Crazy Horse and Custer: Born Enemies

by S. D. Nelson

Overview

With photographs and stunning illustrations from acclaimed author/artist S.D. Nelson, this thrilling double biography juxtaposes the lives of two enemies whose conflict changed American history: Crazy Horse and George Armstrong Custer.

In 1876, Lakota chief Crazy Horse helped lead his people’s resistance against the white man’s invasion of the northern Great Plains. One of the leaders of the US military forces was Army Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The men had long been enemies. At the height of the war, when tribalism had reached its peak, they crossed paths for the last time.

In this action-packed double biography, S. D. Nelson draws fascinating parallels between Crazy Horse and Custer, whose lives were intertwined. These warriors were alike in many ways, yet they often collided in deadly rivalry. Witness reports and reflections by their peers and enemies accompany side-by-side storytelling that offers very different perspectives on the same historical events. The two men’s opposing destinies culminated in the infamous Battle of the Greasy Grass, as the Lakota called it, or the Battle of the Little Bighorn, as it was called by the Euro-Americans.

In Crazy Horse and Custer: Born Enemies, Nelson’s gripping narrative and signature illustration style based on Plains Indians ledger art, along with a mix of period photographs and paintings, shines light on two men whose conflict forever changed Lakota and US history.

The book includes an author’s note, timeline, endnotes, and bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419731938
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

S. D. Nelson, Maȟpíya Kiny’An (Flying Cloud), is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas and the author and illustrator of inspiring children’s books that celebrate Lakota and Indigenous cultures. Awards include an American Indian Library Association Honor Book, an ALA Robert F. Sibert Honor, and two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America. His original paintings are held in many national collections including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, South Dakota State Historical Society, the Crazy Horse Memorial and State Historical Society of North Dakota. He lives in Cottonwood, Arizona.

Editorial Reviews

"Historical context is tightly woven throughout the trim text, and the rapid toggling between Custer and Crazy Horse, and between Lakota and U.S. Army campaigns, builds narrative tension that keeps the pages flying."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Nelson’s original art, done in the style of early Lakota ledger drawings, captivates, with horses splashing across the pages. . . An exemplary history."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Nelson’s ledger-style drawings combine with archival photographs and paintings to add drama to the already-gripping text. Historic nonfiction that reads like an adventure novel."

Kirkus Reviews

"The parallel presentation of the men's actions and their perspectives of the events that lead to their final confrontation is as gripping as any novel."

Shelf Awareness

"The taut writing and short chapters are the perfect vehicle for presenting the epic conflict between the war leaders and make this a great selection for reluctant readers."

School Library Journal

With startling beauty and immediacy, two hero-boys born into opposing cultures become alive on the pages of S.D. Nelson’s Crazy Horse and Custer, Born Enemies. Nelson presents two clashing historical views and takes readers on a profound and fascinating journey. A page-turner, an eye-opener, both beautiful and tragic.

award-winning author of Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Nancy Bo Flood

S. D. Nelson’s richly illustrated book brings to life traditional Lakota culture and that of a young, expanding United States, both presented through the lives of their most celebrated warriors: Crazy Horse and George Armstrong Custer. Nelson uses word images, historic paintings and photographs as well as his own magical illustrations to weave a tapestry of life and conflict in the West of Nineteenth Century America. A magnificent book.

journalist and author of Geronimo and Sitting Bull Bill Markley

I can think of no other book that does a better job of helping the reader experience the complexity of this period in American history, not just from the Euro-American point of view but also from that of the indigenous nations of the Great Plains. The fact that SD Nelson avoids demonizing or deifying either of these two men is truly remarkable. At this time when so many things are being said, written, and done that divide us as a nation we need more books with the balance of Crazy Horse and Custer: Born Enemies.

celebrated Abenaki writer and author of One Real A Dr. Joseph Bruchac

"An engaging dual biography. . .A mixture of historic photos and paintings augment the text, while the author’s ledger-style drawings—rendered in ink, colored pencils, and acrylic paint—successfully honor Lakota artwork of the late 1880s."

Publishers Weekly

SD Nelson’s depiction of two of America’s historic figures, shows the humanity of both men in their personal desires and conflicting values. An intriguing read for young people.

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

What a storyteller Nelson is! With clear prose that reads at times like poetry and with his own glorious artwork, he shines a light on two worlds—the Lakota’s free life on the plains and the whites’ society as it pushes toward its ‘Manifest Destiny.’ This book is a treasure—profound, informative, and a delight to read.

award-winning author of This Strange Wilderness Nancy Plain

SD Nelson’s depiction of two of America’s historic figures, shows the humanity of both men in their personal desires and conflicting values. An intriguing read for young people.”—Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Sicangu Lakota author and National Humanities Medal recipient

“I can think of no other book that does a better job of helping the reader experience the complexity of this period in American history, not just from the Euro-American point of view but also from that of the indigenous nations of the Great Plains. The fact that SD Nelson avoids demonizing or deifying either of these two men is truly remarkable. At this time when so many things are being said, written, and done that divide us as a nation we need more books with the balance of Crazy Horse and Custer: Born Enemies.”—Dr. Joseph Bruchac, celebrated Abenaki writer and author of One Real American

“With startling beauty and immediacy, two hero-boys born into opposing cultures become alive on the pages of S.D. Nelson’s Crazy Horse and Custer, Born Enemies. Nelson presents two clashing historical views and takes readers on a profound and fascinating journey. A page-turner, an eye-opener, both beautiful and tragic.”—Nancy Bo Flood, award-winning author of Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo

“What a storyteller Nelson is! With clear prose that reads at times like poetry and with his own glorious artwork, he shines a light on two worlds—the Lakota’s free life on the plains and the whites’ society as it pushes toward its ‘Manifest Destiny.’ This book is a treasure—profound, informative, and a delight to read.”—Nancy Plain, award-winning author of This Strange Wilderness

“S. D. Nelson’s richly illustrated book brings to life traditional Lakota culture and that of a young, expanding United States, both presented through the lives of their most celebrated warriors: Crazy Horse and George Armstrong Custer. Nelson uses word images, historic paintings and photographs as well as his own magical illustrations to weave a tapestry of life and conflict in the West of Nineteenth Century America. A magnificent book.”—Bill Markley, journalist and author of Geronimo and Sitting Bull: Leaders of the Legendary West

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Nelson’s ledger-style drawings combine with archival photographs and paintings to add drama to the already-gripping text. Historic nonfiction that reads like an adventure novel."—Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Nelson’s original art, done in the style of early Lakota ledger drawings, captivates, with horses splashing across the pages. . . An exemplary history." —Booklist

"Historical context is tightly woven throughout the trim text, and the rapid toggling between Custer and Crazy Horse, and between Lakota and U.S. Army campaigns, builds narrative tension that keeps the pages flying." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The taut writing and short chapters are the perfect vehicle for presenting the epic conflict between the war leaders and make this a great selection for reluctant readers." —School Library Journal

"An engaging dual biography. . .A mixture of historic photos and paintings augment the text, while the author’s ledger-style drawings—rendered in ink, colored pencils, and acrylic paint—successfully honor Lakota artwork of the late 1880s." —Publishers Weekly

"The parallel presentation of the men's actions and their perspectives of the events that lead to their final confrontation is as gripping as any novel." —Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

SD Nelson’s depiction of two of America’s historic figures, shows the humanity of both men in their personal desires and conflicting values. An intriguing read for young people.

Sicangu Lakota author and National Humanities Meda Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

★ 2021-08-18
Legendary warriors Crazy Horse and Custer are brought to life in this impeccably researched story by Lakota author/illustrator Nelson.

Born a year apart, the White settler boy George Armstrong Custer and the Lakota boy initially named Light Hair both enjoyed the “pounding of their horses’ hooves on the earth and the rush of wind in their hair.” As youngsters, they were “taught that personal glory could be won through violent conflict.” Custer found his glory leading Union Army troops during the Civil War. Quoting a Custer biographer, Nelson tells readers that “he plunged in the onrushing mass of enemy cavalry” time and again. His fearlessness catapulted him up through the ranks. After the war ended, he became an “Indian Fighter.” When the Lakota battled their enemies, Light Hair rode into battle “stripped to his breechclout and moccasins, his hair loose,” according to a Lakota historian. He painted his body with lightning and hailstones. His leadership was honored by his father, who renamed him Crazy Horse. Weaving quotes from sources both contemporary and modern into his narrative and supplying necessary historical context, Nelson traces the parallel lives of these two men, ending with their deaths: Betrayed by fellow officers, Custer died at the Battle of Little Bighorn, and one year later, Crazy Horse was killed, betrayed by his own people. Nelson’s ledger-style drawings combine with archival photographs and paintings to add drama to the already-gripping text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Historic nonfiction that reads like an adventure novel. (author's note, timeline, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews