Rolling Thunder Speaks: A Message for Turtle Island (Rolling Thunder Speaks) (Paperback)

by Rolling Thunder (Author), Carmen Sun Rising Pope (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A Native American healer, teacher, and activist, Rolling Thunder is known to millions of people all over the world through his stories and talks, through Doug Boyd's book about him, and the Billy Jack films, which were based upon incidents in his life. This book, long overdue by those who knew Rolling Thunder and his work, is a major legacy of his extraordinary life and the summation of his teachings and in his own words. As controversial and plain-speaking as Rolling Thunder himself, it exhorts, enlightens, and teaches through anecdotes and stories, forces us to listen and to think, and carries on his primary mission: to bring Indian knowledge to non-Indian people.

Rolling Thunder Speaks represents the gathering of over thirty years of his tapes and writings, in addition to stories, lessons, and conversations remembered by his widow, Sun Rising Pope. A Cherokee of the Blue Paint or Medicine People clan, Rolling Thunder mastered the Cherokee, Shoshone, Paiute, Sioux, and Tuscarora medicine traditions and healed and instructed both Indians and non-Indians for over forty years. The book describes the basic beliefs and practices of traditional Native American spirituality and training and tools of medicine people. It includes Rolling Thunder's instructions for meditation and prayer, protection against bad spirits, and the use of certain herbal remedies, as well as accounts of history according to Indian beliefs, discussions of karma and the political realities faced by Native Americans, American Indian prophecies, Rolling Thunder's personal visions. Sun Rising Pope has put together all this knowledge in a faithful rendering. As she says: The words are his words; everything in this book is what Rolling Thunder taught.

About the Author
Carmen Sun Rising Pope worked closely with Rolling Thunder as his wife and companion during the last years of his life. She served for ten years as a social worker with the Texas Department of Children's Protective Services. She lives in Carlin, Nevada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Clear Light Pub (February 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574160265
• ISBN-13: 978-1574160260
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #678,364 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wake up, May 26, 2000

By	Devilfish (Honolulu, Hawaii USA) - See all my reviews

I've always tried to feed my spirit with words of wisdom such as those I found coming from Rolling Thunder. This is one of the greatest books on spirituality, and healing from a Native American perspective that you can read. If you read Doug Boyd's "Rolling Thunder", you definitely MUST read this book. Like me, you will marvel at this Cherokee medicine man's clear perspective on the world, the people, and the Great Spirit. Everything is intertwined. He speaks in a straight forward and matter-of-fact way that is at times humorous and at times intensely gruff, but always speaking to your heart and mind. He says that he likes to "shake" people to wake them up and no doubt he does so with this book. My eyes have been opened and wish to thank Rolling Thunder, Sun Rising, and others who helped to put this book together for sharing these words that speak to the spirit in all of us.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK, December 11, 2004

By	Mike Pope "Mike Pope" (Nevada USA) - See all my reviews

Carmen pope never really knew my grandfather or any of the traditional ways. Carmen released third book for ONE reason($$$)Some of the things the book talks about do not truly represent my family's views and beliefs. She came along and secretly married him shortly before his death when he had Alzheimer's among other health problems. Rolling Thunder could not only remember correct names of those closest to him, but definitely devoug enough info for a book.
Mike Pope True Member of the Pope Family.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will wake you up, November 7, 2002

By	"stuntman02474" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews

I read Rolling Thunder by Doug Boyd about five years ago and really enjoyed it. This book is even better because it is from Rolling Thunder's own words. I wish I could have met him, but this book is the next best thing. If you want to know what Native American life is all about from their point of view, not some shallow minded history teacher's, then read this book. Maybe you too will begin to wake up. Thank you Rolling Thunder and Carmen Sun Rising Pope.