The Life and Death of Crazy Horse [School & Library Binding]

Russell Freedman (Author), Amos Bad Heart Bull (Illustrator, Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

True to the modest spirit of the great Oglala Sioux warrior.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest biography from a master of the genre draws on first-hand accounts of the life and personality of the great Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, combining them with a succinct but dramatic narration of the bloody conflict that ended only with the forced settlement of the last free Native American nation. Born around 1841 as a member of a freely ranging band, Crazy Horse died in 1877 as a captive of the U.S. Army. Quiet and reserved, "he wore no war paint, took no scalps, and refused to boast about his brave deeds," writes Freedman. But he was a revered leader in battles along the Oregon and Bozeman trails?which culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn?as the Indians of the northern Plains fought an ultimately futile war to keep their independence. Illustrations are taken from the ledger book kept by Crazy Horse's cousin Amos Bad Heart Bull (1869-1913), the historian of the Oglala Sioux. Reproduced from black-and-white photographs made before the ledger book was buried with the artist's sister in 1947, in accordance with Sioux custom, the art is not as crisp and sharp as contemporary kids are used to. But along with the personal accounts the pictures effectively evoke life as Crazy Horse would have known it, wooing a young woman in a "courting blanket," raiding a neighboring tribe for horses, or fighting the U.S. cavalry. No dry history this, but a story certain to sweep readers along its tragic path. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?An account of the Oglala Sioux leader's life, written with the attention to detail of a historian and the language of a storyteller. Freedman paints the famous warrior's story on a broad canvas, describing the forces (desire for farmland, gold, railroads) that brought increasing numbers of white settlers to the Indian lands. The divisions among and within the tribes in the face of the ever-growing problem are explained, as is Crazy Horse's adamant refusal to give in to either the threats or the treaty offers of the U.S. Army and the government. The climactic battle of the Little Big Horn is described and shown to be the last triumph of the Sioux before they were herded onto reservations, and the last great victory of Crazy Horse before he was pushed to surrender and face his own violent death. Judith St. George's Crazy Horse (Putnam's 1994) tells very much the same story but adds more details of Indian tribal life and customs. Freedman's book is richer in historical background. His focus is on the conflict of two cultures, and in that conflict Crazy Horse plays the role of the tragic hero, resisting the inevitable, fighting for his people's freedom even when he knew the cause was lost. An impressive bibliography is appended. Black-and-white reproductions of Indian pictographs from a collection of drawings by a Sioux artist (Crazy Horse's cousin) decorate and lend authenticity to Freedman's story-a story that is readable and balanced, and one that illuminates an important chapter of American history.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 166 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823412199
• ISBN-13: 978-0823412198
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Russell Freedman received the Newbery Medal for LINCOLN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY. He is also the recipient of three Newbery Honors, a National Humanities Medal, the Sibert Medal, the Orbis Pictus Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and was selected to give the 2006 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Mr. Freedman lives in New York City and travels widely to research his books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Russell Freedman Tells An Exciting Story, June 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Life and Death of Crazy Horse (School & Library Binding)

The book, The Life and Death of Crazy Horse, tells the story of the American West from a Indian's point of view. Crazy Horse and his people, the Sioux Indians, are living peacefully alone in Indian Country (Montana, and Little Big Horn Battlefield). Crazy Horse loves the wilderness he lives in and the horses he lives with. Then the White people come on the Oregon Trail and take the best campsites and game. The U.S. Army keeps pushing the Indians off their own land. This leads to a lot of fighting and Crazy Horse manages to kill many of their soldiers. If you like adventure in the wilderness, you should read this book!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story about a great Native American, May 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Life and Death of Crazy Horse (School & Library Binding)

This excelent story about adventure and courage takes place in the great vast american west where Crazy Horse and his tribe The Sioux Indians peacfuly live. But sadly when americans in the eastern citys want to move west the U.S goverment makes the Sioux Indeans move from there western home land. The book shows the great worior Crazy horse was from child hood to adult hood to when he is killed. A must read for history fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic introduction to history, January 25, 2011

By 

Backroads "Scatter-brained book fan" (Cache Valley, Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Life and Death of Crazy Horse (School & Library Binding)

Crazy Horse can be considered one of the most iconic and legendary characters of American History and remains one of the famous Native Americans of common knowledge. Who has not heard his name?

Russell Freedman, with the same thorough explanation of history for which he is known, gives a great-yet-simply told biography of Crazy Horse, his childhood, life, and participation in keeping his tribe independent of the American government.

It's nice and thorough, written in a charming article-esque fashion that is admittedly reminiscent of a textbook but certainly works in making the history readable. It's focused toward a younger audience without gimmicks other than some great illustrations.

Freedman gives more than history, and offers insight to what Crazy Horse might have been feeling without being so bold as to make claims, keeping this properly scholarly. For the younger set looking for an introduction to this man of history, this is a great start.