The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull

Rating:
Summary: Compelling narration of a great leader
Review: Ever since my childhood, I have always been enamored of the Native Indians. It wasn't the Indian of the Cowboy tv shows where they were portrayed as idiots or savages ~~ but as the people who were close to nature and the spiritual world.

This book does not disappoint. This is a very concise portrayal of Sitting Bull from an author who took great pains to portray Sitting Bull as how the Indians viewed him and as how as the Whites viewed him. He didn't allow his emotions cloud the facts ~~ it was very obvious that he took time to research the facts and present them without boring the reader to tears. He showed Sitting Bull as the greatest Sioux leader of all time and how he worked to unite the Lakotas and the Hunkpapas as well as other Indian nations together to defeat the White invasion. He also presented the facts that allowed the readers to be aware of why the Indian battles were a losing cause ~~ simply because there were more of the Whites coming. There were not enough Indians to keep populating the land.

This is one of the most in-depth research I've read and enjoyed on any Indian leader. This one goes beyond Sitting Bull and talk about the problems the Indians faced ~~ and yes, it does have some moments in there where you just allow your emotions to override the story ~~ Sitting Bull may not have had it easy but he sure didn't make it easy for the US military or the Indian agents on the reservations. He gave back as good as he could ~~ and he never quit fighting for his people. He is admirable not only as a man, but as a leader. This is definitely a worth-while reading for anyone who is interested in history ~~ especially Native American Indian history.

6-26-04

Rating:
Summary: A Great Leader and Great Man
Review: I've read this book several times, and am amazed each time. Utley is a terrific writer and historian, as he provides the reader with a complex and vivid "picture" of Sitting Bull and his times. Drawing on a variety of sources, both Indian and white, we come to understand Sitting Bull's struggle for his people through witnessing his childhood, relationships with his fellow Lakota (both Hunkpappa and other tribes), conflict with the whites, travels with Buffalo Bill (his sympathy for poor whites he encountered in the eastern cities is esp. telling), and his murder at the hands of Indian police and a paranoid Indian agent. One of the best biographies I've read.

Rating:
Summary: sitting bull
Review: I,VE.read the Lance and the Shield and i thank its one of the best books ive read in a long time, iam proud to be related to sittng bull he was one of the best heros in his time. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Moving Portrait of The Lakota Leader
Review: One of the best written biographies I have ever read, and certainly one of the best ever written about any of the central figures of the Indian wars of the late 19th century. I plan on picking up a copy of Mr. Utley's biography of Custer, as well.

This book is a moving, and sympathetic portrait of a man who fought an impossible war against the forces of manifest destiny that were set against his people. I felt I really got to know Sitting Bull as a man, and as a leader. His spirit of resistance is unquestionably admirable. This is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand just how much was lost by the Lakota, and the Indian people, in the rush of white's towards the "frontier". The spirit of the Lakota leader is on par with any of the great "white" heroes of western european history. Sitting Bull is perhaps, along with Crazy Horse and Chief Joseph, one of the greatest leaders, and Americans, that this country ever produced. Mr. Utley's portrait of him paints his life's picture with pretty vivid colors, and textures. The tragic circumstances of his last years, and his death, are heartbreaking.

Definitely worth the read if you love the American West, and the American Indian people.

Rating:
Summary: Utley's Sitting Bull: The Spirit of Lakota Resistance
Review: Robert Utley, a noted historian, has written an excellent biography on this famous Lakota titled The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull. Utley's monograph depicts Sitting Bull as an influential Lakota, true to his people and his culture. Before The Lance and the Shield, Stanley Vestal's book, Sitting Bull: Champion of the Sioux, was the premiere work. However, as Utley expresses, Vestal's work is often more literary than historical. Given today's trends in historiography, students needed a new text, one with thorough documentation and a more clear writing style. Utley has created an exceptional text that equals his previous writing successes.

Utley uses two metaphorical approaches to chronicle Sitting Bull's life--the Lance and the Shield and the Four Cardinal Virtues. Utley suggests that Sitting Bull's life can be easily viewed in two different roles, a defensive one (shield) and an offensive one (lance); careful and concise description shows how Sitting Bull continually sought to defend and protect his people, militarily and politically. The Lakotas value Four Cardinal Virtues above all others: bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom. Sitting Bull personified these ideals through his dealings with family, friends, and even enemies. Because Sitting Bull lived such a virtuous life, he achieved great influential power among his people and even among other Plains nations.

Utley's bias clearly lies with the Lakota people. However, his writing style is clear and factual, so usually the reader does not get the impression of overwhelming bias toward the Native Americans, after all, we hear of their faults and shortcomings too. Utley says that this more realistic image of Sitting Bull reveals his greatness because of what he represented, the spirit of the Lakota people. (Rebecca McMurrin)