Standoff at Standing Rock: The Story of Sitting Bull and James McLaughlin

Calvert, Patricia

ISBN 10: 0761313605 ISBN 13: 9780761313601

Publisher: Twenty First Century Books, 2001

Synopsis

Told in alternating chapters, a dual biography tells the story of Sitting Bull---a great Indian chief who fought for his people amidst adversity---and James McLaughlin---a young Indian Agent who would stop at nothing to suppress any signs of unrest and keep the Indians "civilized" at all times.

About this title

From Booklist

Gr. 6-12. The author of Great Lives (1997) and numerous historical novels takes on a hot-button topic, twining together the lives of two brilliant, strong-minded men with irreconcilable agendas. She does a creditable job of tracing Sitting Bull's rise, the course of the Indian wars, and McLaughlin's long career as Indian agent and general inspector of Indian agencies. If Calvert points out McLaughlin's success in increasing boarding-school enrollment without going into school conditions, or makes the Indians' transition to settled life seem smoother and less painful than it certainly was, she also clearly shows that McLaughlin acted from genuine concern for his charges, and, more than once, battled his federal employers for fairer policies and treatment. She makes extensive use of McLaughlin's papers and employs occasional black-and-white photos (often poorly reproduced) to give face to many of the people she mentions. In the end, Sitting Bull comes across as a complex, enigmatic figure, and McLaughlin's belief that Indians would survive only if they accepted white culture and religion makes his motives easier to understand--if not forgive. A thoughtful, thought-provoking study. GraceAnne DeCandido
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About this edition

• Publisher: Twenty First Century Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0761313605
• ISBN 13: 9780761313601
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 144