Product Description: The year is 1870, and Fool's Crow, so called after he killed the chief of the Crows during a raid, has a vision at the annual Sun Dance ceremony. The young warrior sees the end of the Indian way of life and the choice that must be made: resistance or humiliating accommodation. "A major contibution to Native American literature."--Wallace Stegner.
Exquisitely written Fools Crow is an historical novel of the European invasion from a Native perspective. This tragedy is told through prose so hauntingly beautiful, it will stay with you for a long time to come. An exceptional book.
a real taste of native plains life I've read a wide range of books on native americans but none have struck me, or stuck with me, like Fools Crow. This is a masterwork. It gives one the sense of living life on the high plains of what is now Montana in the years just before and then during the westward expansion of the Europeans. The gift of Welsh is his ability to transport you there, make you feel it, live and breathe it, through the glorious days before, the uncertain days leading up to, and the demoralizing days following the near obliteration of the Blackfoot culture. The use of native place names and language in the book serve to draw you in effortlessly. This is a beautiful book, powerful, heartbreaking, and memorable.
Just Amazing I finished this book, put it down, picked it up, and read it again. The historically inevitable ending (for those who know history) does nothing to detract from Welch's ability to keep you hanging on every word, right up to the the end. The seamless integration of the physical and spiritual planes provides a refreshing view into not just Native American life, but life in general.
I just can't believe I didn't discover this book sooner.
FOOLSCROW Being an enrolled Native-American myself, and having a good understanding of the history of Native/Anglo encounters, I recommend this book highly as an accurate description of life on the plains during the last days of the Blackfeet... brilliant!
Historic and Hopeful The expansion and plunder of the American West permanently altered and almost eradicated the rich civilization of the Plains nations. This deliberate cultural destruction and genocide is shown with great sensitivity and detail in James Welch's novel "Fools Crow", a beautiful and accurate portrayal of a time of dramatic change (1860's - 1870's) in the American West. As is illustrated in the novel, the Pikuni; Kainahs; Siksikas (geographical-linguistic groups known as Blackfeet), and other Native American societies, rich with culture and tradition, were detrimentally impacted by white greed, ignorance, and the influx of disease. Despite the odds, the novel also conveys a sense of muted hope - the potential for a future where some aspects of native people's collective history, stories, and traditions continue.
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