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lostinthelibrary's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very odd little book. Not quite straight up non-fiction history, not quite historical fiction but something in between. The author recounts historical events but every now and then inserts the reader into specific moments in vivid descriptions of how the participants in these events may have felt at the time. This was effective at some points, confusing at others.
There were some very beautiful and poignant moments and it paints Buffalo Bill as a complex character whose fame got ahead of him and who had warm feelings toward the Native Americans in his shows whilst still clearly exploiting their terrible history for entertainment. The accuracy of this portrayal is can be debated I suppose.
However, I was left with a bit of an odd feeling. Why is a Frenchman with no apparent connection to Native Americans telling this story? I really would have preferred to hear it from those whose ancestors were involved and who are still affected by the racist tropes that originated in Buffalo Bill's shows.
There were some very beautiful and poignant moments and it paints Buffalo Bill as a complex character whose fame got ahead of him and who had warm feelings toward the Native Americans in his shows whilst still clearly exploiting their terrible history for entertainment. The accuracy of this portrayal is can be debated I suppose.
However, I was left with a bit of an odd feeling. Why is a Frenchman with no apparent connection to Native Americans telling this story? I really would have preferred to hear it from those whose ancestors were involved and who are still affected by the racist tropes that originated in Buffalo Bill's shows.
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