Monday, April 27, 2009

Crazy Horse, Part I

If there is one thing I enjoy more than hiking for relaxation it is reading, so when Dean Simmons recommended author Mari Sandoz to Dee and Cal, I rushed right over to my local B&N to pick up a copy of Crazy Horse. I am about a fourth of the way into it and enjoying it thoroughly. Not only does Sandoz tell the story from the perspective of the Native American, her distinct style of writing draws the reader into that point of view.

This is not intended to be a review of the book, but I would make a couple of personal observations. First, I am struck by the notion of contingency, in the fact that the whole sequence of events with far reaching consequences was set in motion by an unpredictable and seemingly minor occurrence, the emaciated cow of a Mormon emigrant straying off the "Holy Road" (the Oregon/Mormon Trail) on the Platte River. The lives of thousands of individuals were altered inextricably by the whim of this otherwise insignificant beast.

Second, when I was much younger, the history of the settling of the West seemed like the distant past to me. But now that I am sixty, I realize that General Custer was born less than three of my life-times ago, just two life-times before I was born, one life-time before my grandmother, and Crazy Horse was younger than Custer. Not so long ago.

2 comments:

  1. Donnal, I'm greatly enjoying your blog and the fascinating geographical and historical details you're adding to Cal and Dee's incredible adventure. So, thanks for taking the time to do this! And now that you've mentioned Crazy Horse (my all-time favorite Native American), I wondered if you were aware of Stephen Ambrose's great book "Crazy Horse and Custer." It's easily found on Amazon. Thanks again and wishing you the best. Dean Simmons

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  2. Thanks, Dean. I was not aware of the Ambrose book, and I will definitely look it up.

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