It is a Good Day to Die [Hardcover]

Herman J. Viola (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

         I was not sorry at all.  I was a happy boy.  Those white men had come to kill our mothers and fathers and us, and it was our country (Black Elk, Oglala Sioux). Known to generations of white Americans as "Custer's Last Stand" or the Battle of Little Bighorn, it was, to the Plains Indians, the Battle of the Greasy Grass--a great, if short-lived victory against the whites who would soon overrun their country and destroy their way of life. Now, for the first time in a book for children, the story of the Greasy Grass battle is told from the Indian point of view, in a series of dramatic eyewitness vignettes.  Assembled from the recollections of twelve Indian participants in the battle, the book is divided into thirty brief chapters that, together, create a compelling narrative of the battle and the events that preceded it: Sitting Bull's vision of white soldiers falling into his camp "like grasshoppers," Custer's impetuous advance and attack, and finally, his dramatic defeat. An introduction and epilogue provide the historical context and a chronology, bibliographic note, maps, and more than a dozen archival photographs make this an outstanding curriculum item. The voices assembled here create a dramatic memorial to a fabled event in the history of the American West.  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A standard history for young readers involves a carefully unbiased author who assembles a coherent account from various primary and (more usually) secondary sources. Viola has taken a more daring approach. He features excerpts from the memoirs of various participants and observers of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, arranged in such a way as to provide a sense of the chaotic, violent flow of that day. Since no whites survived the battle, all of the witnesses are Native Americans, but some of them worked as scouts for the U.S. Army and thus saw the battle from a different perspective than the victors. The testimony of the narratorsAincluding such prominent figures as Sitting Bull and Black Elk, as well as "unknowns"Ais direct and vivid, revealing aspects of Native American psychology and details of battle preparation. An introduction and epilogue accompany the eyewitness accounts, thus providing readers with an overview of events leading up to, and subsequent to, the battle itself. While the inclusion of multiple narrators might be confusing, readers can consult Viola's biographical notes to identify each speaker. Furthermore, the possible confusion can in a certain sense be defended as an analogue to the disorientation of battle. The note on sources allows for further and more in-depth research. A few black-and-white reproductions and maps are scattered throughout. This is a brief, but powerful, book about an event that still attracts much attention.
Coop Renner, Coldwell Elementary-Intermediate School, El Paso, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5^-8. Viola, a former director of the National Anthropological Archives, has gathered together the accounts of Indians who took part in the battle that was known to whites as Custer's Last Stand and to Native Americans as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. The battle, at Little Bighorn River in 1876 was a resounding defeat for the U.S. Cavalry under the leadership of Lt. Col. George Custer, with more than 250 soldiers dead. But in the long run, the battle proved ruinous to the Great Plains Indians, who were pursued by cavalry until the vast majority surrendered and went to live on reservations. Viola alternates accounts of such well-known Indian leaders as Sitting Bull and Antelope Woman with those of ordinary Indian observers and participants. The effective introduction and epilogue frame the compelling eyewitness recitations. Even with maps, it is not always easy to picture the logistics of the Indian raid, but descriptions offer sturdy revelations and a way for young readers to walk around in other people's shoes. Only the introduction and epilogue have black-and-white pictures, and those are small, though crisp. Biographical notes identify the speakers. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 101 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Ed. edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517709139
• ISBN-13: 978-0517709139
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,291,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be Required for Children!!, March 17, 2002

By 

"mbdk" (Piermont, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Is a Good Day to Die: Indian Eyewitnesses Tell the Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Paperback)

This is an excellent and clear told story of the Battle of Little Big Horn. I read this to my fifth grade son and we both "enjoyed" it. It is a very sad tale told from the perspective of people that were at Greasy Grass. I truly recommend this for ALL teachers that teach our children about westward expansion and ALL parents that want our children to learn the truth and the importance of the truth. It tells the story of Native Americans and the destruction of their life and culture.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars battle realities, May 5, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Is a Good Day to Die: Indian Eyewitnesses Tell the Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Paperback)

This one is for your older children. The narratives of the survivors of the Battle of Little Bighorn speak right out from the pages; they are fascinating. There is plenty of talk about the fighting and deaths. Parents may want to pre-read. Still, the worst details are glossed over. Your junior high student will get a lot out of this book. We're taking a summer trip to this battlefield; this one goes in the summer homeschool unit.

Sitting Bull and his warriors won the Battle of Little Bighorn (Greasy Grass)... but they were doomed. Custer and Sitting Bull both lost. Great introduction, epilogue, and notes section. There is a really good list of the characters and names in the book - at the back. Very helpful.

The cover illustration makes it seem as though this book will appeal to younger children, but in my opinion, 7th grade is just about the lower limit. Gritty reality.

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Time To Die..., August 16, 2005

By 

Betty Burks "Betty Burks" (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It Is a Good Day to Die: Indian Eyewitnesses Tell the Story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Paperback)

George Armstrong Custer met his fate at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The Indians were there in masse waiting for 'this good day' to kill their enemy. It is neve a good day to die. But we have have to sometimes. Some sooner, some later.

Wilma Mankiller is a former principal chief of the Cherokee Ntion out in Oklahoma; whe has previously written an account of her chiefdom. I thought the lovely Indian woman on the front cover of her, but it is the head chief woman of the Northern Cheyenne, Gail Small. It was Audrey Shenandoah who said, "The main difference between our people and the world around us is the thankfulness and respect for the Earth, our environment, and the natural world. In our way, every day is a good day."

I think we are all thankful to be alive on the earth at this time. Some don't show respect for the natural world, having spent all of their growing up years (and adult, as well) in the inner cities. Al Gore must be part Indian, as am I, because he wrote books about the environment and championed the cause in his campaign for President of the United States.

It is indeed a good day every day we live. A few years ago, I did my first creative writing for an online Senior Newsletter. I did not know that it was edited and mostly supported by the Native Americans until I wrote an article about being part-Indian. My mailman, a Cherokee, was most respectful to me after that; I don't know how he knew about it as he is not a senior. It was fun, but I was used and abused, let down in a big way by this group. Were I not part Cherokee, I might have ended up resenting the way I was deceived by Valerie who'd promised me a free lunch, but not once made herself known to me.

I do much better with the "every day is a good day" on Amazon.com. Who needs those who use others, for whatever reason! They are no wiser than the white folks. My mother's family were from Union County (Irish, I think) and they are more honorable country people than any Native Americans.

I've attended several of their PowWows here in this town and taken photos of the same costumes, year after year, Their dancing is just shuffling feet as they go round and round in a circle. The men preen as the women show their pride, especially the two white women married to the beautiful males of the Indian Nation. My son looks more Indian than the young one from the Cherokee reservation who talked with me about the red-headed, blue-eyed faux Indian at one of the PowWow.