amazing listen, not least because of the narration

I'm not a reader, unless of course its stuff I find i need to explore after emerging form a rabbit hole.. Recently though I discovered the world of the audible. This book is part of a series written AND narrated by Joseph Marshall III. Its a stunning piece if work that tracks the story of Crazy Horse from a child when his name was Light Hair, to his premature death. Crazy Horse was a Thunder being, as such his life belonged to the people. An excellent tactician, leader and accomplished warrior, he was a man of massive humility who suffered much loss in his short life. Joesph Marshall III is himself Lakota who grew up with the stories of the old ways. Like many indigenous cultures their history is passed down through the generations via story telling as such this is probably the most accurate take on who Crazy Horse was ever put into print. The author reads with heart and a confidence in his knowledge, further being Lakota, his voice, his dialect and personal insights made this listen a very enjoyable experience.

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1 person found this helpful

So informative and a brilliant listen

Wonderful story and so captivating - an added layer given by the narrative being a of the same family to Crazy Horse.

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great story.

great story and great narration. it is easy to follow. very informative. loved listening to it

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2 people found this helpful

wonderful

a clear and noble view of crazy horse, from a differant piont of view. i loved it. and anyone interested in there poeple should read this.

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Brilliant

I loved this book. Touching, insightful and entertaining. Gives a glimpse of a sadly gone way of life through lessons handed down over many years via word of mouth.

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2 people found this helpful

A very important book of truth

This is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to listen to on audible, I would like to thank Joseph M Marshall III for this beautiful book. The story has presented the truth and help preserve the deeds of a great honorable leader who was not driven by a lust for power or material gain, but to do what was right to try and save the way of life for his people. There are very few who walk this earth who cannot be bought and stay true to their sole purpose., Crazy Horse to me will always be a very special being who forefilled his destiny.

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1 person found this helpful

Long Hair to Crazy Horse

This book tells us more of the man than the warrior of legend and as such is
a wonderful insight into the real story of Crazy Horse as told by an
ancestor of the Lakota tribe itself. Unlike history or biographical books
written by other authors, this work is put together based on the oral
traditions passed down through the generations. So, this book is an
unashamedly Lakota centric telling of the story of perhaps their greatest
leader. Thus, we gain a better and perhaps more honest appreciation of the
man himself rather than the Crazy Horse of myth or legend.

The book is read by the author which is fitting as his distinctive Native
American voice gives real substance to this work. However, as the author is not a professional narrator I did notice that he did not quite deliver a fluid reading of his book at times and there were a few words that I was confused over but realized had misheard due to his pronunciation. For example, I eventually figured out that what I thought was the word "goal" was actually "gold". That minor issue aside, his voice was perfect for the subject matter.

The book starts us off with a basic understanding of the various sub groupings of the Lakota tribe as well as the way in which the Lakota calendar works. This is a valuable primer but I did find that referring to the months of the year for the most part using the old Lakota names did become confusing for the non Lakota reader. It is a nice touch to make use of the old terms when recounting the various times of the year and I do understand why the author did this but it might have been useful to annotate each mention of the Lakota term with the equivalent Julian term.

The book covers the entire span of Crazy Horse's life and all the key events therein and so achieves what the author set out to do. However, one difficulty I had with the structure of the book was the seemingly confusing chronology of events at times. For clarity, it would have been helpful to mention the year more often to give the reader a better sense of the timeline unfolding. In addition, I noticed that a degree of repetition was present with two key battles being talked about twice and the second telling being done so as if the first had not. The battle of the "Hundred in the Hands" as the Lakota called it or the Fetterman Massacre was discussed twice and with differing amounts of details which made the chronology of the book appear a little haphazard. I was also a somewhat confused at the apparent back and forth describing the approach to Fort Robinson. One paragraph it seemed they had arrived and the next they were on their way. There were one or two other more minor repetitions too which all in all led me to think that perhaps the author got a bit lost himself in the layout of the book.

Having said the above, the book still gave the reader what we needed to learn more about this Lakota leader. It also serves to illustrate just who were really the "savages" in the way the Indian peoples were treated by the white invader. It seems that despite all the societal and technological advances of the white man that sheer greed, ignorance and the belief that all others than themselves were inferior and therefore worthless, it was the American tribes that were the people who showed great wisdom and thoughtfulness which is still a profound lesson for us all today.

For those perhaps new to this subject matter, I would recommend that you first read the excellent "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West" by Dee Brown and available here on Audible as a great primer to the wider events of the time.

A worthwhile read if a little meandering at times.

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5 people found this helpful

One of the greatest books I have heard

Feels just like your there in a spirt sweat room hearing the stories from your native american grandfather. Amazing from start to finish...recommended fully

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4 people found this helpful

Exceptional story telling

I loved every minute of this and was so impressed I've searched other audio books from the same author.
If you are at all interested in the history of the native American you really will enjoy this

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beautiful

so sad of crazy horses final demise, a remarkable insight to aan amazing person and an amazing way of life.. lost forever

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