The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn: A Lakota History

I read this book based on other books I had read by Mr. Marshall. I loved it! He is a great story teller. I had been to the Battle of the Bighorn Memorial. The story I heard there did not agree with this one, but I dislike Custer, so I did't care. Then, I read an archaeological book about the site by Fox, I think. The area had a fire in 1984 and two archaeologists were called in to do work (fire clears an area and provides a lot more data than when the area is covered by plant life). The story from the archaeologists was the same story told by Mr. Marshall from the Indian point of view. So much for the truth at the memorial site!!

This book is very well written and researched. Author is obviously native, but tells the tale without rancor and name calling. An intelligent approach to filling in the blanks. Well told with pride and empathy. I highly recommend this book.

After reading this book, thinking about it, then reading portions of it again, my primary conclusion is that this is exactly the type of publication that should be required reading in all of our educational systems. The book is profound and persuasive, and discusses not only the infamous battle, but the cultural and and political issues surrounding it. Indeed the Battle at the Little Bighorn is not the ending of this journey, it also serves as the starting point for a difficult, but wonderful examination of the evolution of a culture. As such, the richness of the content not only provides an educated view from the Lakota side of the battle, but also generously shares insight into Lakota customs, beliefs, and dreams. Should this excellent effort ever become required reading in history classes, it would open up doors to understanding why American history certainly did not begin in 1492. More importantly, it unveils the loyalty and traditions of a powerful, mobile, and proud culture. A couple of minor suggestions would have been some tighter editing in the battle sequence chapters, since there is some repetitive information, but the overall message is presented and affirmed carefully and concisely. Read this book; better yet, make sure your children read it!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Battle of Little Bighorn and some history of the Lakota culture. The book delves into the battle and explores the reasons why the Lakota won, but also does so in a fair and balanced way. The book also explores the Lakota culture, to give a better understanding of how and why the Lakota won the battle, but eventually had to give in to white authority. What I loved about the book was the fact that it also explained the history of the Lakota people after the 1890's, a time period not often spoken of. It brings the reader up to the present day, which, I felt rounded out the book in a wonderful way.

Mr Marshall gave the reader a view of this historic event from the side of the Native American and this allowed me and other readers a way to compare what we read from the military side. One of my relatives was a young Lt(Godfrey) who participated and survived. This book fills in some more of the history of our earliest settlers. Bill Drews