Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy (Hardcover)

by Kent Nerburn (Author) "THE NEZ PERCE first encountered the European world, and the Europeans first encountered theirs, in a wide, pine-rimmed meadow in the foothills of the Bitterroot..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nez Perce, Looking Glass, White Bird (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Nerburn (Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder) brings balanced passion to this popular history of the man best known for his sad speech signaling his tribe's surrender at the end of an 1,800-mile retreat from their homeland in Oregon: "I will fight no more forever." Nerburn's novelistic chronicle moves from the kind welcome Lewis and Clark receive from the Nez Percé in 1805 to General O.O. Howard's May 1877 order for the tribespeople to move onto a reservation in Idaho within 30 days. The author follows chiefs Joseph, Ollokot, Looking Glass and White Bird through their armed resistance to Howard's order, their torturous six-month flight toward Canada and their final surrender to U.S. forces just 50 miles away from the Canadian border. Subsequently relocated to several reservations, the tribe was decimated in numbers, culture and spirit, and Joseph's efforts in the 1880s to regain legal ownership of his rightful land, Wallowa Valley, Ore., came to naught. While Joseph's symbolic importance as "America's premier Indian" bloomed, the actual Nez Percé dwindled toward extinction. Nerburn sets out to bust the myth of the "Red Napoleon" in this engaging volume, but his characterization of Joseph's "compassionate leadership" can lean toward stereotyping of a different sort: the noble and tragic Native American in defeat. (Nov.)
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From Booklist
Among numerous biographies of Chief Joseph describing the Nez Perce retreat in 1877 from their home in Oregon's Wallowa Valley and their ultimate capture just miles south of Canada, Nerburn offers a somewhat different slant. After the council at Lapwai (Idaho), near their home, conflict arose within the tribe between those bands who had signed the 1855 treaty, and those who had not, those who wanted to move to the reservation lands they were offered at Lapwai, and those who wanted to fight for their right to return home to their beloved Wallowa Valley. According to Nerburn, U.S. Army General Oliver Otis Howard assumes that Joseph is the military leader of all the nontreaty bands, when in fact, "the Nez Perce were anything but Joseph's people," and Joseph was "barely listened to at all." Nerburn concludes that Joseph's role as the preeminent war-loving chief was emphasized by General Howard because "a strong enemy makes an opposing commander look good." An intriguing twist to a legendary saga, which is sure to encourage rebuttal. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060513012
• ISBN-13: 978-0060513016
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #729,862 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nerburn Get's It Right, January 9, 2006

By	Adrian P. Schoone (Racine, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As one who has visited the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana on virtually an annual basis for almost 50 years, I recognize that by going to the physical source of his subject, Dr. Nerburn has captured the spirit of the Nez Perce saga. Past biographies of Joseph such as Beal, I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War (1973), fail to disclose that he was hardly a Napoleonic war leader, but rather the caretaker of his tribe during their crisis. Similarly, earlier efforts to describe the Nez Perce fell short in explaining the importance of their Appaloosa horse breeding to tribal pride. As an owner of such equines, I understand how unique is that breed in terms of stamina and courage.

In short, the author, through his four years of meaningful interaction with the Nez Perce of today, coupled with intensive academic research of such record as exists of their history, has presented a fair, realistic portrayal of a veritable sin committed by the then government of our country, crying out for atonement even today.

Adrian P. Schoone
6220 Partridge Hills Dr.
Racine, WI 53406

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nerburn's Fascinating Labor of Love, December 2, 2005

By	Larry Shaw - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The flight of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce in the 1800's is told with love and great skill by Kent Nerburn in his new book. The events are historically accurate, but presented as a great story by a great story teller. It's history that reads like a novel. I felt like I was there with the soldiers in the frozen North as they pursued the small band who desired only the freedom to live as their creator intended. I was there with the Nez Perce as their elders and children died one by one during the tragic flight. I felt their pain and suffering. I recommend this book highly to anyone not satisfied with the history as it was taught to us in our schools, and who desire the true story of this sad chapter in the story of the American West. I say thanks to Mr. Nerburn for this fascinating and absorbing labor of love. Five Stars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chief Joseph seen in a whole new light, November 22, 2005

By	Debby Lynn (Troutdale, Oregon) - See all my reviews

I devoured this new book about Chief Joseph and even took notes on it...some inspiring things I wanted to remember, as well as some convicting things I must never forget. I have read other works about the Nez Perce and, in fact, I live in the Pacific Northwest and have visited many of the areas related to this part of history. But, I have never heard or read some of the things that Mr. Nerburn includes in his book. They are real and intimate and raw...and clearly tell "the rest of the story". I was sad when I finished it...like a very honest friend had to stop our very wonderful interaction. I will keep my copy and read it again and reference it often. I have read several of Mr. Nerburn's books...his voice resonates with my own. I highly recommend all of his work, but at this moment I would encourage everyone to get a fresh and vivid look at this man, Joseph, and his people by reading this book. You won't regret it.