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Rating: 
Summary: unique biography
Review:
I was pleasantly surprised to see this biography on George Bent, up until now, the only other writing I have is from the University of Oklahoma. And that volume was put together from his letters and writings.
The reviews listed here pretty much agree with my take on this book. Again I feel that almost anything factual on George Bent is to be received with 'thanks'. For there is so little on the man out there. And he was a key individual living in both white and Indian worlds.
So if you have interest in the Bent family, Bent's Fort, or the Southern Cheyennes, this book can hardly fail to hold your attention.
I read it as soon as I could, and will read it again, and again.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Should be a Movie
Review: George Bent really wants the rest of the world to know the "Indian" side of what most people are taught in school.
There are always 3 sides to a story, ours, theirs and the truth. All we can do know is read both sides and decide for ourself what is the truth.
I would recomend this book, and I'm not much of a book reader.
Rating:
Summary: Halfbreed has it all
Review: Halfbreed reads like fiction, but this story is for real: George Bent is born (1843) in a Cheyenne tipi near Bent's Fort on the Santa Fe Trail during the heyday of the fur trade. His mother is a Cheyenne princess and his father the king of the mountain men. He is sent off to St. Louis to be educated in white schools and suffers the indignities of a mixed blood in a white world. Still he fights for the Rebels during the Civil War, is caught up in the Sand Creek Massacre, and then rides with the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers as they fight the US Army to a standstill on the high plains in 1865.
The authors discovered hundreds of letters, written by Bent between 1864 and 1918, providing amazing and intimate details of love, war, and the Cheyenne struggle for survival. Bent knows everyone who's anyone in the American West-Custer, Buffalo Bill, Kit Carson, Red Cloud, Tall Bull, and Black Kettle. Caught between white and Indian worlds at a pivotal time in history-Bent's story is one of adaptation, courage, survival, and, in the end, triumph. He saves the history of the Cheyenne people. I'm not usually a footnote fancier, but some of the tidbits buried in the notes are even juicier than the narrative. This is great history--very readable. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Halfbreed has it all
Review: I love history but most history books are too academic. This book was like reading a story. I learned so much about the Cheyenne people and their relationship with other Indian societies and the white culture. This book is a must read for anyone. I actually couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I love history but most history books are too academic. This book was like reading a story. I learned so much about the Cheyenne people and their relationship with other Indian societies and the white culture. This book is a must read for anyone. I actually couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Halfbreed is history at its best
Review: The story of George Bent is riveting. Halfbreed is history at its best. It is exceptionally well written and, at the same time, superbly researched and footnoted. Many historians and writers have incorporated bits and pieces of the Bent story into their work, but Halfbreed is the first attempt to tell the whole story. Halaas and Masich have pieced together a rich tapestry as Bent's life weaves in and out of Indian and white worlds. Following the Sand Creek massacre of 1864 Bent chose the Cheyenne path, in war and peace, until his death in 1918.
I recommend Halfbreed for everyone interested in the American West, the Civil War, Indian culture, and great storytelling.
P.S. I'm not sure if it's still in print, but these are the same authors who wrote Cheyenne Dog Soldiers--now the standard source on that subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Intellectually dishonest, but a good read
Review: While George Bent's story is more than a worthy topic, the authors do tend to slant events and write in such a way that doesn't tell the story in its true light. For example, in one part of the book the authors state that some traders sold liquor to the Indians and got them drunk, thus an unfortunate incident occurs. Well, when I looked in the footnotes and checked out the well-known source, it stated that one of the Indian chiefs was at fault for supplying the liquor. It makes you wonder what other information is being toyed with. Still, Halfbreed is a good read and contains much fascinating information about George Bent. Just be sure to continue your own research and not read this as the final word.
Biased, biased, biased, thus my rating drops to a 3
July 26, 2004
A very good example of this biased information comes at the end of Chapter 4. The authors explain how a Cheyenne WAR PARTY meets a smaller group of Delawares. They act peacefully but the Delawares try to give them the slip in the night. When the Cheyennes find out that the Delawares, believing the Cheyennes were up to no good, ran for their lives, they felt compelled to give chase and kill some of them. The authors would have you believe that if the Delawares remained where they were, the Cheyenne WAR PARTY would have left them alone. In other words, it was the Delaware Indians at fault, the Cheyennes didn't want to have to hurt them, but were forced into it. Yeah, right, let's blame the victim. It is this type of slanted, biased, and downright foolish writing that PERVADES this book. And it's really too bad. The authors should have respected George Bent more than this and done him justice.
July 31, 2004
Since my critique of this book should be considered helpful to would-be readers, it is my belief that the authors, or friends of the authors, have twice rated my review as less-than-helpful (as of this writing). If you can't take the criticism, stop writing biased books. I've been reading about this topic for close to 30 years. I've traveled to many of the famous locations and even relocated for a time to further explore. My opinion on this book is absolutely correct. I expect more from historians on a topic that is very, very close and dear to my heart.
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