Customer Reviews

Grant's Indian

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I just finished Peter Johnson's book -- I absolutely loved it! I started it only two days ago and could hardly put it down. Ely Parker is a wonderful character and provides a fascinating perspective on American life throughout the 19th century, an era so rich in change and growth and the historical figures and events that we've all heard about, but in this book they're all alive and real. What an accomplished writer Johnson is! I really enjoyed the time I spent in the worlds he created: Indian and White, East and West, war and peace, political and industrial, rural and urban, personal and national, decade after decade, progress and decline. My only regret is that I suspect the author isn't going to turn out a book every year -- this is obviously the product of years of hard work. But I want more and impatiently await the publication of his next novel.

Grant's Indian, by Peter Johnson, follows the life of Seneca Indian Ely Parker through the rich and turbulent period of mid to late 19th century American history: from the boom of towns in the East and the stifling bureaucracy of Washington, to the decimating battles of North vs. South in the Civil War, and to the grasping westward expansion of the white man that inevitably forced the Indians of the Great Plains onto reservations. Engaging from the first page to the very last, Grant's Indian brims with memorable characters, entertaining dialogue and an unlikely love story that is sure to enthrall.

Ely Parker emerges from his Seneca roots in upstate New York as a young man determined to learn the white man's tongue. Very soon, he is sent as a translator for his tribe to Washington, where he quickly learns the futility of the crawling pace of government, yet still manages to delay the loss of his tribal lands by greedy land companies. Never idle, Parker gradually rises from ditch-digger, to engineer, to army general.

Parker `s relationship with Grant is the keystone to much of this story, as it carries both men from the battlefield, to Lee's surrender at Appomattox, to the convoluted inner workings of government and diplomacy. Although Parker may never have risen to the level of professional success that he did without Grant's patronage, one also wonders who Grant might have relied upon if Parker had not been so faithfully at his side at critical times. Throughout his life, Parker accomplishes much, despite the limitations imposed on him by an often intolerant majority.

An unexpected gift in this story is the arrival of the precocious and charming Minnie Sackett, who challenges Parker with her lightning wit and outspoken nature. Less than half his age when they first meet, Minnie captures Parker's attentions. Their engagement becomes a scandal among the social elite and a source of media fascination. Ultimately, it is Minnie who gives Parker's life dimensions beyond his professional accomplishments and Minnie whose wisdom rescues him from despair.

Grant's Indian is an absorbing and well-told story that reaches beyond the rote repetition of historical dates and events to a more human level. Although Johnson leaves no doubt as to how thoroughly researched the background for this story was, it is never bogged down with dry, unrelatable details. If U.S. History classes were taught with half as much realism and energy as is found in Grant's Indian, more people would take an interest in America's past and have a far better understanding of it. Grant's Indian should be a recommended read, not just for those who have an interest in the Civil War era, but for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the foundation on which America was built.

To begin with, one is transported by a marvelously vivid description of the surrender at Appomattox. So filled with nuance and rich detail was this first chapter that I feared the pace could not be maintained. It was. this biographical novel detailing the life and times of Ely Parker never falters. While Parker is most famous as a footnote at the end of the war for his small part in copying the final draft of the surrender agreement, one learns form reading Grant's Indian, that he was a great deal more. He was an intreguing renaaissance man; diplomat, soldier, public servant and first and foremost, and Indian chief. In short this book left me wanting only one thing: more

Grant's Indian is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Peter Johnson's detail-oriented prose breathes life into a time that I had previously only caught glimpses of in my schoolbooks. He accomplishes this by following the life and times of Ely Parker, a thoughtful, matter-of-fact, and relatable individual who had the unique position of existing in two separate, but often overlapping, worlds. General Parker bears his dual citizenship with both pain and pride, oscillating between sides as he finds his path. In Grant's Indian, the author seamlessly weaves together themes of war, friendship, love, identity, and politics to craft a wholly absorbing story. Highly recommended!

Having just finished Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me" and Furgurson's "Not War, But Murder" about Cold Harbor, as well as having enjoyed a recent PBS biography about Dolly Madison, I was well primed for Peter Johnson's "Grant's Indian." I would recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. Grant, the Civil War, the true record of the United States' relations with the great Native American nations, as well as to anyone simply interested in a cracking "good read."

I've always enjoyed good works of historical fiction. Sure, historians may argue that such books distort fact from fiction, but who cares. What is wonderful about this book is the author's ability to transport the reader to a different place in time. He tells the story of a fascinating person from civil war era, and keeps the story true to the basic historical period. A terrific first novel, hope there is more to come.

This audio book tells the extraordinary, based-on-true-life tale of Grant's right-hand man, a Seneca Indian named General Ely Parker. The narrative gallops apace through a wide historical sweep from frontier days to Teddy Roosevelt. Johnson's impressive narrative provides insights into not only what it meant to be a gifted and educated Indian in a white man's world, but also how such an compelling figure made his way through the cannon-shot of the Civil War to the stealthy back-stabbing and Machiavellian manoeuvring of high-level, Washington civil service-- and beyond.

Besides Parker's involvement in the larger historical and economic movements of the day-- like the Civil War and the subsequent rise of Standard Oil, Johnson provides a fascinating look at Parker's long-standing relationships with Grant, as well as Parker's friends; his future wife, the sassy 15-year old Minnie; and his colleagues. Along with the panorama of history we get small, cameo-sized insights into Parker's personal relationships: the sweet, somewhat stumbling lover and also the ridiculous--as in Parker's old school pal who periodically resurfaces, having (once more) resurrected himself and his finances (or not) with the same entertaining flourishes and folderol worthy of Dickens' Mr. Micawber.

Finally, as really well written as "Grant's Indian," is, it is equally well narrated by author-actor-narrator, Peter Johnson-- whose sense of drama, and delightful wit really comes through. I listened to "Grant's Indian," over a week and it was so good I wished it had gone one for another. Well-done, Peter Johnson! I'll be looking for more fascinating books from you in the future.

When I finished the book, I was left feeling lonely for the main character, Ely (and his wife, Minnie). I love all the ways the author tied up the story---I keep thinking of it as weaving as much as writing. Earlier in the book, when I came to the brief mention of the Brooklyn Bridge, I read it out loud to my husband as an example of the tantalizing tidbits of history blended into the narrative, and I was delighted to see that the author picked up this thread again at the end (as well as echoing Rawlins's death in the manner of Grant's death). I also loved the way Grant's son appeared in Ely's office at the end of the book, looking like his father but bringing the future president, Teddy Roosevelt. The whole book is a rich tapestry that will stay with me for a long time.

Grant's Indian is a compelling, fast-paced journey through an eventful period of American history. The story immediately comes to life in the first chapter, a vivid scene of the surrender at Appomattox -- but this time it's through new eyes, the character of Ely Parker providing a fresh version of the famous event.

This is historical fiction at its best, with fact and narrative woven seamlessly, and the sorts of engaging characters that only 19th century U.S. history could produce and only a skilled author could capture. I would highly recommend the audiobook version, in particular, since Johnson's narration is fantastic and enhances some of the more humorous parts of the story.

Grant's Indian is interesting and well written. The author blends historic fact, insights into the social structure, the political climate, and geographical issues of the day in a friendly and amusing novel. Peter Johnson includes observations of an interracial marriage in the 1800s as a Native American and a Washington socialite struggle to find their own "tribe". I learned a lot reading the book particularly about the Civil War and Grant's impact on the outcome. I totally enjoyed the experience this book provided.