Customer Reviews

The Deaths of Sybil Bolton: An American History

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I came upon this book accidentally when it first came out, while I was working in a large bookstore. It was the most fascinating story about Native Americans that I had read in a long time. With a plot better constructed than any mystery novel that tells an important and largely unknown part of our country's history, I couldn't figure out why the book didn't catch on and make it big. It certainly deserved to. Rarely have I read a family history in which the author was able and willing to look at his own shortcomings while he explored his family's past. An amazing, wonderful book on many levels. A true shame it has gone out of print. One day it will be brought back and find the audience it deserves.

Mr. McAuliffe reveals, once again, the ugliness of the White Man take-over of Native Americans. The appalling truth is presented in a style that leads the reader as through a well-written mystery novel. For those who don't understand the desire of Native Americans to retain their culture,or White Man to pompously declare themselves "better" than most, this book is insightful

The author must have done very little real research as his facts were lacking in substance and truth. He missed an opportunity to write a historical book (as it was advertised) and managed to give the readers a look at HIS neurotic behavior as he trashed his family and people in general who live west of the Eastern Seaboard states. The real mystery was how he managed to have the book published.

This book should be listed as a work of fiction - as most of what the author depicts as fact is not. Save your money and read the FBI files on the Osage Murders which you can find for free at [...].

Reading the history of Native American - European-American relationships (among other things), I have given up the idea that there is any bottom to the depths of human depravity. Here we have another episode in the ongoing belief that Native Americans have no property rights, no human rights ... .

Unfortunately, a book that I opened with great anticipation founders on the author's self-pity and editorial incoherence.

McAuliffe manages to feel terribly sorry for himself for someone who ignored his Native American heritage into his 30s. He doesn't actually know too many Osages, but he takes everything that happened to them very personally. This is all about him. Does he think that these injustices matter only because HE happens to be part Osage? I was hoping that his new attention to his Native American heritage would give him some insight into the issues of creating multicultural history, but it doesn't.
McAuliffe convinces me that his grandmother was murdered, but his solution is confused. He starts out with one suspect, and somewhat abruptly switches to another without bothering to rewrite the relevant parts of the book. I cannot help but suspect that this is in deference to his mother's feelings, and he never builds a convincing picture of his grandparents' relationship. He actually has very little evidence for his final suspect. Sure, it's a plausible scenario, but there are a few problems and there is no actual evidence.

A waste of a potentially very powerful book.