Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

Quanah Parker led a life that no novelist could ever haveinvented. His mother,Cynthia Ann Parker, was only nine when a Comanchewar party swept down on her family's frontier farm, killed her parents and grandparents before her eyes, and carried her off into captivity. By the time she was grown, she had become a Comanche herself and married a leading warrior. Their firstborn son was named Quanah, and he would lead his people during the greatest upheaval they would ever experience.Marrin does an absolutely brilliant job of bringing this violent, critical period to life for young readers. He describes the Native lifestyle accurately but objectively, without romanticizing it through the distorted lens of political correctness. He describes the Indian atrocities and the "tornado of hatred" they inspired among the whites. He states correctly that 19th century Indian boys were "born to kill" and then portrays the teenage Texas Rangers who were, in many ways, the mirror image of the young warriors they opposed. We learn about Quanah's role as a leader in the war for Texas, and when that war was finally lost, about his equally impressive role guiding his people through the difficult transitions that followed. I have studied the Indian wars for more than 30 years, and Marrin's book has left me in awe. I did not think it was possible for history to be written this well! If you are over 12 years old, you have to read it! END