October 1, 2021
Gr 5 Up-A thorough treatment of the complicated histories of Lakota, white people, land, and the American westward expansion. In a parallel format, the book follows Crazy Horse and George Armstrong Custer from childhood to their deaths. It adeptly delves into their histories through engaging archival photographs, artwork, quotes, maps, and time lines. Nelson's breathaking illustrations were created with ink, watercolor, and acrylic paint on cotton paper. The taut writing and short chapters are the perfect vehicle for presenting the epic conflict between the war leaders and make this a great selection for reluctant readers. Nelson, who is Standing Rock Sioux, shares his lineage in the back matter and offers his insight about piecing the work together. Because history is often told by the victors, Nelson focused his research on parsing the facts from myth, as he explains in an author's note. The back matter also includes an extensive bibliography, notes, and suggestions for further reading. For sensitive readers, there is one graphic historical photograph depicting deceased individuals. VERDICT Recommend for all libraries.-Danielle Burbank, Farmington, NM
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 25, 2021
In an engaging dual biography format, author-illustrator Nelson (who is Lakota) profiles Lakota Chief Crazy Horse and Army Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, drawing parallels between these historic figures’ short but infamous lives. Both embraced a warrior lifestyle, loved to fight, and were fearless and physically gifted, as relayed in accessible prose: “The two youths were taught that personal glory could be won through violent conflict.” Crazy Horse gained notoriety amid fights with other tribes, while Custer became famous for his hell-bent leadership during the Civil War. Their racial divides led to them becoming fierce enemies: Crazy Horse despised Euro-Americans killing Native people for their land; Custer believed that privileged whites led the pecking order, and people of color could never rise to the same level. The text is lean and straightforward, even when describing the atrocities of war. A mixture of historic photos and paintings augment the text, while the author’s ledger-style drawings—rendered in ink, colored pencils, and acrylic paint—successfully honor Lakota artwork of the late 1880s. An evenhanded examination acknowledging both figures as “flawed human beings and triumphant, yet tragic, heroes.” Back matter includes an author’s note on his background, art notes, historical context, a timeline, quote notes, selected bibliography, art credits, and an index. Ages 10–up.
Starred review from September 1, 2021
Legendary warriors Crazy Horse and Custer are brought to life in this impeccably researched story by Lakota author/illustrator Nelson. Born a year apart, the White settler boy George Armstrong Custer and the Lakota boy initially named Light Hair both enjoyed the "pounding of their horses' hooves on the earth and the rush of wind in their hair." As youngsters, they were "taught that personal glory could be won through violent conflict." Custer found his glory leading Union Army troops during the Civil War. Quoting a Custer biographer, Nelson tells readers that "he plunged in the onrushing mass of enemy cavalry" time and again. His fearlessness catapulted him up through the ranks. After the war ended, he became an "Indian Fighter." When the Lakota battled their enemies, Light Hair rode into battle "stripped to his breechclout and moccasins, his hair loose," according to a Lakota historian. He painted his body with lightning and hailstones. His leadership was honored by his father, who renamed him Crazy Horse. Weaving quotes from sources both contemporary and modern into his narrative and supplying necessary historical context, Nelson traces the parallel lives of these two men, ending with their deaths: Betrayed by fellow officers, Custer died at the Battle of Little Bighorn, and one year later, Crazy Horse was killed, betrayed by his own people. Nelson's ledger-style drawings combine with archival photographs and paintings to add drama to the already-gripping text. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Historic nonfiction that reads like an adventure novel. (author's note, timeline, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
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Starred review from October 15, 2021
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Born a year apart in the mid-1800s and dying a year apart after their infamous clash, Crazy Horse and Custer grew up in cultures conditioning them to be warriors and to distrust each other as implacable enemies. Despite this, Custer, determined to fight for his country and Manifest Destiny, and Crazy Horse, equally determined to battle for his Lakota tribe and their way of life, shared many attributes. They both possessed tenacity, fearlessness, love of horses, and an ability to lead and even divide, the latter contributing to their violent ends: Custer at Little Bighorn, where he faced Crazy Horse, and the Lakota chief murdered at a frontier fort. Nelson masterfully braids together their life stories and characters, carefully laying out facts and cultural expectations as they grew, while neither glorifying nor vilifying either. Chapters alternate focus between the two subjects, leading them from early childhood onward. Nelson's original art, done in the style of early Lakota ledger drawings, captivates, with horses splashing across the pages. Illuminated by those drawings, plus colorful acrylic paintings and photographs and art contemporary to the two subjects' lives, the narrative is broken up in a way that maintains a powerful rhythm. Back matter includes the fascinating story of Nelson's ancestors--a great--grandfather who was a foot soldier under Custer and a great-grandmother of the Hunkpapa band of the Lakotas. An exemplary history.
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