Customer Reviews

Only earth and sky last forever

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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I must admit that I read this book about 28 years ago, but it touched something in me that I have not forgotten since. This book gives young people a glimpse into Native American culture in a way that can make them see the goodness of these people and their connection with the earth and all things in it.

I recently gave it to my 9 year-old son and he enjoyed it immensely. I can only hope that it showed him ways to treat (and not treat) others.

I highly recommend this book for parents who are trying to show their children some of the philosophy and culture of the people who were here before us and only wished to continue their way of life as they had for centuries.

In the story, the main character lived in an Indian settlement. He saw a beautiful girl named Lashuka there, and decided that he wanted to marry her. He asked Lashuka's mother if they could be wed, but she saw no reason to let him marry her. She said that he didn't have anything to offer, so he went to join with the warriors and prove himself. He attacked a small number of white men with them, but something horrible happened. Agency warriors, Indian warriors that lived on the Bluecoats' land, attacked them and saved the white men. The thought of Sioux fighting Sioux disturbed him so much, he set out in hopes of ending it and proving himself to Lashuka's mother.
I enjoyed this book because it was really descriptive and its set a picture in my mind. It was interesting and I thought that it was a good topic for a book. It was exciting to see the plot unfold. I really enjoyed it, and I think that anyone who enjoys a good, adventurous book would really enjoy it, too. The beginning was good at preparing you for the rest of the book, and the middle and end was really exciting. It showed me what Native Americans went through, and I thought it was really interesting. Overall, it surprised me at how adventurous it was.

As an elementary librarian, I read this book aloud to 5th and 6th graders for many years, with only a couple age-appropriate edits. It was a valuable tool for counter-balancing the white-bias that occurs in the standard history textbooks. The story enthralled the students, and they could hardly wait for the next chapter on Story Day. Through Dark Elk and Lashuka they could identify with the Indians as real people. Although the ending was harsh and abrupt, it was in keeping with the feeling of unsettlement and emptiness that was thrust upon the Indians, and was appropriate for the story. This is a story that no one forgets.

In search of novels about Native Americans for my seventh grade classes, I recently read this work. The story of Dark Elk's struggle to make sense of his world in the critical historical period leading up to the battle of Little Bighorn is filled with a realistic mixture of hope, sorrow, strength, and futility. Benchley had my attention right up until the ending. After the big battle scene, however, I felt that Benchley must have run out of ideas. He summarizes the rest of his character's life in two short, un-enlightening paragraphs. Whether this listless conclusion symbolizes the emptiness of Dark Elk's remaining years or not, I found it to be unsatisfactory.

this was an excellent book because it tells the life of the native americans who lived here before us. I recommend it to any age reader.

This was a very interesting book. It taught me about all the ruff times the Native Americans went through when the Englishmen moved to North America. The book also showed how badly the Englishmen treated the Native Americans. The Englishmen would give the Indians free supplies just for living on a reservoir. The free supplies they got though were either rotten food or torn disgusting blankets. Many of the Native Americans would rather die fighting than to die on the reservoirs. This led to many battles between the Native Americans and the Englishmen.