The Story of Geronimo (Cornerstones of Freedom)

Rating:
Summary: The story of the Apache chief who did not want to surrender
Review: I am quite sure that I learned that it was proper etiquette to yell "Geronimo!" when jumping out of a military airplane with a parachute before I first heard of the Net'na Apache chief Geronimo. Actually, as anyone who reads about the lives of most of the famous Native Americans in history quickly learns, Geronimo was not the name he was born with, which was Goyahkla (also Goyathlay, "One Who Yawns"). He was given the name Geronimo (Spanish for "Jerome") by Mexican soldiers, although the reason why is disputed. However, what is clear is the enormous respect his adversaries had for Geronimo; some attributed the success of his raid to supernatural powers, including a reputation for being invulnerable to bullets. Ultimately, one of the things that makes Geronimo stand out in the mind of the young readers will be the fact that he lived into his eighties and ended up riding a ferris wheel at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Whereas most famous Native Americans such as Tecumseh and Crazy Horse met violent ends at a young age, such was not the case with Geronimo.

In this Cornerstones of Freedom volume, Zachary Kent begins with the reputation of Geronimo as a fierce raider, only touching upon his youth, making it clear the climate in which he lived that made him strike back against first the Mexicans and later the Americans who encroached on Apache land. The story is laced with quotations from both Geronimo and the soldiers and government officials who opposed him. Detailing the expeditions by General Crook to capture Geronimo, it is hard not to feel a sense of sadness when the Apache leader is betrayed and finally surrendered. Of course, Geronimo would leave the reservation and have to be forced to surrender two more times, which he why he endures as a figure representing the quest for freedom.

Several of the Cornerstones of Freedom volumes deal with what happened between the westward expanding Americans and the native peoples they encountered, from the Black Hawk War and the Trail of Tears to the Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee. "The Story of Geronimo" is one of the few of these volumes that ends on something less than a tragic note. Kent wrote this volume in 1989 so there are some concerns regarding the language used to characterize the actions of Geronimo and the other Native Americans, but the author does chronicle the reasons why the Apaches went on the warpath. The book is filled with almost two dozen photographs, most of which show Geronimo, the Apaches, and the Army troops that pursued him. Of course, at the end, Kent points out that during World War II U.S. paratroopers jumping from plans over enemy territory shouted "Geronimo!" to fill their hearts with courage.

Rating:
Summary: The story of the Apache chief who did not want to surrender
Review: I am quite sure that I learned that it was proper etiquette to yell "Geronimo!" when jumping out of a military airplane with a parachute before I first heard of the Net'na Apache chief Geronimo. Actually, as anyone who reads about the lives of most of the famous Native Americans in history quickly learns, Geronimo was not the name he was born with, which was Goyahkla (also Goyathlay, "One Who Yawns"). He was given the name Geronimo (Spanish for "Jerome") by Mexican soldiers, although the reason why is disputed. However, what is clear is the enormous respect his adversaries had for Geronimo; some attributed the success of his raid to supernatural powers, including a reputation for being invulnerable to bullets. Ultimately, one of the things that makes Geronimo stand out in the mind of the young readers will be the fact that he lived into his eighties and ended up riding a ferris wheel at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Whereas most famous Native Americans such as Tecumseh and Crazy Horse met violent ends at a young age, such was not the case with Geronimo.

In this Cornerstones of Freedom volume, Zachary Kent begins with the reputation of Geronimo as a fierce raider, only touching upon his youth, making it clear the climate in which he lived that made him strike back against first the Mexicans and later the Americans who encroached on Apache land. The story is laced with quotations from both Geronimo and the soldiers and government officials who opposed him. Detailing the expeditions by General Crook to capture Geronimo, it is hard not to feel a sense of sadness when the Apache leader is betrayed and finally surrendered. Of course, Geronimo would leave the reservation and have to be forced to surrender two more times, which he why he endures as a figure representing the quest for freedom.

Several of the Cornerstones of Freedom volumes deal with what happened between the westward expanding Americans and the native peoples they encountered, from the Black Hawk War and the Trail of Tears to the Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee. "The Story of Geronimo" is one of the few of these volumes that ends on something less than a tragic note. Kent wrote this volume in 1989 so there are some concerns regarding the language used to characterize the actions of Geronimo and the other Native Americans, but the author does chronicle the reasons why the Apaches went on the warpath. The book is filled with almost two dozen photographs, most of which show Geronimo, the Apaches, and the Army troops that pursued him. Of course, at the end, Kent points out that during World War II U.S. paratroopers jumping from plans over enemy territory shouted "Geronimo!" to fill their hearts with courage.