"Black Elk" by Joe Jackson delves into the profound life of the Oglala Sioux visionary, Black Elk, whose experiences bridge the gap between Native American spiritual wisdom and modern historical events. Through the lens of Black Elk's personal journey, the book reveals the clash of cultures and the impact of colonization on indigenous peoples. Jackson paints a vivid picture of Black Elk’s prophecies, struggles, and resilience against encroaching change. This captivating narrative invites readers to explore themes of identity, spirituality, and the complex relationship between tradition and modernity. Discover how Black Elk's legacy continues to inspire and resonate in a world still grappling with his insights.
By Joe Jackson
Published: 2017
"I seen the great vision of a people that would rise, each piece of the earth was a part of our being, and every living thing was connected in the circle of life."
Winner of the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography • Winner of the Society of American Historians Francis Parkman Prize • Winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Biography • A Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography Named One of the Best Books of the Year by True West (Best Biography) and The Boston Globe Black Elk is the definitive biographical account of a figure whose dramatic life converged with some of the most momentous events in the history of the American West. Born in an era of rising violence between the Sioux, white settlers, and U.S. government troops, Black Elk killed his first man at the Little Bighorn, witnessed the death of his second cousin Crazy Horse, and traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Upon his return, he was swept up in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement and shaken by the Massacre at Wounded Knee. But Black Elk was not a warrior, instead accepting the path of a healer and holy man, motivated by a powerful prophetic vision that he struggled to understand. In Black Elk, Joe Jackson has crafted a true American epic, restoring to its subject the richness of his times and gorgeously portraying a life of heroism and tragedy, adaptation and endurance, in an era of permanent crisis on the Great Plains.
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“I seen the great vision of a people that would rise, each piece of the earth was a part of our being, and every living thing was connected in the circle of life.”
Black Elk
By Joe Jackson
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