Blood Brother [Paperback]

Elliott Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1979

A classic of Southwestern literature and the basis for the highly acclaimed 1950 film, Broken Arrow, Blood Brother is "a history in fiction form, of the Southwest, from the time of the Gadsden Purchase in 1856 until the end of the Indian wars, about 1870. The author has translated matter-of-fact historical incidents into thrilling episodes, following the adventures of Cochise, noted chief of the Chiricahua Apaches, and Tom Jeffords, famous peace maker and Indian agent, with great detail.."-Library Journal "Elliott Arnold has written a historical novel about the Apache Indians.with a knowledge truly astonishing for its comprehensiveness. . . . [It is] authentic history, presented, however, with fictional vividness."-New York Sun "Blood Brother is dramatic, fast-moving fiction. It is superb history. It is excellent biography. It takes place with the major works on the American Indian."-Chicago Tribune

Editorial Reviews

Review

A classic of Southwestern literature and the basis for the highly acclaimed 1950 film, Broken Arrow, "Blood Brother" is "a history in fiction form, of the Southwest, from the time of the Gadsden Purchase in 1856 until the end of the Indian wars, about 1870. The author has translated matter-of-fact historical incidents into thrilling episodes, following the adventures of Cochise, noted chief of the Chiricahua Apaches, and Tom Jeffords, famous peace maker and Indian agent, with great detail.."--"Library Journal"

Product Details

• Paperback: 454 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803259018
• ISBN-13: 978-0803259010
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,180,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent piece of historical fiction, January 22, 2003

By 

Murray Pura "scribbling beneath jupiter" (waterton-glacier international peace park, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Brother (Paperback)

As far as historical fiction goes this is as good as it gets. Based upon the actual relationship between Cochise and a white US Army scout - Tom Jeffords - the author pours into the novel his own extensive research into the 1856-1872 era of what is now Arizona. This is not fluff writing and it is not romanticized. Cochise emerges as a real person with both light and dark shades as does Jeffords and the white and Hispanic settlers of the Arizona Territory. An extremely well-balanced account written well ahead of the time when more balanced accounts came into vogue. (First published in 1947.) This is also a very good read in terms of drama and pace and plot and characterization. I would not hesitate to ask students to read this piece alongside other more academic accounts of the clash in the American Southwest between the Chiricahua people and those who moved en masse into their homeland. The author, Elliott Arnold, has taken great pains to make this read as authentic as possible. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling historical fiction of the great southwest, May 28, 2010

By 

New England Pat (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Brother (Paperback)

Elliott Arnold's classic work tells the story of two Americans, one red, the other white, who overcome many obstacles to bring about peace in Arizona. The book is rich in character development as it details the Apache way of life, especially of the Chiricahua tribe and their leader, Cochise. Their history is one of endless conflict with the Mexicans, other Indian tribes and occasionaly white men, which results in the Bascom affair and begins Cochise's ten year war with the U.S. military. Scout Tom Jeffords is a loner, quiet and introspective, who rides to Cochise's stronghold to make peace with the Apaches, a peace that is not welcome by either the Tucson ring or many of the farflung warlike Apache bands. Elliott knew the deserts and mountains of the southwest, the Indians, their customs and tells his story that represents both points of view and is perhaps the best account ever written about that bloody period in Arizona.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bloods Brother - American Indian history, November 13, 2010

By 

Dunegirl (Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Brother (Paperback)

This book is an excellent insight into the opening of the stage line through Apache territory in the mid 1800s, and the relationship that grew between Indian Chief Cochise and Indian Agent Tom Jeffords. Although it is fictionalised, the content is based on history and includes an enormous amount of factual information. This book, along with Apache (the story of Mangas Coloradas) are excellent reads for anyone interested in Indian/American history. Blood Brother is also the book from which the movie Broken Arrow was taken.