Rating: 
Summary: One of Eckert's Best
Review: "A Sorrow In Our Heart" is definately one of Eckert's best historical novels, right next to "The Frontiersmen" and "Dark and Bloody River". It, of course, tells the story of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, who has been hailed by many as the greatest Indian leader of all time. Tecumseh came closer than any other before or after him to saving his people from total destruction by the whites on the eastern frontier in the early 19th century. In the end, Tecumseh's death is not just a loss in the Indians' long struggle against the Americans, it signals the death knell for their way of life, as their defeat in the War of 1812 sealed their fate on the North American continent. A great and a wonderfully entertaining book, history has never been so hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: One of Eckert's Best
Review: "A Sorrow In Our Heart" is definately one of Eckert's best historical novels, right next to "The Frontiersmen" and "Dark and Bloody River". It, of course, tells the story of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, who has been hailed by many as the greatest Indian leader of all time. Tecumseh came closer than any other before or after him to saving his people from total destruction by the whites on the eastern frontier in the early 19th century. In the end, Tecumseh's death is not just a loss in the Indians' long struggle against the Americans, it signals the death knell for their way of life, as their defeat in the War of 1812 sealed their fate on the North American continent. A great and a wonderfully entertaining book, history has never been so hard to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: riveting biography of Tecumseh--Shawnee warrior and prophet
Review: A review and recommendation by Elizabeth BrockA Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh is a riveting biography of one of the most important men in the United States' history. However, those who want to read about Native Americans only to be politically correct should look elsewhere. Eckert seems unafraid to write accurately about the history of our country. He glorifies neither the Native American nor the white man. He graphically describes savagery of both Indians and whites. Eckert's impartial account of how both sides partook in the spiral of revengeful, horrific acts can be difficult to face, but it is a testament to his willingness to delve into both the glory and ugliness of the past. Eckert's impressive list of other titles and his willingness to identify and explain in this book mistakes he made in previous books assures the reader that he is dedicated to documenting the truth. Eckert's passion for accuracy and meticulous documentation (as evidenced in 172 pages of Amplification Notes) of how he arrived at his account of actual events are fascinating in themselves. This book unravels layer by layer. The author thoroughly explores the Ohio River Valley, the expansion of the United States, the mysticism of Tecumseh as a Shawnee leader and prophet, the treachery of sibling rivalry, the paradox of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's mutual enmity and admiration, and the stunning contributions of native peoples to the culture and vocabulary of America. (He also weaves in some incredible accounts of the tenacity of the legendary frontiersmen Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone.) The reader's persistence in overcoming the book's volume and the difficulty of so many Native American names is well rewarded by the gains in knowledge and appreciation for the people and events that shaped North America during the turn of the 19th century. The reader's time is not wasted.
Rating:
Summary: Sorrow in OUR hearts
Review: Actually, there was a sorrow in our hearts as we read this book aloud to our teenagers since we already knew that it had a sad ending for the Shawnee people. Through an amazing array of primary sources, Eckert tells of life among the Shawnee people and their betrayal by the "heroic" Indian fighters of the day, William Henry Harrison among them, and the "great liar" George Washington. No doubt about it--brutality was committed by both sides, and it is depicted in graphic terms in this book. (That's what held our kids' attention!) This book is well-written; it compels the reader to stay up most of the night reading. Don't skip the endnotes--some of the best material is buried there. Be aware that this condensed paperback edition is not the easiest to read in terms of typeface and spacing. Wish Amazon offered the previous edition, which was much easier to read.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Algonquin Historical Writing
Review: Eckert's A Sorrow in Our Hearts is nothing short of a masterpiece, and will assuredly stand the test of time, perhaps as no other "Native American" history book before it. I have read many hundreds of books on Algonquin history, and nothing I have seen comes close to A Sorrow In Our Hearts in being fair to the individuals involved. Eckert's portrayal of Tunskwatawa as a misguided opportunist may irritate some, but it holds together as the most credible explanation of how things turned out. I turn to this volume over and over again and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of useful information that it contains. It maintains a high level of historical accuracy without losing the mystical feeling of standing in Tecumseh's presence, seeing the world through his eyes, and the bracing sense of strength, courage and upliftment that those around him must have felt. If there were a sixth star to award this book, I would not hesitate to add it to my review.
I have stood by that battlefield where he died and heard the accounts of his demise and burial from a descendant of those who were there and I sense the greatness of the man, and somehow Eckert has managed to do him justice through a medium that is not always compatible with the Algonquin way, and it makes me feel that sorrow to which he refers. We all must die sooner or later, but Tecumseh was still a young man (younger than I am now) when he died at the battle of the Thames. When I am buried, let them lay me to rest with only a well worn copy of Eckert's A Sorrow In Our Hearts in my hands.
Evan Pritchard
Professor of Native American History, Marist College
author of Native New Yorkers, The Remarkable Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York;
No Word For Time, the Way of the Algonquin People, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Tecumseh: An American Hero
Review: Having read Wilderness Empire, Blue Jacket and The Frontiersmen, A Sorrow in the Heart, ranks as the author's finest contribution in helping modern Americans come to an understanding of the geography, historical context and people - both common and uncommon, who shaped the history of the Old Northwest. In my youth I canoed long stretches of the Little Miami River, had hiked from Old Town to the George Rogers Clark Memorial and had bicycled the warriors trail. I am going back to Ohio this Spring, with my copy of this book, to trace the life of a man whom I knew in the most general of terms but now, as an adult, place in my pantheon of true heroes. I credit this book for my rediscovery of these men of uncommon courage and my deep admiration for this Kispokotha Shawnee. Eckert paints sweeping portraits of events and men in a manner that celebrates their strengths, exposes their foibles and always,treating them as the men they were. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: great book about great man
Review: I have a new hero. I recently came across this excellent biography of the great Indian leader Tecumseh, and I'm stunned. First, by Tecumseh. This brilliant warrior and visionary understood that civilization is insatiable, and that one must never make peace with the culture that uses any means necessary to kill the indigenous, and to kill the land. This is a powerful account of necessary resistance to the depredations of the dominant culture.
I'm stunned also by the writing. Allan W. Eckert is an extraordinary writer, and tells Tecumseh's story beautifully and movingly. The book is very hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative Narrative of Tecumseh & The Shawnees
Review: This books depicts the history and life of Tecumseh from his view. It portrays the attitudes and beliefs of the Shawnees and how the white man invaded their mother land. The Shawnees respected the earth, animals, and each other and was a great way of life. The white men just kept coming unrelentlessly. Tecumseh and the Shawnee fought to the end in honor.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT book
Review: Though I wanted very much to enjoy this book, I can't in good conscience recommend it. When dealing with historical facts (the expansionist policy of the new government of the US vs. the interests of the larger tribes - the battles in Canada, etc.), Eckert held my interest. When he intersperses his own florid imagination in portraying Tecumseh's personal life he tends towards purple, mythic prose that tends to make Tecumseh superhuman rather real. Tecumseh emerges as a one-dimensional, single-minded hero who is the main character in a Tragedy, rather than a flesh-and-bones human being who happened to be a great leader of an ill-fated insurrection. For those looking for a story with real pathos, told from a more controlled, but much more powerful point-of-view, read Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Brown doesn't overdo it as Eckert does. He lets the story tell itself. The result is much more affecting and agitating. Eckert's treatment is exceedingly heavy-handed, Brown's more impartial, but ten times more poignant. After reading Tecumseh, I asked myself, "Why did I invest time in this book?" After reading Brown, I wanted to go find Custer's grave and personally desecrate it.
Rating: 
Summary: not my idea of great history
Review: Though I wanted very much to enjoy this book, I can't in good conscience recommend it. When dealing with historical facts (the expansionist policy of the new government of the US vs. the interests of the larger tribes - the battles in Canada, etc.), Eckert held my interest. When he intersperses his own florid imagination in portraying Tecumseh's personal life he tends towards purple, mythic prose that tends to make Tecumseh superhuman rather real. Tecumseh emerges as a one-dimensional, single-minded hero who is the main character in a Tragedy, rather than a flesh-and-bones human being who happened to be a great leader of an ill-fated insurrection. For those looking for a story with real pathos, told from a more controlled, but much more powerful point-of-view, read Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Brown doesn't overdo it as Eckert does. He lets the story tell itself. The result is much more affecting and agitating. Eckert's treatment is exceedingly heavy-handed, Brown's more impartial, but ten times more poignant. After reading Tecumseh, I asked myself, "Why did I invest time in this book?" After reading Brown, I wanted to go find Custer's grave and personally desecrate it.
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