Stephen B. Oates Books

I had never read Mari Sandoz so I can't compare this to her other books. The writing style is unique and pleasant. It is a very interesting, and unfortunately sad story about Indian life on the great plains. The book seems very well researched and therefore more interesting to read since it is about history. The Indians suffered strategically from a lack of organization, but their whole life style was about independence and in fact a much more pure form of democracy in selecting and de-selecting their leaders. In reading the story with regard to the lies and deceipt of the white men it reminded me that world politics and war is no different today than then. Crazy Horse had attributes that leaders should aspire to, he wanted to help his people and he was not vain about himself as leader. In the end he was tricked into surrender by his own people.

I thought it was one of the best books of Indian life and history that I have read.

The strange man of the Lakotas made very little contact with the "white man" and remains a mysterious character of native American culture. Not much is known about him, his birth, his death, his burial.

Sandoz attempts to document as much history is known about this man, and she puts it in the form of a novel. It is easy to read and entertaining. Yet it includes historical facts, events and characters. While it is difficult to pen a biography about someone who so little is known about, Sandoz documents all that is known about him in this book. Many of the facts were taken from interviews with people who knew him and lived with him. Those people are all long gone. The only comprehensive memory of Crazy Horse is this book.

This is a highly unique biography and is a well-deserved classic in the world of literature. Sandoz did not write the standard Native American story from the point of view of the outsider (that is, the white conquerors), but created a book that feels as if it was written by the Indians from their own world view. Sandoz had the great advantage, in the 1930s, of interviewing still-living oldtimers who really knew Crazy Horse, and her combination of first-hand Indian accounts and meticulously well-crafted prose makes for an extremely compelling story of the last years of Indian freedom. In fact, this is not so much a biography of Crazy Horse, but a much larger story of the Lakota (Sioux) people in which he is the central character. The book does not include much historical detail, as that would be the white man's method of writing, so for such information on late Sioux history you would have to look elsewhere (such as *Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee* by Dee Brown).

However, we do get a book full of beautiful and poetic prose such as "there was a star with a long white tail to speak of good things," and consistent use of Indian terminology such as "burning cup" for whiskey or "soldier chief" for army officers. This style of writing does make the reading of this book stiff and long-winded in places, but Sandoz must be commended for her very unique and moving methods. In the end, Crazy Horse himself comes across as a troubled loner among his people, a bit manic-depressive but a strong leader and warrior, and he remains as dark and mysterious to us as he was to his friends and enemies. And as usual for Native American histories from this period, the end of the story gives us the depressing loss of the people's freedom and the noble but hopeless efforts of a great leader to save his people. Concerning the special 50th anniversary edition of the book, you can ignore the rather sycophantic introduction by Stephen B. Oates, but the stunning cover painting by Ed Lindlof is almost worth the price of admission alone. [~doomsdayer520~]

Little is known about Crazy Horse in comparison to other legendary chiefs, warriors and heroes due to the quiet-spoken and solitude-seeking nature he possessed. Indeed, Crazy Horse was considered "strange" due to standing true to his ideals and who he really was, instead of the conventional ways of others no matter how traditional. Born of lighter hair and skin, young Curly stood out as different from the beginning of his days. Most humble and purely strong and good-hearted, Crazy Horse grew to be the truest and most brilliant leader of the Lakotas. Self-sacrificing even to the bitter end, Crazy Horse earned his place of honor as a hero to be respected.

Combining interview information of Eleanor Hinman with survivors who knew Crazy Horse, with Mari Sandoz's meticulous research, gives "Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of The Oglalas" clout in accuracy of detail and fact in the day and time of Crazy Horse. I very highly recommend this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and couldn't recommend it more. If you are a Native American history buff, or have any interest at all in the so-called Indian wars of the Great Plains, this book is a must-read. It is written in the vernacular of a Native American who speaks English tolerably well, and I believe this adds a great deal of character to the writing. The story of Crazy Horse's life is a sad one filled with the mistrust and back-stabbing deeds of his own people, along with the well known deeds committed by the American settlers and soldiers. Crazy Horse's ultimate downfall was aided by the restraining hands of his own people, as foretold by his vision. A sad ending to his life indeed, but Sandoz's re-telling provides a fascinating work of history. One word of advice to the reader: A much better understanding of the events that occur in this book can be had by "pre-reading" a good, concise history such as Indian Wars by Utley and Washburn.

The book is wonderful. Every woman should read it. It shows that anyone can stand out in a crowd and lend a hand no matter what form it takes. An inspiration to women everywhere! A very real account of her life, feels as if you are there with her. Please read it!

Mr. Oates has done it again. You will know Clara Barton ambitions, downfalls, her emotions as well as her eager drive and personal duty to serve those who suffered so much during the Civil War years. The contents of this book will jump out at you and you'll feel that you're right next to the personalities involved. Oh, what women had to go through to pursue a dream or an ambition to contribute to society. Clara has a heart of gold as her patients in and off the field well knew, yet she was being torn apart on the inside by the constant fear that she wasn't doing enough for "her boys". Her personal life was put on the back shelf as she persued her one desire, to help those who were less fortunate. You'll follow Clara as she goes through the blood, sweat, tears, agony and the horrors of the war. This is a true story of a dark chapter in our american history when brother fought against brother literally. It is also of a dream turned into reality that Clara Barton followed with a sincere robust ambition to pursue the betterment of her fellow man. By caring for the soldiers on the battlefield, she proved to the Union Army that those suffering needed love, compassion and of course medical care where it was most needed - on the front lines of battle. This is a must read book for those interested in hero's, Civil War history or nursing history. Stephen B. Oates is the author of other fine books in history and ranks right up there with the big boys in the writings of history

As a nurse I have heard and read about Clara Barton for years. This book finally reinvents the tired images - melodramatic icon of female self sacrifice and courage, angel on earth and of the battlefield - and offers the reader a compelling, warm and very real picture of the person and personality of this famous individual. We see all aspects of Clara's character and the impact of the many choices she makes. We even get to see a few of the skeletons in her closet. Without this book, I doubt we would know that there were any! The amount of detail - and it is considerable - is so beautifully woven into the historical narrative that the story, like the Civil War, sweeps the reader from one new experience to the next. Read this and you will feel the jolting of army wagons along rutted roads, struggle to rest as the canvas flaps of your tent crack and strain in storms, gallop with joyful abandon along the beaches at Hilton Head - and much more. I purchased my copy at Gettyburg and it is the best "souvenir" purchase I ever made. Bravo to Stephen Oates!

This Book is about a king who lives in a castle. He has a baker called Adrian.The King always eats eggs. Adrian makes the king chicken eggs,goose eggs,duck eggs.Then he shouts More More More! The Next day he read in his Newspaper that a dodos egg was spotted on an island.So he told Adrian to prepare the boat.To get to The island.

'Making America: A History of the United States' is a wonderful introduction to American history, written in broad strokes that goes from the earliest days of European discovery, including an overview of the Native American histories, through to modern times. This first volume traces the time of the contact of Europeans with the 'New World' to the aftermath of the American Civil War. The early chapters look in some good detail about the inter-relationships of the Native American populations in North America and the Caribbean with the European explorers, showing times of cooperation and of conflict. A little more development of Native American histories would be helpful here, but the text is honest in laying forth many of the problems of the explorers and settlers dealings with populations already present on the continent.

The complex world of the colonial settlements, each of which had its own purposes and character, is developed in some detail, outlining the personalities, events, and primary ideas that drove the historical trends. The early colonisations of the Spanish, French, Dutch and English, each dealing with Native Americans and each others, makes for a varied story, ending up ultimately in British ascendancy in North America, with all other European powers taking a back seat, until the time of the American Revolution, when the new nation formed.

Expansion of the Americans westward, dealing with issues of Native Americans as well as growing pains of the new nation, and the continuing controversial institution of slavery, make for a colourful narrative. Most American students will recognise easily the broad strokes, and the authors bring in interesting side events and perspectives.

The book is full of colour, with pictures, maps, graphs, and other design elements used to make reading easier and comprehension greater. Bold-faced words in the text are highlighted and explained in definition form in pull-out boxes at the bottom of many pages, which parallel with the useful glossary of terms at the back. There are chapter introductions and summaries, maps and timelines to set each chapter's context, and interesting features called 'Individual Voices' and 'Individual Choices' that draw the chapters together into overall topical agreement. The text is backed by a useful website.

We are using this two-volume set at the college where I tutor in history (among other topics). The students enjoy the text, and it is a good work to use from a teaching standpoint, too.

Memoirs may often cure insomnia, but not this hefty chunk of history. Travel back in time with John Salmon "Rip" Ford. Saddle the horses and hitch up your britches, you'll be heading out to the Texas of a newly independent republic. Ride from the Red to the Rio Grande and beyond with the doctor, lawyer, surveyor, journalist, trailblazer, legislator, and celebrated soldier of numerous wars.

Ford takes the reader from the earliest days of the republic to statehood, secession, and on into reconstruction. Meet the intrepid Texas Ranger Jack Hays. Ride from Matamoros to Mexico City with the "Los Diablos Tejanos." Trailblaze a trade route from San Antonio to El Paso with the Ford-Neighbors expedition.

Brilliantly edited by Stephen B. Oates, this personal narrative of a time, place, and adventure, all larger than life itself, is a must read for all who are interested in Texas and its history.

Wonderful and compelling. Full of the magic of his creativity and it goes into depths of his pain.

Will anyone dare to write an accurate assessment of the 16th President or are the myths that surround him just to strong to penetrate? I await a writer willing to discuss the wholesale destruction of property in the South that left thousands of civilians to starve, destruction sanctioned by Lincoln. I await a discussion on the hostage taking and the indiscriminate killing of Southern civilians. I await a thorough discussion of the Dahlgren Raid and its implications, I await a real assessment of the Lincoln/Seward relationship, and I await a real judgement on Lincoln's lack of religious belief. This book, like all the others ignores anything that might be the slightest cotroversial and that might dent the aura surrounding Abraham Lincoln.
Alan Lowe. BA. Manchester Metropolitan University.

This book generated controversy among Lincoln scholars. The general reading public, however, will probably enjoy both the book's prose and its story. Regardless of whether there is much, or anything, new in the volume, its account of Lincoln is told with flair. Points that disturbed some Lincoln scholars will probably not be noticed by general readers. I read the book before I knew about the dispute, and found the volume enchanting.

Consider the great biographies of Lincoln: Nicolay and Hay,[10 volumes] his secretaries, Carl Sandburg's Abraham Licoln [6 volumes], Benjamin's single volume and all those that preceed and follow this, you must conclude this is the best single volume biography of Abraham Lincoln, indeeed the best general biography of the President and the man. The closest rival is Carwardine's Lincoln which deals in depth in one aspect of his life. WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE IS THE BEST INTRODUCTION TO THAT COMPLEX MAN AND HIS TIME AND ACHEIVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO DATE.

In this work, Oates succeeds in illuminating the political and personal life of Abraham Lincoln. For readers interested in the psychological and social nature of the man, this may not be the best selection. However, Oates does an excellent job portraying how Lincoln worked his fingers to the bone while developing his standing as a lawyer and politician. His description of Lincoln as a rough and tumble political longshot made 16th President of the United States in the election of 1861 is vivid and memorable. Much information is also included on how Lincoln and his administration struggled with the issue that would become his legacy: slavery in America. That said, Oates neglects to discuss in any great detail the economic influence of the nation's cotton industry on the political and social conditions of the era.

Professor Oates in my opinion did an outstanding job in the biography he did on Lincoln. While it is not as verbose as Donald's, it was well written and to be honest I could not set the book down. For anyone who does not have the time to read a larger volumn on Lincoln I suggest Oates. If you have time then I suggest you read both and also read "Team of Rivals. They are all outstanding volumns. This biography though is articulate, a good length and at times you can see the great passions in Lincoln the boy from Kentucky, the youth in Illnois and the 16 President of the United States. I give it a 5 stars a must read for any history student and I think a must for every American.

I am in the middle of this book currently and I am very impressed with Oates' ingenious writing technique. The only thing I see lacking in this book is the amount of source citing for scholars. Anyone using this book for scholarly purposes should use the bibliography and go from there. As a medium for teaching, this book is unparalleled. By teaching the forces at work through the eyes of the people that lived it students will be much more interested than if they were learning the bare facts. This is an outstanding supporting text for use in a classroom.

This is an incredible work deserving of the highest awards and accolades for scholarship and literature. What an exhilirating way to read history! The first person narrartives, so skillfully and beautifully written, drew me into the events and emotions in ways that I have never experienced reading other history texts. This is the way to learn and enjoy history and I hope parents and educators take note.

I first read Oates' Whirlwind of War and enjoyed that so much that I thought I'd give this one a try. My interest in the Civil War was broadened by this book into a desire to better understand the setting prior to 1860. I really liked Oates' "first person" writing technique. It takes an extremely good understanding of the person as well as the historic facts to do this and Oates carries this off well. Read both books!

I thought I knew a lot about this era but this book gave me even greater insight. I hesitated to read it at first because I'm a little skeptical of those "in their own words" treatments.But Oates presents a balanced (for the most part) account, using the speeches, letters, and diaries of the likes of Henry Clay, John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jefferson Davis, Mary Boykin Chesnut, Stephen A. Douglas, and Abraham Lincoln rather than creating monologues for them of his own design. He doesn't result to dramatic license, trying to make these folks conform to his idea of what they were like, but presents them as accurately as one can given the sources available. The only quibble I'd put forth is that he has Calhoun refer to his slaves as "niggers," even though there is no documentary evidence that he ever did so (even in private letters he referred to them as "negroes"). Anyone interested in the issues and events that led up to the Civil War must read this book! I recommend it most highly.

I was skeptical of this book when I read in the preface that Oates was going to tell us what the key players said and what "they might have said". However, I was very pleased with the even handedness and accuracy of his content. The style of the book proved refreshing and placed the chronological events into an interesting weave. HOWEVER, he leads the reader to believe that slavery and its politics was the ONLY reason for the eventual conflict. The resulting carnage was a product of many more and very complicated factors of which we should all be aware.

MLK was indeed a brilliant man. I first purchased this book while in college. My Social Science prof was allowing us to debate whether or not MLK's birthday should be a national holiday. I chimed in with "aw, what'd he do besides march and give speeches?" The prof looked at me and very quietly said "He changed the country." That got me wondering .... how'd he do that? What did he change?

After reading the book i was forever changed. The book did not gloss over his human frailties. On the contrary, it's a frank portrait of MLK the man, not MLK the angel. His human frailties can never diminish his extraordinary achievements in that most noble of professions- leadership.

Ghandi gave his nation the gift of enduring equality. Lincoln gave his nation the gift of civil peace. MLK gave his nation both.

Let the trumpet sound!

For many of us, the Civil Rights era happened when we were too young to understand. This is a good overview of the man and his times. Many people who were just names before, became people to me.

Although, I believe King made some serious mistakes, I understand for the first time why he should have a national holiday. I had no idea he was such an impressive person. Keep in mind, this book was written by a serious historian; not just someone who wished to canonize King.

As a student activist during my college years, I was introduced to this book by one of many mentors. They said that this was a detailed account of how Dr. King and his soldiers pushed forward their agenda for change in America. It was more than that. It was a powerful testament of the conviction of Dr. King and the gameplan for dealing with racist America. He did not work alone but his analysis of each situation proved to be very timely and accurate. Later on, of course, his effectiveness lost a little of its punch but you can not change the success that came from his branch of the Movement. Stephen Oates so elequently noted the techniques and strategies used during the turbulant sixties. It gave me information on how to handle the media, the powers that be, other members of my allies and prepare for possible backstabbers. That was my reason for reading the book. However, I got SSSOOO much more.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a revolutionary. His faith in God was the driving force behind in nonviolent stance. His studies of Gandhi and Martin Luther further solidified his position. Destined for greatness from the time of his birth, MLK was always preparing himself (and being prepared) for that big moment. He was intelligent, charismatic and thorough in approach to segregation. A family man, a minister, a scholar and an activist. This book is a good starting point for not just learning about King but understanding him. He IS (not was) bigger than "I Have A Dream", bigger than boycotts, bigger than nonviolence. Thanks to Oates and this masterpiece, he can be celebrated for what he was, an instrument of change and the Prince of Peace.

This book was about a big part of our United States History. It was about Civil Rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was a big Civil Rights activist in the 1960's. I learned quite a bit about Martin Luther Kings's life that I did not know before I had read this book.
Martin Luther King was one of the most important people of our country's history. He fought for African-Americans Civil Rights. He was a very determined man, who was alwyas put into jail numerous times for his "peaceful protests". He had given several speeches as well. The author of this book is Stephen B. Oates. He is a good writer, who has written 16 books.He has also won many literary prizes such as the Christopher Award. This book is very well written. He clearly tells the story as if he had experienced it. His strenghts include: Getting actual quotes from the people that were important in this time, having pictures of Mr. King and others, and having footnotes that explained the story more in depth. I can not think of many weaknesses that he has. However, the book was long but I did not expect it to be short due to the importance of the topic. I would reccomend this book to many people. The reason why is because it tells you in depth stories about Martin Luther King Jr. and his life, but it does have profanity and innappropriate content for young children. All in all, this was a very good biography and taught me many things.

Stephen Oates writes a masterful biography of one of the pivotal figures of the twentieth century. Today we view Martin Luther King Jr. as a saint, and a model of what the human spirit can achieve. In his day, he was viewed by many in the South with fear, hatred and loathing.

It is easy to view this situation in hindsight, and assume that everyone was just ignorant. Oates writes of the complex history, the battles within and outside "the movement" and how divided the nation was at the time. Oates also does not shirk away from many of Martin Luther King's personal weaknesses. In this sense, he humanizes the great leader, instead of canonizes him.

In the end, I am left with three conclusions:
1 - Martin Luther King Jr. indeed found a way to overcome hatred with love, and in doing so helped America avoid a race war.
2 - The message of civil rights was both religeous and personal. Despite today's views of the right being the party of religeon, in his day the southern liberal movement was galvanized in the church.
3 - Despite this, he was a flawed individual. His human weakness does not diminish his accomplishment.

The book is not light reading. Read it. Let it soak in. And comprehend.

I had to buy this book for one of my college History classes. The book is very informative, sad, and eye opening. I highly recommend reading it. The history in the book really gets you thinking.

It is a very graphic book. It decribes all events very well, not boring at all.

Nat Turner led the largest slave rebellion in American history. That is an indisputable fact. Unfortunately, not much else is known about the life of this legendary figure. Why did he do what he did? How was he able to do it? What was it about the man that made people follow him into insurrection? In his book, "The Fires Of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion", author Stephen B. Oates attempts to answer these questions. Oates clearly did extensive research on his subject. He manages to unearth many new facts about Nat Turner that were previously unknown. Oates presents a vivid picture of what Nat Turner's life must have been like as a slave. He presents enough facts about Nat Turner to give the reader the beginnings of an idea of what motivated the man. He describes in detail the visions that Nat claimed to have had and the formations of the planned rebellion. Then, once the rebellion starts, Oates gives a moment by moment account. As I read it I found myself picturing what it must have looked and sounded like as it was happening. I felt real tension. Unfortunately, many facts about Nat Turner will simply never be known. The historical records just don't exist. Despite this, Stephen B. Oates has crafted an extraordinary biography. His work has brought us closer than ever to understanding who Nat Turner was and what he did.

This book is about the best I've located on the subject of Nat Turner and his rebellion. That, however, is not a good as it sounds since I've not come across hardly any books at all on the subject. The author does a good job in detailing the life of Nat Turner and his bloody slave revolt. The only qualms with the book arises 1) when the author glibbly dismisses the strong possibility of Nat being mentally unbalanced, 2) the author glosses over the more pressing reasons for the Civil War to only concentrate on slavery, 3) and the bizarre trip the author took through Virginia to get a feel for where the rebellion happened. This trip was very insulting to southern blacks and whites as the author acted as though he was taking a ride through Lion Country Safari and didn't want any of the "animals" (ie the county's people) to bite him.

This book is about the insurrection of Nat Turner against his slaveholder. This book is very good for a person who enjoys factual historical events about a slave striving for freedom. The book demonstrates the acts of the human spirit. It also shows the things Nat Turner did for freedom, however some of those acts were not becoming of a just person. Overall this is a great book that depicts the historical background of Nat Turner and his rebellion.