--embedded in that vision was the dark realization that his own people would bring him down someday. Despite that prophetic awareness, what stands out most starkly in this biography is how Crazy Horse always put the good of the "we" before the good of the "me" when it came to traditional Lakota culture and the lands they cherished.

[Randy Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marshall tells the story of Crazy Horse not only from research but from the oral tradtion of his grandfathers and offers an insight into Crazy Horse not only as a leader and warrior but more importantly as a man. A man who though not asking or seeking it assumed the mantle of leader for his people, also explained is the deep feeling Crazy Horse had for his people and their culture and why he was willing to die fighting for it and more importantly why he was willing to take his people to live ... (show more)

Marshall tells the story of Crazy Horse not only from research but from the oral tradtion of his grandfathers and offers an insight into Crazy Horse not only as a leader and warrior but more importantly as a man. A man who though not asking or seeking it assumed the mantle of leader for his people, also explained is the deep feeling Crazy Horse had for his people and their culture and why he was willing to die fighting for it and more importantly why he was willing to take his people to live on the agency and give up what he held dearest so that his people could live, survive and that their culture would continue.This book is a must for anyone intersted in Native American history and culture, the History of the American West and as a guide for leadership. We all know Crazy Horse the Warrior, the Great Military leader and now we learn of Crazy Horse the Son, Father , Husband, a man with doubts, fears, hopes and dreams.May he always be remembered as such.

[Tony Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very, very interesting book written by a Lakota Indian about Crazy Horse without the Hollywood hype. Recommend it for anyone interested in American history. Crazy Horse was probably one of the greatest leaders of his generation, American Indian or Euro-American. This non-ficton is written using the names of people and places as those used by the Lakota at that time. As an example, the Battle of LIttle Bighorn is referred to as the Greasy Grass Fight of 1876 (Greasy Grass was the Indian name for the Little Bighorn River.) Custer is only mentioned in passing as "Long Hair."

It is an interesting personal note that in the course of reading this book, we were returning from a five week drive across the U.S., and while passing through Montana we made a last minute stop at the LIttle Bighorn Battlefield National Monument which is marked by a sign directing us to a Dakota trading post... a very memorable experience.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Crazy Horse from the Lakota oral histories as told by the author, himself a Lakota that grew up on the reservations, who learned of the histories from his elders. This is the type of history that does not contain some of the fantastic stories of made up fantasy and embellishment that has come out in the past. Such as the battle at Greasy Grass better known as Little Big Horn and the defeat of Custer. Here it is told as a battle that took place over several days and covered several areas. Most stories that are heard are that all of the U.S. troops were wiped out in one single decisive battle. Historically this is not accurate. More interesting than the war stories are the histories of Crazy Horse as a child growing into the warrior and hunter that he was. A different look at his life and one that I feel is more accurate than what you would find in any history book in any classroom today.