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93 reviews for:
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
3.83 AVERAGE
93 reviews for:
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Nathaniel Philbrick
3.83 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A lot of the descriptions of the Indians are problematic. Doesn't feel as unbiased as Philbrick wants you to believe. I found myself empathizing more with Custers men which didn't make feel good. He includes atrocities committed by the Indians but not by Custer.
There aren't many authors that I will read, regardless of the topics on which they write. Philbrick, though? If he wrote about about the Kardashians, I would read it. Which says a lot, because I spend at least 15 minutes of every day hoping that that Kardashians will cease to occupy such a large part of the the National Collective Awareness.
That said, I first read In the Heart of the Sea as an undergraduate and have read every Philbrick book I could get my hands on since. The Last Stand is exceptionally well written. He masterfully organizes and attempts to clarify historical events that have conflicting accounts in an engaging manner.
One of the most elegant components of the book is the fact that he doesnt speculate or recreate the events surrounding Custer's Death. It would have been quite easy to be tempted to do so. But given that there were no survivors from Custer's part of that Battle at Little Big Horn, it seems fitting that we continue to know so little about it. What Philbrick does do is describe in painstaking detail the events that led to the defeat of the 7th at Little Big Horn.
In all, this was an exciting and informative read. A must for anyone interested in the history of native americans and mid-19th century US History.
That said, I first read In the Heart of the Sea as an undergraduate and have read every Philbrick book I could get my hands on since. The Last Stand is exceptionally well written. He masterfully organizes and attempts to clarify historical events that have conflicting accounts in an engaging manner.
One of the most elegant components of the book is the fact that he doesnt speculate or recreate the events surrounding Custer's Death. It would have been quite easy to be tempted to do so. But given that there were no survivors from Custer's part of that Battle at Little Big Horn, it seems fitting that we continue to know so little about it. What Philbrick does do is describe in painstaking detail the events that led to the defeat of the 7th at Little Big Horn.
In all, this was an exciting and informative read. A must for anyone interested in the history of native americans and mid-19th century US History.
In Mayflower, Philbrick did a brilliant job bring to life the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth and the Natives with whom they came into contact. He attempts the same here, but it does not quite live up to his previous effort. While the book offers a fair amount of detail about Custer, Sitting Bull and other notables, I did not feel that it illuminated the world of the Lakota, Cheyenne and the other tribes of the plains nor the culture of post-Civil War America well enough. The book excels when it gets into the narrative of the battle, however the details of Custer's Last Stand itself were surprisingly spare. This may be due to the lack of eyewitnesses or recorded details, but there is no shortage of theory and conjecture that should have been examined more thoroughly. Overall, a decent popular history, but probably not the go-to volume of this watershed event.
I already know the story. Hell, one of my first books that I ever remember getting out of my school library was a biography of George A. Custer. Anybody who has even a glancing experience with US history knows the end of that story. Since that early reading experience, I have come to learn a bit more about the man, his command, and the events of those fateful days in June 1876. I already know the author. I loved Philbrick's IN THE HEART OF THE SEA. I didn't love his SEA OF GLORY. I liked MAYFLOWER. So, I was interested to read his take on a more terrestrial piece of American history. I was not disappointed. This is a great introduction to the interested who know only the basics of Little Bighorn. It is also an entertaining ride through the event for those with a bit more knowledge. A hard-core Custer buff would probably find this book lacking, a bit light in theory, a bit to popular in tone. But, that ain't me.
Seems like a pretty even-handed look at the events leading to the Custer-Sitting Bull Battle of Little Bighorn. The book is filed with lots of nice photos and maps, many of which are also featured in the PBS "American Experience" program titled "Custer's Last Stand." And no surprise, as the author served as consultant (and was a prominently-featured interviewee) for the documentary film.
Overall, I learned a lot from this book that I never learned back in my history classes. My favorite was when I found out there was a Cheyenne named Lame White Man. If you have a love for history and the Wild West, this book will be sure to debunk all those myths that you've always heart. Worth the read!
Philbrick always delivers new details, regardless of the topic. The Last Stand doesn't fail in this, unfortunately the new details contain rape, mutilation, stupidity, and shameful cowardice.
As always, this historical event is far worse in reality. Read at your own risk.
As always, this historical event is far worse in reality. Read at your own risk.
Five stars seems excessive but this was so fast and weirdly fun -- weird in the sense of this is a book about the collapse of native american life and also about a bunch of government employees getting dead. The only other Philbrick book I've read was In the Heart of the Sea, which was equally enjoyable although not quite as steadily good. He knows how to create 3d characters from letters/contemporary accounts; it helps that there were a bunch of loons with weird axes to grind in and around the 7th Cavalry (cf. the guy who includes anatomically precise drawings of his genitals in tender late-19th century letters to his wife). I would have liked to spend more time with Sitting Bull, but I'm guessing there's a deficit of source material for reconstructing the daily psychology of the Lakota circa 1875. Makes good use of Slotkin's Fatal Environment and Elliott's Custerology! Humanizes the gringo service employees who were just doing their (ill-conceived) job! Could have done a bit more with the inherent racism/evil of the American mindset! I was gonna say, the 19th century American mindset but then I remembered we're still racist and evil! Find out what happened to Custer's penis!
Also, v solid steamboat foamer material in here
Also, v solid steamboat foamer material in here
Very well researched book with a clear narrative writing style. The author presents detailed information as much as possible and uses evidence to restructure the final hours of Custer's battalion. That part is necessarily speculation, but convincingly presented.