Rating: 
Summary: An unexpected gem
Review: A friend thought I should join a military history book club and bought this for me because it was their next selection. In a million years I would never have picked it up on my own. My sum total of knowledge about Custer has been derived from contemporary Hollywood, especially Dustin Hoffman's "Little Big Man." Since then, I believe, Custer has uniformly been portrayed as a blustering buffoon at best, and a homicidal fruitcake at worst, while Indians have uniformly been portrayed as noble and tragic, i.e., "Dances With Wolves." I found this book to be very illuminating to me, as a neophyte, in explaining the inexorable march of progress across this country and the unfortunate fact that Indians were simply caught living "in the way" of white migration and were rendered anachronistic in the space of a generation. The author could easily have repeated the oversimplistic popularly accepted view that our (well, my) ancestors were genocidal murderers. (Although that doesn't excuse the non-action of which most of us are guilty in addressing the truly bleak lives of many Indians on reservations today.) This book piqued my interest in an area I'd never thought of before, and that's the highest praise I can give any book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much new here
Review: After reading several books on this subject, I did not find much new here. Any parallels drawn between the lives of these two men are indeed a stretch. These were men with two extremely different personalities. Still as the span of their lives did correspond very closey it does allow for some interesting comparisons of culture. Indeed I found the most interesting part of the book to be the introduction where Ambose compares the two very different cultures in which these men grew up. Overall, however, I found Robinson's A Good Year To Die a much better book on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Take me to the plains
Review: Ambrose has drawn me into making two trips to Montana in search of Lewis & Clark, and has me dreaming of taking in the hallowed beaches of Normandy. Now he has me wanting to seek out every clash between the calvary and Plains Indians within an 800-mile radius. Although not as engrossing as "Undaunted Courage", "D-Day" or "Citizen Soliders", "Crazy Horse and Custer" does a superb job of presenting both sides of the Little Bighorn story, and although I thought I would enjoy the Custer portions of the book more, I ended up looking forward to the chapters concerning Crazy Horse with a lot more anticipation.
Rating: 
Summary: Two men, two cultures and a head on collision.
Review: Ambrose has the ability to portray great battles through the participants' deeds and their motivations. What makes the Little Big Horn interesting in "Crazy Horse and Custer" is that after 21 chapters the reader is so ready for the fight and yet not without utter dismay when it's over. There will be no rematch! This book combines their engaging character traits with a crash course in the history of the West. Culturally speaking, this book is generally even handed. Both societies are examined and revealed in their greatness and folly. This is the best and most accessible place to start when studying the Indian Wars.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable History for Everyone
Review: Ambrose's strength lies in his ability to make history approachable for almost everyone. While this is certainly not the most exhaustive book written about Crazy Horse, Custer, or Little Bighorn I would wager that it the most enjoyable. It's a great read, but those searching for the most minute details regarding the actors involved would be well advised to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough study, but not as good as his WWII books
Review: Among Stephen Ambrose's earlier work was this effort, a study of the Western history he enjoyed greatly. The lives of Custer and Crazy Horse are compared throughout the book, noting their seemingly parallel lives to reach the ultimate clash that was the Little Big Horn battle. Crazy Horse was a sharp contrast to the flamboyant Custer, and their ultimate fates were also impossible to predict in their early days.Throughout the book, the issues that shaped Western growth and expansion are addressed, as are their effects on the lives of these two men. There is a short section that follows the climactic battle, deatiling what happened after Little Big Horn for many of the people described in the book at one point or another. A reader expecting another book similar to one of his World War II efforts might be disappointed, but it should be remembered that Ambrose didn't have veterans to discuss experiences with- only records and long-dated transcripts. As such, this is a much more difficult book to write, which should be taken into consideration. However, the book is not as well-written as the World War II books, which obviously benefitted from earlier writing experiences such as this. Overall, the book will teach you a lot about the Western settlement and its effects, and especially about two famous Americans that inevitably will be linked for all of history.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough study, but not as good as his WWII books
Review: Among Stephen Ambrose's earlier work was this effort, a study of the Western history he enjoyed greatly. The lives of Custer and Crazy Horse are compared throughout the book, noting their seemingly parallel lives to reach the ultimate clash that was the Little Big Horn battle. Crazy Horse was a sharp contrast to the flamboyant Custer, and their ultimate fates were also impossible to predict in their early days. Throughout the book, the issues that shaped Western growth and expansion are addressed, as are their effects on the lives of these two men. There is a short section that follows the climactic battle, deatiling what happened after Little Big Horn for many of the people described in the book at one point or another. A reader expecting another book similar to one of his World War II efforts might be disappointed, but it should be remembered that Ambrose didn't have veterans to discuss experiences with- only records and long-dated transcripts. As such, this is a much more difficult book to write, which should be taken into consideration. However, the book is not as well-written as the World War II books, which obviously benefitted from earlier writing experiences such as this. Overall, the book will teach you a lot about the Western settlement and its effects, and especially about two famous Americans that inevitably will be linked for all of history.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: Clearly, this book is not Ambrose's finest work. It added nothing new to the library of books written about these two characters; rather, Ambrose's portrayal was fatalistic, over-romanticized, unrealistic, and in places, inaccurate. If you are looking for information about Custer, Crazy Horse, and the Little Bighorn, there are much better sources. I've given the book two stars, but only because Ambrose deserves the benefit of the doubt -- this was one of his earlier works and his later titles, including "Undaunted Courage", "Band of Brothers", and "D-Day" are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Crazy Horse and Custer was well balanced and fascinating
Review: Crazy Horse & Custer is a riveting double protrait of two of America's most intriuging warriors. I found the story to read much like a novel, with high drama, moments of humor and poignancy. I was particularly impressed with Ambrose's balanced critique of both Crazy Horse and Custer. He neither over-idealized the Sioux lifestyle nor glamorized Custer, but made fair criticques of both men while remaining non-judgemental. I read this book in about a two weeks and could not put it down. I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Compelling history, a really good read
Review: Crazy Horse and George Custer were leaders. They led by example, they led by acclamation, and they led driven by a desire to shape the future of their people. They lived their lives in parallel until the fateful day when they met on the grassy hills of the Little Big Horn. A meeting that was a significant historical mark in the final closing chapter of the free Indian nations in what is now the territory of the United States. Steven Ambrose offers again one of his masterful historical tales in a compelling read. George Custer's legend is well earned. He was a larger than life individual. Crazy Horse most likely wanted to raise a family, but the events of his day precluded a peaceful life. Ambrose captures the spirit and style of their lives while retelling the history. Forget watching the fanciful movies. This book is another creation that only Steven Ambrose could create - a history book that is as compelling a read as the best action thriller novel. ENJOY!
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