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Geronimo: His Own Story: The Autobiography of a Great Patriot Warrior Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

S. M. Barrett (Author), Pat Bottino (Narrator), Blackstone Audio, Inc. (Publisher)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,906 ratings
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Here is one of the most extraordinary and invaluable documents in the annals of Native American history: the authentic testament of a remarkable "war shaman" who, for several years, held off both Mexico and the United States in fierce defense of Apache lands.

During 1905 and 1906, Geronimo, the legendary Apache warrior and honorary war chief, dictated his story through a native interpreter to S. M. Barrett, then superintendent of schools in Lawton, Oklahoma. As Geronimo was by then a prisoner of war, Barrett had to appeal all the way up the chain of command to President Teddy Roosevelt for permission to record the words of the "Indian outlaw".

Geronimo came to each interview knowing exactly what he wanted to cover, beginning with the telling of the Apache creation story. When, at the end of the first session, Barrett posed a question, the only answer he received was a pronouncement: "Write what I have spoken".

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  1. Listening Length
    3 hours and 34 minutes
  2. Author
    S. M. Barrett
  3. Narrator
    Pat Bottino
  4. Audible release date
    March 17, 2008
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  7. ASIN
    B00166CBC2
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 3 hours and 34 minutes
Author S. M. Barrett
Narrator Pat Bottino
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 17, 2008
Publisher Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00166CBC2
Best Sellers Rank #328,246 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#249 in Indigenous Demographic Studies
#492 in Indigenous Peoples in the Americas History
#1,583 in US State & Local History

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
2,906 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the story fascinating and the photographs excellent. They also describe the reading experience as good and quick. Readers appreciate the writing quality as well-written and simple. They mention the book is well worth the read and delivered fast.

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StoryReading experienceWriting qualityReading paceContent
144 customers mention "Story"131 positive13 negative

Customers find the story fascinating, eye opening, and powerful. They also say the book is an important autobiography in American history, and satisfying to hear an alternative perspective of Western American History. Readers also say it's helpful with the info they need and the photographs are excellent.

"...They were a fascinating people. Some of their customs I approve of, some I disapprove, of and some are neither good nor bad but merely different...." Read more

"...I'm glad I started with this - it was fascinating to read a famous warrior's story in (pretty much) his own words...." Read more

"This was an eye opening first person account of the life and times of Geronimo through the eyes and tongue of Geronimo...." Read more

"...The 20 or so photographs in this book are excellent, they include portraits of Geronimo, his family, and friends." Read more

109 customers mention "Reading experience"109 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good read, indispensable, and invaluable for anyone with an interest in Native American history. They also describe it as highly impressive and priceless.

"Pretty good read...." Read more

"A great book!" Read more

"This is an ok read...." Read more

"The book is excellent. I only gave it four stars because it could've been better, but one must consider it was written a century ago...." Read more

40 customers mention "Writing quality"31 positive9 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well written. They also appreciate the simple way the book is put together.

"...This was a simple but excellent read for what it was and i will ensure that my grand children read of the life and exploits of Geronimo." Read more

"This was an easy read, and was fairly short...." Read more

"This was written in a most interesting way. I've read many things about him but I could hear him in this writing...." Read more

"...I am giving 4 stars because of the poor quality of the transcription, not the content of the story...." Read more

19 customers mention "Reading pace"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a quick read that is worth the short time. They also say it's delivered fast and is insightful.

"...It's a pretty quick read; I definitely recommend it." Read more

"...It’s a slim volume, which can be read in a single day. And although one may wish for more, I for one was captivated." Read more

"...Reading this gives some insight to that question.Worth reading." Read more

"...Definitely worth the short time it takes to move the life of this most well-known Apache." Read more

12 customers mention "Content"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the content fascinating, realistic, and believable. They also describe the book as an in-depth look into a great man, with a tightly woven, factual story.

"Much more than I expected. This is an in-depth look into a great man...." Read more

"A powerful story, easy to read and very honest. I wish there was more, so much to learn between the sentences and words. Well done, well said." Read more

"This is a fascinating, well-written, tightly-woven, factual story. It brings sympathy and empathy for a flawed but great man to the serious reader...." Read more

"It is a pity that this book is not better written. The material is fascinating, but the writer is a genuine obstacle to enjoying the story" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Walter E. Kurtz
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at Apaches
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2014
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This is a short autobiography of the legendary Apache leader Geronimo. For those who don’t know, Apaches were a tribe of fearsome Indian warriors who lived on the territory spanning from present-day South-Western USA to northern Mexico, although their bands travelled occasionally much farther than that. Geronimo was one of their principal leaders and he became something of a thorn in the American and Mexican side in the second half of the 19th century.

Before I continue, I just want to say that I will be using the word “Indian” rather than “Native American” because that is the term used in the book. This book was written more than a century ago, and back then the term “Indian” was widespread and, generally speaking, not pejorative.

The book is quite short. It comes to some 130 pages, 30 of which are writer’s comments. (Geronimo narrated it, but he didn’t write the book himself.) Geronimo spends a lot of time describing the culture, religion and customs of the Apaches. I found this more interesting that the part about his life (I will get to that later) because beforehand I knew next to nothing about Apaches other than what I saw in westerns. They were a fascinating people. Some of their customs I approve of, some I disapprove, of and some are neither good nor bad but merely different. In some ways they were the way they are portrayed in movies, and in some other ways they were totally different. The book does dispel the image of an Indian as a noble savage. Indians were human beings with all the virtues and vices that come with it. In some ways they were noble, and in some ways they were barbaric. For example, their customs required them to always keep their word (something that we would all approve of), but any person not of their tribe could be killed or maltreated without any regret. This does not mean that they were psychopaths who killed at whim, but in the book we do find instances of them committing what to us is cold blooded murder and thinking nothing of it. By our modern values they did a lot of good things but also a lot of bad things. Does that make them good people or bad people? (Or just people?) I will let you decide.

The other “half” (the two accounts are intermingled) of the book is the story of Geronimo’s life as told to us by him. If you are expecting captivating blow-by-blow account of his adventures, you will be disappointed. If you hope that he will be discussing Apache fighting techniques and tactics in the “Sun Tzu: the Art of War” style of analysis, you will be disappointed too. Most of the time, when Geronimo talks, it goes something like this:

“In the spring me and two other warriors, we went to Mexico. We met some cowboys and we stole twenty horses from them. Then we hid in the mountains for two months. Then a meeting was called and we formed a war party. On our way we met some cowboys on wagons. We killed them all and took their stuff. They had a lot of food and some guns. A week later we were attacked by Mexican soldiers. We had to disperse. I shot two Mexicans in that battle.”

No, this is not a direct quote, but you get the idea. All that time Geronimo’s voice is very stoic and monotonous. I would not say that he is boring, because he certainly is not, but his account lacks emotion. Even when Geronimo talks about how his wife and children were ambushed and killed by Mexican soldiers, he expresses no emotion.

Is it because he feels no emotion, or because he is suppressing it, I cannot say. I would guess the later. I hate stereotypes, but the way Geronimo carries himself reminds me of all those calm, stoic Indians that you see so often in westerns. Could it be that this particular stereotype is grounded in reality?

I was going to say that this book offers an insight into the Indian mind, but that would be racist. Indians are human beings and they have personalities. There is no “Indian mind,” just as there is no such thing as “American mind” or “Chinese mind.” Still, I am sad to say that some stereotypes about Indians (Indians from that time period, that is) are confirmed by this book.
28 people found this helpful
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Mika Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015
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Pretty good read. I'm not much of a history buff but had always been curious to learn more detail about the old west and how the history of conflict with the natives unfolded. I'm glad I started with this - it was fascinating to read a famous warrior's story in (pretty much) his own words. It was interesting to read Geronimo's descriptions of native traditions including rich creation stories, festivals and rites of passage, and battle and raiding. Geronimo himself attests to things like how warriors were not obliged with any moral boundaries toward anyone outside their own tribe, tribes they have close relations with, or others who've managed to reach a friendly understanding with their tribe. (So raiding and marauding white pioneers on the plains at random was not taboo.) It kind of reminded me of (what little I know about) the ancient European tribal systems such as the Vikings and the Goths. It was also interesting to learn about their justice system, in which warriors who can't/won't follow the unwritten order of things in a tribe are kicked out, then often band together as outcasts. It was to these outlaws he attributed atrocities such as live scalpings and torturing captives for kicks. Assuming he was telling the truth that would explain a lot about possible precipitous misunderstandings between the tribes and the US government regarding native-white relations on the plains and how they affected the course of US history. It's a pretty quick read; I definitely recommend it.
37 people found this helpful
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Randy
5.0 out of 5 stars exactly as described
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
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A great book!
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Christopher Zimmerman
3.0 out of 5 stars Geronimo Autobiography
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2009
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This is an important book for anyone studying the history of the Geronimo Campaigns. Although Geronimo's words are often selfserving and he glosses over the horrible things he did, it is important to understand how he saw the world and his place in it. In those instances where he described the details of historic events that didn't have to do with his personal image, he sheds interesting light on matters that are often confused in other historical accounts. An example is the credit he gives to Lawton and his scouts for wearing him down as opposed to the credit that is often now given to Gatewood for actually talking him into meeting with General Miles. Although, perhaps the most interesting portion of the book was Geronimo's description of his experiences at the World Fair in St. Louis. It is fascinating to read. Although the book is scanty in detail and leaves the reader wishing Geronimo had been more long winded, it is a critical read for those wishing to understand the mind of the last great Indian warrior to surrender.
9 people found this helpful
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Lydia R.Payne
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opening, first person account…
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024
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This was an eye opening first person account of the life and times of Geronimo through the eyes and tongue of Geronimo. As a person of color i went through a bevy of emotions reading this and had to remind myself, often, that’s what i was reading was a part of history. This was a simple but excellent read for what it was and i will ensure that my grand children read of the life and exploits of Geronimo.
2 people found this helpful
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Len B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Historical events
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2024
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Story from the other side and more knowledgeable of the true situation
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mare
5.0 out of 5 stars Caaaaw
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2019
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I'd always thought he was a horrible character. And never think that Geronimo did not admit to doing some horrific things for which he felt deep guilt. BUT, in this book you will find a proud man, sometimes arrogant for sure, a damn hard working man (though whites didn't call it "work"), a passionate guy, devoted to ideals, demanding, surprisingly spiritual, highly energetic, relentless, perhaps strongly unforgiving, crafty, so complex ...but most of all and understandably - frantically fearful of losing his way of life and heading toward being controlled by those impossible to trust.
He later felt a failure yet he and his people accomplished stunningly amazing feats under absurd conditions.
I can only wish the book had more about his family lives.
I loathe some things he did BUT it does start to make sense - especially after the hundreds of years the Apaches in general, had already been essentially forced to live as they best learned to live. It was hugely a matter of survival for their nations

The whites were every bit as brutal, every bit as arrogant and moreso and have yet to confront the error of their ways. I'm glad Geronimo spoke. I'm glad I got to see his words in print, and in a sense, hear him. I'm glad I learned to like the man.
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APS Somal
5.0 out of 5 stars I was touched by this book dearly
Reviewed in India on December 4, 2018
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This is one of the best books i ever read. The writing is not like the average autobiography (as it was written a 100 years ago)
The Apache raids were a litle repetitive but the last 2 chapters are AWESOME .Somehow it pained me to read about him
how different lives we all live. If you start reading it dont put down before reading tthe last bit.(you can skip the apache raids if you want but read the last 2 chapters)
PS I FELT REALLY LONELY AFTER READING IT . VERY TOUCHING
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J Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a read if you like to hear the other side of the story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2018
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Great book, really easy read - felt like it was being told in the first person and gave a different side to the stories written from the US perspective
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great American history
Reviewed in Australia on February 21, 2016
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A remarkable story of Geronimo and his life and dealings with white Americans. He was not the unreasonable person he was portrayed to be It was interesting to hear his story as always there are 2 sides to everything. Great American history.
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B. H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Die wahre Geschichte...?
Reviewed in Germany on August 31, 2011
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Zunächst einmal folgendes. Man sieht es bereits an meiner guten Bewertung...dieses Buch ist durchaus lesenswert, meiner Meinung nach war es wichtig und richtig, dass es geschrieben und veröffentlicht wurde, auch wenn ich selbst, da ich bereits viele ähnliche Bücher von und über dieses Volk und seinen Kampf um die Freiheit gelesen habe, keine wirklich neuen Erkenntnisse daraus ziehen konnte.
Dennoch...war es gut, zu einigen Ereignissen der damaligen Zeit auch einmal Geronimos eigene Meinung zu hören...wenn diese auch mit vielen Jahren Abstand aufgeschrieben wurde, so dass vielleicht einige Erinnerungen nicht mehr ganz so frisch waren.
Aber...man sollte sich immer bewusst darüber sein, dass dieses Buch um das Jahr 1905/6 herum entstanden ist, diese Tatsache wird ja auch nicht verschwiegen, denn bereits in der Einleitung schildert der Herausgeber eingehend, welche Schwierigkeiten er hatte, überhaupt die Genehmigung hierzu zu erhalten. Erst eine direkte Eingabe an den damaligen US-Präsidenten, Th. Roosevelt, brachte das gewünschte O.K.
Dazu muss man natürlich wissen, dass Geronimo selbst, sowie die meisten seiner zu dieser Zeit noch lebenden Gefolgsleute, deren Familien, sowie viele andere, an den Raub-und Kriegszügen der späten achtziger Jahre des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts nicht beteiligte Apachen, zu dieser Zeit immer noch den Status von Kriegsgefangenen hatten, deshalb nicht frei darin waren, das zu tun und zu sagen, was sie wollten. Immer mussten sie befürchten, dafür zur Rechenschaft gezogen zu werden...
Dies Tatsache erklärt sicher auch, dass manche Dinge hier unausgesprochen bleiben, etwa tiefere Einblicke in die religiösen Ansichten seines Volkes...
Weiß man, wie verbissen Geronimo einst gegen die Amerikaner gekämpft hat, so wird man ihm auch kaum wirklich abnehmen, dass er sie schätzt...weswegen einige Sätze des Lobes, die im Buch formuliert werden, wicher eher vom Verfasser kommen, oder der Tatsache geschuldet sind, die Zensur durchlaufen zu müssen.
Gut gelungen finde ich, dass der Verfasser sich die Mühe gemacht hat, den Kapiteln, in denen Geronimo etwas berichtet, die passenden Notizen aus Militärberichten-und mitteilungen beizufügen, so dass die jeweiligen Aussagen von verschiedenen Seiten beleuchtet werden. Alles in allem sehr lesenswert, für all jene, die Interesse an der "wahren" Geschichte haben...etwas abseits der uns bekannten Geschichtsbücher.
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