Scan barcode
book_concierge's review
3.0
Britt Johnson was a former Kentucky slave who, along with his wife, Mary, and their three children, went to Texas in 1863 searching for a new life. Little is known about them, other than that Mary and the children were taken in a Kiowa raid, that Britt found the camps where they were held and ransomed them. This is a fictional account of his life in North Texas from 1863 to 1871.
Interspersed with Johnson’s story is that of the U.S. government’s efforts to enforce a peace treaty that the tribes didn’t feel applied to them. Jiles does a good job of painting the landscape and giving the reader insight into both sides of the issues – the pioneers who saw opportunity in this vast new landscape and wanted only to be able to work their land vs the Native tribes who felt the land belonged to no one and that the gods provided the animals, water, grain for their use. One side drew boundaries on a piece of paper; the other recognized only natural barriers and freely crossed them to follow the herds of buffalo or the best pasture lands for their horses.
I was interested in Britt Johnson’s story and that of his family. Not so interested in the plight of the Quaker appointed as the Indian Agency chief. While I understand the need to include this historical background, I didn’t think that Jiles handled the transitions between story lines very well. It was slow getting started and I lost focus, though was fully engaged by the second half of the book. All in all, this is more than just a western, it’s also the story of one man’s courage and devotion to his family.
Interspersed with Johnson’s story is that of the U.S. government’s efforts to enforce a peace treaty that the tribes didn’t feel applied to them. Jiles does a good job of painting the landscape and giving the reader insight into both sides of the issues – the pioneers who saw opportunity in this vast new landscape and wanted only to be able to work their land vs the Native tribes who felt the land belonged to no one and that the gods provided the animals, water, grain for their use. One side drew boundaries on a piece of paper; the other recognized only natural barriers and freely crossed them to follow the herds of buffalo or the best pasture lands for their horses.
I was interested in Britt Johnson’s story and that of his family. Not so interested in the plight of the Quaker appointed as the Indian Agency chief. While I understand the need to include this historical background, I didn’t think that Jiles handled the transitions between story lines very well. It was slow getting started and I lost focus, though was fully engaged by the second half of the book. All in all, this is more than just a western, it’s also the story of one man’s courage and devotion to his family.
angelamichelle's review
5.0
Man Paulette Jiles is good. I don’t know any other author that immerses you so fully. You feel the mild confusion of being in another world whose ways you are only gradually learning.
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023/12/19/review-2285-the-color-of-lightning/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023/12/19/review-2285-the-color-of-lightning/
cseibs's review
3.0
An enjoyable read. Jiles did a wonderful job of giving a balanced view of both Texas settlers and the Plains Indians. The resulting story was appropriately complex. The only true "hero" of the book was Britt Johnson, and even he was conflicted. The book was authentic and rarely condescended.
susanp's review against another edition
2.0
Thought News of the World was an excellent read, this one not so much. Disappointed because I had looked forward to continuing Britt's story, which was only touched upon in News of the World. Parts of this book were excellent; but parts of it were so filled with stereotypes that I could barely keep reading.
margaretmechinus's review against another edition
2.0
I got this audio book after watching News of the World. Half way thru I had to stop listening. She had belabored and hammered home her points about this period of our history. I couldn’t see any good resolution and it made me feel nervous and upset.
karnaconverse's review
4.0
Based on the Texas frontier legend of Britt Johnson, who is said to have rescued his family from the Kiowa after the tribe raided Elm Creek and took them captive in the 1860s
While Johnson's story is the basis for the narrative arc, Giles writes subtly about slavery and the views of those in north central Texas and in depth about the lifestyles of the Kiowa, Comanche, and Kiowa Apache with an emphasis on their responses to settlers moving westward and to the government's military presence. She spares little in description and creates a setting readers are sure to find appalling, yet believable. You'll have to decide for yourself which is more appalling: the brutal attacks on the settlers or the efforts to teach the native tribes to change how they live.
While Johnson's story is the basis for the narrative arc, Giles writes subtly about slavery and the views of those in north central Texas and in depth about the lifestyles of the Kiowa, Comanche, and Kiowa Apache with an emphasis on their responses to settlers moving westward and to the government's military presence. She spares little in description and creates a setting readers are sure to find appalling, yet believable. You'll have to decide for yourself which is more appalling: the brutal attacks on the settlers or the efforts to teach the native tribes to change how they live.
marie_gg's review against another edition
4.0
This was not a lighthearted read.
It's about a freed slave, Britt Johnson, who travels to Texas with his family (and his former "owner"), into a land ravaged by raids and battles with the Kiowa and Comanche tribes. One day while Britt is away, the Native Americans raid the settlement and brutally murder his son and many others and take as captives Britt's wife and children, along with another woman and children. The women are repeatedly raped in front of their children and grandchildren.
Running parallel to Britt's story is that of Samuel Hammond, a Quaker man who is sent out to work for the Office of Indian Affairs and tries to manage life on the Texas plains and dealing with the lawless Native Americans without resorting to violence.
Both men display great bravery and honor and forge their own ways in this difficult period of history. Although the Native Americans' raids and scalping are described in brutal terror, it's also clear that the Texans and American government were no less brutal in stripping them of their lands and rights.
I was surprised to learn at the end of the book that Britt Johnson was a real person and his grave is still there in Texas...along with many of the others whose stories are told in this book. Johnson appears to be a great legend in west Texas, and a quick google search resulted in many hits. I am interested in learning more about Native American culture from that era--many of the children and adults taken captive did not want to leave when they were rescued several years later, even though they were often taken in deep brutality (after being raped or seeing their loved ones raped or murdered).
This is historical fiction at its best--bringing to life stories of people who actually lived and about which we have only sketchy details--and making us want to learn more.
It's about a freed slave, Britt Johnson, who travels to Texas with his family (and his former "owner"), into a land ravaged by raids and battles with the Kiowa and Comanche tribes. One day while Britt is away, the Native Americans raid the settlement and brutally murder his son and many others and take as captives Britt's wife and children, along with another woman and children. The women are repeatedly raped in front of their children and grandchildren.
Running parallel to Britt's story is that of Samuel Hammond, a Quaker man who is sent out to work for the Office of Indian Affairs and tries to manage life on the Texas plains and dealing with the lawless Native Americans without resorting to violence.
Both men display great bravery and honor and forge their own ways in this difficult period of history. Although the Native Americans' raids and scalping are described in brutal terror, it's also clear that the Texans and American government were no less brutal in stripping them of their lands and rights.
I was surprised to learn at the end of the book that Britt Johnson was a real person and his grave is still there in Texas...along with many of the others whose stories are told in this book. Johnson appears to be a great legend in west Texas, and a quick google search resulted in many hits. I am interested in learning more about Native American culture from that era--many of the children and adults taken captive did not want to leave when they were rescued several years later, even though they were often taken in deep brutality (after being raped or seeing their loved ones raped or murdered).
This is historical fiction at its best--bringing to life stories of people who actually lived and about which we have only sketchy details--and making us want to learn more.
salparadis3's review
5.0
I have an affinity for stories of the West so naturally I am going to like a book such as this. It's a fictionalized telling of a true event where there isn't much record to go on other than what has passed down orally. Ms. Jiles has certainly done her research on the era, people, and places involved to create telling of this legend. I felt it was fairly balanced view of the treatment of the Native Americans and the settlers alike. This is no fairy tale of the wild west, more emphasis on the wild and lawless. I only knock off 1 star as none of the characters are terribly deep as the story moves around and doesn't focus on one protagonist. Nonetheless another great book by Paulette Jiles.