Beautifully Written
I was little during WWII, and held a childish belief that America could do no wrong, a belief that has crumbled over the years. During a read of The Ghost Dance War, many of the remaining crumbs were smashed to smithereens. I wept when I read how our country murdered the Lakota Indians at Wounded Knee Creek, and called it a war. The writing is eloquent, and though it is not poetry, it feels like poetry. I will remember this book for a long time, maybe always.
Customer review, November 30, 2025
Well done
The Ghost Dance War put Wovoka in context and helped to paint a picture of why such a vision would be appealing to the reeling American Indian culture. I didn't feel that the book was too long or went off course. Something easy to do with historical reviews. A great deal of effort was spent helping the reader understand the Native American viewpoint.
Customer review, December 1, 2025
Where History Breathes-and Breaks-on the Page
Wovoka, Sitting Bull, Big Foot, and the countless unnamed Lakota men, women, and children are portrayed with care and dimensionality, revealing a tragedy born not of malice alone but of profound misunderstanding. McLendon writes with clarity and restraint, allowing the facts and voices of the era to speak for themselves. The result is a powerful, necessary narrative-one that deepens our understanding of Wounded Knee and the devastating consequences that follow when fear shapes policy.
Customer review, December 2, 2025
Beautifully written but so sad.
There is a quote near the back of the book that sums everything up neatly and I think still applies today. "What terrified the government was not violence; there was none. It was the scale, emotion, and unity of the movement." This was a very interesting, educational, and sad read all at the same time.
Customer review, December 29, 2025
Great read
The events leading up to the massacre at Wounded Knee are so tragic and yet still compelling after more than 125 years. I hope this narrative is being shared with today's educators, too, because the old version of events is very inaccurate. I felt so much empathy for the Lakota and other Native Americans who were displaced during westward expansion, and how our government did not make the best choices back then. I think it's important that the truth of events be shared, and this retelling of the ghost dance and its role in the events at Wounded Knee is a good first step towards making that truth better known. Recommend.
Customer review, January 10, 2026
To learn more about the Ghost Dance
If you are a history enthusiast or would like to learn more about the Ghost Dance and what happened in the winter of 1890, you will surely enjoy this read. The book examines the religious revival in detail, rather than as a crisis or rebellion. I enjoyed that Mr. McLendon treated his writing about such a sensitive topic from an Indigenous perspective, and he has not tried to romanticize this movement.
Customer review, December 1, 2025
Well-researched and balance historical writing
It's a fascinating story of a cultural clash that led to a truly awful event, one of the many that colonialism created around the world. When the Ghost Dance came to be seen as a threat, rather than an expression the die was set. The author takes great care to balance the story so that the Plains Indians are presented honestly and fairly, as are those on the US side. The research appears to have been meticulous and well-used in writing this book and I enjoyed reading it, though inevitably the events it describes are harrowing at times.
Customer review, December 17, 2025
