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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607000802630 | Juvenile Nonfiction | 970.1 FREEDMA | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
A narrative biography of six native leaders facing an historical moment of crisis, by award-winning historian Russell Freedman
As pioneers began to head westward in the mid-1800s, they came in contact with the native inhabitants of those territories--a meeting that was often peaceful at first, until white settlers began to lay claim to the land and the United States government built forts to defend them.
It was up to the leaders of these western tribes to decide how to react--whether to cooperate peacefully, agreeing to live on ever-shrinking reservations granted to them, or to fight back and defend their right to the lands they'd always lived on.
Illustrated with numerous historical photographs and prints, Indian Chiefs tells the stories of six western chiefs who led their people through this turbulent time. The biography focuses on Red Cloud of the Oglala Sioux, Satanta of the Kiowas, Quanah Parker of the Comanches. Washakie of the Shoshoni, Joseph of the Nez Perce, and Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Sioux.
Meticulously researched, this narrative account of the lives of these early leaders balances contemporary historical accounts with more recent reflections, focusing on the choices leaders made in these times of crisis and how these conflicts shaped our modern nation.
ALA Notable Book
ALA Best Book of the Year for Young Adults
Author Notes
Russell Freedman was born in San Francisco, California on October 11, 1929. He received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley in 1951. After college, he served in the U.S. Counter Intelligence Corps during the Korean War. After his military service, he became a reporter and editor with the Associated Press. In 1956, he took a position at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson in New York, where he did publicity writing for television. In 1965, he became a full-time writer.
His first book, Teenagers Who Made History, was published in 1961. He went on to publish more than 60 nonfiction titles for young readers including Immigrant Kids, Cowboys of the Old West, Indian Chiefs, Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life, Confucius: The Golden Rule, Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America, Vietnam: A History of the War, and The Sinking of the Vasa. He received the Newbery Medal for Lincoln: A Photobiography and three Newbery Honors for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane, and The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. He also received the Regina Medal, the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award, the Orbis Pictus Award, the Sibert Medal, a Sibert Honor, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the National Humanities Medal. He died on March 16, 2018 at the age of 88.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up Freedman presents six Indian leaders from western tribes, each of whom faced the challenge of dealing with the encroachment upon his land in his own way. Included are Red Cloud of the Oglala Sioux, Santanta of the Kiowas, Quanah Parker of the Comanches, Washakie of the Shoshonis, Joseph of the Nez Perces, and Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Sioux. With hindsight, it is apparent that none of these men could totally win against the white culture, but they each found a different compromise. Freedman does not romanticize the Indian viewpoint, nor is he judgmental against the whites. He presents a factual, human account of cultures in conflict. The black-and-white photographs and prints reinforce the well-written biographies. Because the coverage is limited to leaders of western tribes, only two of the men in this book are also included in Lynne Deur's more general Indian Chiefs (Lerner, 1972). Freedman's narrative, as in his Children of the Wild West (Clarion, 1983), flows smoothly. The bibliography and index add to the book's usefulness as a resource for research as well. Karen P. Zimmerman, I.D. Weeks Library, University of South Dakota, Vermillion (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
By now an esteemed expert on the West, the author of Cowboys of the Wild West moves on to Native Americans. What response should a tribal leader take to white expansion into his people's territories? How that question is answered by six chiefsincluding Red Cloud, Santana and Sitting Bullforms the crux of this book. Their biographies serve as guidelines for negotiation styles, reminders of our government's shame and mother lodes of historical information. Excellent reproduction of the photos gives this reference book a handsome coffee-table look. Ages 8-12. (April) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved