Excellent historical fiction on the life of Crazy Horse. ( )

The life of His Crazy Horse and his spirit animal, Hawk. Sobering look at how the Whites usurped the Indians by repeatedly promising things and not fulfilling them. Sad to see the end of a civilization. He was eventually betrayed by a lying translator and died at age 37. ( )

Although Crazy Horse is considered one of the greatest warriors of the Lakota Nation, I knew very little of his actual life. In Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse, Win Blevins attempts to shed some light on the life of this man. Authentically detailed, this intimate look at such a fascinating figure of history tackles both his personal life and how his legend developed.

As a young boy, Curley, as he was called, was always different. An inward looking, quiet child he held himself separately, causing some to resent him and others to expect great things of him. His vision was one of isolation and sacrifice. Unfortunately this vision both raised him to a prominent position in the tribe but also wreaked havoc in his personal life. Although shunning the spotlight, “Our Strange Man’ as his people called him, grew to be a person of great influence and people often followed his choices. While the author examines the many sides of this complex man, he also never forgets to supply the historical details of the time and place that Crazy Horse lived in. We are totally immersed in culture of these people, their social customs, warring factions, and the rising anger at the broken promises of the white people that will eventually lead Crazy Horse and his people to the banks of the Little Big Horn River.

I now feel I have a greater understanding of this well known historical character. The author manages to take the facts that are known and bring them richly to life, breathing emotion and spirit into his story. I would highly recommend Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse to those who would like to read about a genuine Native American hero. ( )

Excellent other than a bit slow-paced. Tells the live of His Crazy Horse along with a lot of Lakota culture. ( )