North Dakota Books

In this wonderful collection of D/N/Lakota stories originally published in 1901, Zitkala'sa ("Little Red Bird") retells fourteen legends (listed below)from the oral tradition. Most of the stories involve Iktomi (Unktomi) the Spider Trickster and his moral misadventures. Other stories include the Avenger and Iya ("Mouth")the Glutton. Most of the stories are used in showing the proper norms for D/N/Lakota society: be generous, do not be greedy, be hospitable, do not boast about yourself, do not deceive others to attain things, be merciful, be a good relative, etc. The reader will notice that some of the later stories do not follow the pattern of teaching morality, but seem to reflect older stories that do not always seem to follow logically. All in all, they are amazing stories that Zitkala'sa, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, wrote for primarily white audiences. There is a nice biographical sketch of Zitkala'sa and the illustrations by Angel De Cora are interesting in that they imagine the characters in human form.

Here are the stories as they appear in the book: "Iktomi and the Ducks," "Iktomi's Blanket," "Iktomi and the Muskrat," "Iktomi and the Coyote," "Iktomi and the Fawn," "The Badger and the Bear," "The Tree-Bound," "Shooting of the Red Eagle," "Iktomi and the Turtle," "Dance in the Buffalo Skull," "The Toad and the Boy," "Iya, the Camp-Eater," "Man'stin, The Rabbit," and "The Warlike Seven."

If you like horses, family stories or historical tales, you'll love this lively, humorous tale of two boys growing up in the Dakotas in the late 1800s. A great read-aloud and a beloved book in our family.

Book review by J. Otto Pohl, Sacramento, California, author of the book, Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937-1949

Samuel Sinner's new book is a welcome addition to a growing body of literature on the subject of genocide. Sinner describes the various phases of the genocide perpetrated against the Russlanddeutschen and calculates the resulting excess mortality from each of these phases. The whole process of this genocide encompassed 34 years (1915-1949) and three different rulers; Tsar Nicholas II, Lenin, and Stalin. During World War I, Tsar Nicholas II deported close to 200,000 ethnic Germans from Volhynia, Bessarabia, and other western regions of the Russian Empire to Siberia. Sinner estimates that between one third and one half of those deported perished. During the Russian Civil War (1917-1921) Bolshevik forces massacred over 60,000 ethnic Germans in the Volga, Ukraine, Crimea, and Caucasus. These atrocities occurred in the context of forced grain requisitions that left the German communities of the Volga and other areas without any food. Sinner calculates that the famine resulting from these requisitions claimed the lives of 300,000 Russlanddeutschen, 150,000 of them in the Volga region. Under Stalin, the mass deportation of peasants branded as kulaks, executions, and the 1932-1933 Holodomor (Murder Famine) killed another 300,000 Russlanddeutschen by 1937. Finally, Stalin's forced dispersal of virtually the entire German population of the USSR to special settlements and labor army work sites during the 1940s brought the total death toll of the Russlanddeutschen due to the policies of the Russian and Soviet governments from 1915-1949 up to around one million. This final phase also permanently destroyed the centuries old German communities of the Volga, Ukraine, Crimea, and Caucasus.

Sinner's book has two roughly equal parts, one in English and one in German. The two parts are similar, but not identical. The German section has considerably more statistical information regarding demographics than does the English part. In the German portion there are 14 tables regarding population statistics, whereas the English section has no tables. In contrast, the English portion of the text deals more extensively with placing the Tsarist and Soviet policies towards the Russlanddeutschen within the context of comparative genocide studies. Sinner manages to comment on almost the entire English language historiography dealing with the subject. He even devotes several pages to the writings of the present author.

Sinner firmly establishes that the Russlanddeutschen were victims of genocide as defined by the system of international law established after World War II. He also makes the first tentative, but necessary steps of comparing the genocide against the Russlanddeutschen to other more well known crimes against humanity. In particular he highlights some important similarities and parallels between the genocide against the Russlanddeutschen and the Aghed (Armenian Genocide). In many ways this is Sinner's most valuable contribution. He brilliantly demolishes the too often heard argument from some academics that the Soviet government never targeted specific groups for mass murder on the basis of their ethnicity. By showing the historical errors inherent in such arguments, he has greatly advanced the discipline of comparative genocide studies.

A great deal of research still remains to be done regarding this dark chapter of history. But, Sinner's book has established the broad outlines of the genocide against the Russlanddeutschen. He presents the historical narrative of these events and puts them in the proper theoretical and comparative context. His work is a very important contribution to both the scholarship on the Russlanddeutschen and comparative genocide studies.

I've read many books on Will Rogers-I find him fascinating on several levels. My initial interest was in his skill as a roper-I continue to be amazed at his talent in catches and especially trick roping. See his 1922 film "The Roping Fool" for an incredible display of his abilities. But Roger's role as a social commentator overshadowed his vaudeville career. Some have called him the first media pundit. This volume documents in great detail Rogers early years, and in a most satisfying way puts him in context. Letters, newspaper clippings, and other documents trace the experiences that led him into show business, and extensive footnotes lay out the social, economic and political world in which he lived. I can't wait for volume two!

I am a Cree pipe carrier who has chosen to do a doctorate degree. I would like to weave my cultural path in with the demands of scholarly writings. I would like to write to the author about my dissertation and the truth of the Christian-Cree Path. Could you please forward my request to the author. My name is Grizzly Who Packs Good Medicine and I would be honoured to speak with the author.

"Portrait of America" was a popular video documentary series in the mid-eighties, a product of collaboration between Superstation/Turner Broadcasting Corporation and Ambrose Home Video. Well-researched, each video is divided into 5 segments covering most unique historical, social, and cultural aspects of each state. Watching such an interesting documentary, each being roughly about 50 minutes long, without advertisements and other interruptions seems to be a privilege in these days!

This book brings the story of the prairie woman settler to life in vivid detail. The pictures are great, and even humorous at times. My favorite - the woman sewing her child's ripped shorts as he rests on her knees.
The text catches the readers imagination and pulls them into the North Dakota frontier era with excerpts from historical diaries and documents. Wonderful book if you love the history of settling America, or are just looking for an interesting read.

This anthology of fiction and poetry by authors with North Dakota connections is essential to anyone with an interest in North Dakota. It's also a wonderful excursion for anyone; the stories and poems express the diversity of life in one of our more interesting--and least understood--states. There is history, geography, love, grief, anger, passion, and faith in these pages--a mix of strong voices exploring issues of home, land, kin, and "the other," as well as a host of other themes.

Authors include Roland Flint, Louise Erdrich, Jon Hassler, Louis L'Amour, Thomas McGrath, Kathleen Norris, Antony Oldknow, Mark Vinz, Larry Watson, and Larry Woiwode, as well as many other other fine, less famous writers.

The beautiful introduction by Martha Meek (who edited this collection with her husband, poet/editor Jay Meek) is alone worth the price of the book. It's a moving introduction to a collection that truly captures the North Dakota environment.

I received this book for Christmas, and I half expected it to be filled with nautical terms and jargon about the sea. Instead, the book turned out to be a marvelous read about survival in life and following your dreams. I feel as if I know Bill Pinkney, as I watched him grow from an impoverished life on the Southside of Chicago, through his days in the Navy (with Bill Cosby), to his antics as a calypso dancer, make-up artist, and eventually a big shot at Revlon, to being the first African-American to solo-circumnavigate the globe via the five capes. Pinkney later went on to become the Master of the replica slave ship Amistad. But Pinkney is not simply a lone adventurer. His amazing journey was done in conjunction with schools in Boston and Chicago, which followed his every move via computers and equipment in the classroom. It is a beautifully written story of joy, compassion, and the inspiration to never quit.

Very good book. I enjoyed very much to work according to the clear instructions and beautiful designs. I recommand this book.