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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
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
slow-paced
Fascinating subject and comprehensive approach. Not a fan of Philbrickâs style.
One of the best history books I've read in a long, long time. I had a hard time getting into this book, but am so, so glad I stuck with it. If you have even the remotest interest in the history of the American west or military history, read it.
Each chapter has at it's core a major event either leading up to or taking place during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but within the chapters, Philbrick brings in relevant information from the players past, whether it's former battles individuals participated in, family background, individuals' personal interests (baseball, anyone?), or geography. It can be a bit disjointed and difficult to follow at first, but stick with it. In the appendix, there is a list of all the major players in both the Seventh Cavalry and the Lakota/Cheyenne village that I wish I'd found earlier. Each chapter is packed with maps that really help you see what happened where during this campaign.
This is historical writing at its best. The author does an amazing job of pulling this complex story together and making it interesting, exciting, and meaningful.
Philbrick has a paragraph on pages 209-210 that really gets to the meat of the of the challenge of historiography. I wanted to include it here because I think it so eloquently sums up the complexity of trying to pull the truth out of a pile of conflicting narratives.
"We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and in at least some instances, genuine altruism. Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment. After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time."
Each chapter has at it's core a major event either leading up to or taking place during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but within the chapters, Philbrick brings in relevant information from the players past, whether it's former battles individuals participated in, family background, individuals' personal interests (baseball, anyone?), or geography. It can be a bit disjointed and difficult to follow at first, but stick with it. In the appendix, there is a list of all the major players in both the Seventh Cavalry and the Lakota/Cheyenne village that I wish I'd found earlier. Each chapter is packed with maps that really help you see what happened where during this campaign.
This is historical writing at its best. The author does an amazing job of pulling this complex story together and making it interesting, exciting, and meaningful.
Philbrick has a paragraph on pages 209-210 that really gets to the meat of the of the challenge of historiography. I wanted to include it here because I think it so eloquently sums up the complexity of trying to pull the truth out of a pile of conflicting narratives.
"We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and in at least some instances, genuine altruism. Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment. After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time."
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Very well researched and narrated, though I think by virtue of the white survivors' testimonies being more well documented in the mainstream, we might not get the truly balanced view Philbrick was aiming for. That said I appreciate him thanking the 27-year-old ex-rodeo horse for not throwing him on his tour of the battlefield in the acknowledgements
informative
medium-paced
It meanders a little too often but overall an interesting piece of historical storytelling.
Superbly written book. The research is excellent, the flow is so well done, and the characters feel so vibrant and relevant. Very much enjoyed the flow of the book, and the contextual elements.
Meditative in an unexpected way
Philbrick does a very strong job of balancing points of view and showing the various interpretations of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But there is a passage in the middle where Philbrick meditates on the nature of being a public historian and dealing with accounts that don't fit the other research that has been done. That alone was worth the read.
Philbrick does a very strong job of balancing points of view and showing the various interpretations of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But there is a passage in the middle where Philbrick meditates on the nature of being a public historian and dealing with accounts that don't fit the other research that has been done. That alone was worth the read.
Another wonderfully written and engaging book by Philbrick - highly recommended.