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Empire of the Summer Moon : : Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

Gwynne, S. C. (Samuel C.), 1953- Book - 2010 978.004 Gw, Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / United States / Native Americans / Gwynne, S C., Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / United States / Native Americans / Gwynne, S C. None on shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.1 out of 5

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A new kind of war -- A lethal paradise -- Worlds in collision -- High lonesome -- The wolf's howl -- Blood and smoke -- Dream visions and Apocalypse -- White squaw -- Chasing the wind -- Death's innocent face -- War to the knife -- White queen of the Comanches -- The rise of Quanah -- Uncivil wars -- Peace, and other horrors -- The anti-Custer -- Mackenzie unbound -- The hide men and the messiah -- The Red River War -- Forward, in defeat -- This was a man -- Resting here until day breaks.

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Unbelievable, heart wrenching history submitted by deets on September 7, 2011, 3:11pm Empire of the Summer Moon is an unbelievable history of struggle between the western American frontier and the last stronghold of Native Americans, the Plains Indians. It is also the story of a woman who, kidnapped at the age of 9, became not only a member of the Comanche tribe, but one married to a chief, with three children, one of whom became one of the most respected chiefs of the tribe. His name was Quanah, and he is known as one of the last to surrender to the whites and move to the reservations.

The author shows respect for both sides of this history, understanding the violence that was perpetrated on both sides, broken promises, meaningless assurances, and most of all, how little the whites understood, or cared to understand, the power structure within Native American tribes. To the settlers, and Indian was an Indian. This book shows with tremendous strength the underlying ignorance that pervaded white man's dealings with Native Americans. When Cynthia Ann Parker, the mother of Quanah, was brought back to white society, it shocked many to learn that she did not want to return, that she was miserable and longed to return to the tribe in which she felt more a part than with the community she was born in to.

Likewise, this book is not painted black and white, right and wrong. Who is "right" is blurred through years of force and conflicting interests. He also tells us of the violence of Native Americans, the raids in which women and children, as well as horses, were often kidnapped and treated as slaves and bargaining chips in their constant struggle against whites advancement through the great buffalo plains.

Knowing how the story "ends" takes nothing away from this book. How it all came about gives tremendous insight into our own government, the trials and difficulties early settlers faced, and how both sides were often justified in their actions.