The Life And Death Of Crazy Horse

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate April 2001

download word file, 4 pages 3.0

The Life and Death of Crazy Horse By Russell Freedman Life and The Death of Crazy Horse is a young adult biography. I feel this book has all the qualities of a good young adult biography. As a future educator I would recommend this novel to students and teachers alike. It is very unfortunate that in today's society we know very little about Native Americans. This book helps us to better understand their culture and their way of life. We also get a historical account of the events that occurred which caused the Native Americans to end up on reservations.

Who is Crazy Horse? We've all probably heard the name but few people know who he is. Russell Freedman does an excellent job of portraying a realistic true to life character. When we first meet Crazy Horse he is a little boy named "Curly." However he is known all around town as "Our Strange One."

He is set apart by his looks-his narrow face, light skin, and soft curly hair. The author the gives us the total transformation into the warrior he is remembered as. There is nothing at all romanticized about the hero. In fact I think we can all relate to him in some way. For example, in every young adults life there is an "awkward" period, a time of self-discovery. Well Crazy Horse went through the same thing. As a young boy he started to see the wars going on around him. He knew that every person has a "calling" that only they can fulfill. He knew that he would go out to a lonely place to commune with the spirits in hopes of getting a vision. This vision would inspire them for the rest of their lives. This journey of self-discovery helps to create a bond...