The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors - Crazy Horse and Custer

Really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read as far as historical narratives go and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the "wild, wild, west." The book goes back and forth in explaining the lives of these two men in such a way that it holds one's interest.

Ambrose is a great writer, but to have the imagination to contrast two differently motivated warriors from diverse cultures was fascinating. Custer, motivated by status and public acknowledgement. Crazy Horse motivated by what he perceived as his duty. One egotistical, the other modest and shunning hero worship. It is a heoric narrative of two very different men, seemingly, guided by fate to meet on that famous battle field. A well told history where the two lives on separate line intersect in an American tragedy.

This is an outstanding account of the plains Indians and how unfairly the whites dealt with them. It gives you great insight into how the Indians were organized and how they thought. Best book I have read on the mIlitary and Indians of this period. This is one one of Steven Ambrose best.

A refreshing treatment all of our national addiction to war.4 the romantic and political advancement of the white man at the expense of our Native American Brothers ,made this a important addition to understanding of a indiscribable wounding,that can only be heard with ones heart

Good stuff,I was quite surprised how Custer fit more with the show F-Troop than what we have been taught in history class. This book gives a very matter of fact overview of a disgraceful part of U.S. history. The demise of both Native Americans and the Buffalo wasn't just through attrition but a planned out flanking of one culture by another. Very sickening at times but Custer's buffoonery kept the reading entertaining.

Mr Ambrose succeeds in Romanticizing Custer and Crazy Horse as courageous men who while had a lot in common differed in their upbringing The author shows that through out the book..I recommend this book to those who want to have an understanding of the legendary men.
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The acclaimed World War II historian Stephen E. Ambrose turns his attention to the Old West, writing a marvelous and moving account of two titanic American figures, Crazy Horse and General George Custer. The book is a biography of both of them and tells each man's story in alternating chapters, culminating in the epic Battle of Little Bighorn, in which Crazy Horse's Sioux defeat Custer's 7th Cavalry. Also told are the stories of Custer's wife Libby, Sitting Bull, and many other fascinating people. I have read many books by Ambrose but I enjoyed this one perhaps best of all; he tells just enough to always keep the story moving along, while also providing the historical depth and information we need as readers. One proof of a good book is to want to read more about the subject, and that's what I plan to do next: read a biography of Sitting Bull by Mari Sandoz that Ambrose relied on in his research and praised as "brilliant." Brilliant is also a good word to describe Stephen Ambrose's Crazy Horse and Custer.

when you read Stephen Ambrose, eventhough he has passed away, you are reading a person that was comfortable with presenting history. Mr. Ambrose really hit the nail on the head. This parallel is extremely interesting to anyone interested in what took place in the past of our wonderful country.

When Mr.Ambrose passed we lost a great one. Take his other books, especially the Band of Brothers which is another block buster.

This is extremely interesting to say the least.

This book captivated me from the first page and held me through to the end. Since reading this book I have been seeking more information about Crazy Horse.
The author portrayed each man from a realistic standpoint. As much as I didn't want to, I could see the parallels in their lives.
I have read about other Native Americans, and it excited me when one of them was mentioned in the context in which I knew.
This was a very compelling book to me, and I recommend it highly for those of you interested in that time of our history.

How much do you know about "Custer's last stand"? Crazy Horse?

Until I read this book recently, I had little in depth knowledge of either man. Stephen Ambrose is one of my favorite authors, and I want to read all his works. I finally settled down to read this American history book which is well researched, easy to read;, and thoroughly riveting throughout.

George Armstrong Custer - his life and service in the Civil War, and later in Indian wars as the west opened up to make way for trains, telegraph, and settlers - what a character he was. Crazy Horse, a courageous Indian who rebelled and took revenge on the white man, and the sad sad history of our government and the breaking of treaties with the native peoples. Also - names and habits of various Indian tribes and how they differed, what they ate, their habits and their attitudes toward the white man.

The author gives us a glimpse of what the American west looked liked when the Indians and buffalo were free. Every page is carefully written in a "fair and balanced" manner. I greatly enjoyed reading it from cover to cover and have a much better understanding of America and the westward expeditions in the 1800's.

Reading James Michener's great book "Centennial" a few years ago, may have prepared me and helped me to process the information in this interesting and factual book. I recommend it. There are many surprises and plenty of action.

This was a well written historical perspective on the conflict between the US and Midwest Indian tribes.
I was glad when the book was finished because i found the conflict to be depressing due to the poor handling of the Indian tribes by the US Government!

Smooth clear writing.
History that reads as a novel, yet with the gravity and respect due this period and it's people.
Exceptionally well sourced.
Facts presented leaving the reader to draw her own conclusions with respect to, and vis a vis, two great leaders.

I learned a lot reading this excellent book. I had read several short summaries about the battle at the Little Big horn. I had no real feeling about the character of the men. Ambrose contrasts both men's lives in a very readable manner.

Another outstanding work by Stephen Ambrose. Detailed and chronological, the parallel lifelines of Crazy Horse and Custer are a worthy read for all ages. The reader will come away with an appreciation of the life of each of these famous frontier leaders.

Ambrose's work is excellent as usual. It is especially noteworthy that his description of the culture of the northern plains Indian is presented in great detail and is worthy of our attention. I am glad that I read this important history of our western expansion and our lack of consideration for the first inhabitants of North America.
Read this book.....you will enjoy it!

It’s an incredible book that tells a fantastic story. I used to just think that Custer was a fool. But after reading this book I realize that he was a creature of his time, formed by the forces around him and in his own way a heroic character. And I knew nothing of Crazy Horse, and reading this book gave me an appreciation for his story as well.

I enjoyed the the comparisons between the lives of Custer and Crazy Horse. Well formatted between the two storied careers. The history of the two individuals shown in the book correlate well with other biographies I have read. If you enjoy the history of America and the characters who influenced what it came to be you can't miss reading the story of Custer & Crazy Horse.

Although a long read, I enjoyed how Stephen Ambrose contrasted the lives of Crazy Horse and Custer over the years. He describes vividly how their lives were so similar, but so different based on their cultural differences relative to how they were raised. They were both great men in their own right and both were destined for greater things had they not met with tragedy so young.

A really nice treatment of two characters whom we have all heard about but know little about them. The eventual meeting of the two is
well known, but the author gives us so much more insight into the eventual collision than we had known before. This is history which is
anything but dry and would appeal to many persons who are not history buffs.

This book will be a great history lesson for many people. It will open many an eye as to how our Indian brothers and sisters lived and why they fought with such passion. It will also give insight as to the reasons why the whites pushed west causing the conflicts between cultures.

This was extremely interesting reading. The author's weaving of the two lives together was a fresh view. His research seemed very exhaustive. I gained new insight into the cultural background of both men and how it contributed to the inevitable outcome of their meeting at the Little Big Horn and the aftermath. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the western US

A different take on a very difficult subject. The author tries to draw comparisons between the two leaders at the battle of Little Big Horn. This work is filled with interesting facts that would that extensive research to uncover. An entertaining and depressing read. It may change the way you feel about this dark time in our history.

So many historical texts are dry tomes,painstakingly footnotes, and tedious as parchment. Once again, Ambrose avoids that trap, pulling together a compelling narrative that offers perspective without editorializing (save where noted).

I was delighted to hear the reports of two prominent fighters in the history of our country. It is well written and the characters came to light in a pleasing manner. I enjoyed this book as it has more content than I was expecting. Crazy Horse and Custer were on a similar life path, to bad it ended so tragically for the original Native Americans.

Great history written in a neutral manner. Ambrose doesn't glorify or vilify. He lets the facts fall where they may. The reader may claim either, both or neither the hero but you'll reach that decision yourself without being lead.

THIS ACCOUNT OF THE LIVES AND BATTLES OF THESE TWO MEN, ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS OF THE FAMOUS BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN. CUSTER WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE ACTUAL BATTLE, SHOWS THAT HIS ACTION WAS PRIMARILY DEFENSIVE.

My love of reading started with a (really bad) biography of Custer when I was 6. My love of American Civil War micro-history came back to that many years later and bits about Custer in the Civil War like his competition with Robert Rosser and his staff service stuck in my memory. He was a much more complex man than the cartoon that fifth grade biography gave and Ambrose provides a lot of depth to the human who fought in the Indian wars. The detail Ambrose gives to Crazy Horse's story provides the picture of a living person whose life had interesting parallels to Custer's. It's a fascinating read that didn't provide too much new about Custer for me, but really brought Crazy Horse to life.

This is a fascinating book on two iconic figures of American history. I thought I knew who Custer was until I read this book. Ambrose has a way, like most good writers, to bring history to life. As compared, Undaunted Courage is better, but that doesn't distract from this book. Crazy Horse and Custer describe a very ugly side of how the native Americans were treated by white society. This is a must read for those that enjoy reading about the west. Great development of characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I knew about both people to some degree, but I found this book to be in depth, probing, and a really great story. Recommended for anyone who loves old west / American history.

Very interesting book and easy to read. Well researched. The parallels were well explained even when they differed. I l as learned much about Indian culture as well. Their culture was (is) just not as acquisitive of material possessions or power. Didn't have the same sense of grasping for power and authority. Much more ready to share. Ambrose does a good job of keeping a balance between the Indians and whites. Not one sided.

A fascinating account of the early lives and careers of two iconic frontier figures. Told as two parallel storylines until their fateful intersection at Little Big Horn, Ambrose covers facets of 19th century Native American culture that are informative and accessible for the non-specialist. Equally interesting is the "big picture" view of Custer's Civil War career as the "boy general" and the mindset that the war instilled in Custer. Those looking for an in-depth biography of both will want to read other works, but for an essential primer on both men and the tragic collision of Native Americans and American expansionism, this an excellent source.

I don't usually read historical books but I really enjoyed meeting these two we'll know historical figures in their youth and following them to their major historical moment together. It was like a well written novel.

I think Stephen did a wonderful job researching, writing and keeping faithful to history. There were things I though I knew about our American Natives, but were wrong. I became fascinated learning the many truths of Indians and how they lived and survived on the plains and the sad story of how the whites stole their country by massacring the buffalo, lies, cheating, keeping them drunk and just kept forcefully taking their land from them. Custer was the opposite of Crazy Horse in many ways. Though, they were both amazingly brave and courageous. Sadly, I concluded Indians were treated worse than slaves.

Interesting concept, to contrast the lives of these two, who will be forever locked together due to the final major battle of the Indian Wars.
However it does not come off. Like comparing the Emperor of Japan and The Generals meeting shipboard, to sign the surrender papers to end WW2.
Good idea, but it fizzled out.

Ambrose does wonderful job pulling together the circumstances that led them to their ultimate fates. It really helps us understand the early history of the western movement and the social and economic forces of the time.

What a clever idea -- to compare and contrast Crazy Horse and Custer, opposing icons of the conquest of the Plains. I did not expect to find Custer so likable, and I really did not know much about Crazy Horse, although I have read a great deal about American history. I would recommend this book to any interested history buff, as I found it very much worth my time.

Excellent comparison of the background, training, education, and influences on the two leading up Little Big Horn. Great comparison of Indian religious and American political influence pushing both sides to confrontation.

Great read. Great detail and insight into the lives of both these men, and also their respective societies before and after the Civil War. The truth about Crazy Horse and Custer is certainly different than what has been popularized in movies and books. Both were leaders of men, inspiring them by their acts of courage. One didn't seek fame or glory and the other lived for it, yet they both attained it.

I enjoyed this one as much his book on Lewis and Clark, Undaunted Courage.

This is the first Stephen Ambrose book I've read, and I really like it. His writing style is easy to read and makes the history come alive. There is so much here about the Sioux that I never knew, and the parallel lives of these two warriors makes for gripping reading. You'll learn so much about the America of the midi-1800s, what people in the East thought, and what people coming West expected. The hardships and the foibles, too.

I will definitely be reading more Ambrose.

Classic, well researched and written account of two individuals who did not shape America, but rather were shaped by its evolution as a country.This is an outstanding comparative description of the conflicting cultures of the native American and the European migrants.

Fantastic comparison of the white man's vision looking west at the American Indian and the eye's of the morally noble Crazy Horse looking east at the Great WHite Chief. This reader was astounded at the attitude of our post Civil War government's treatment of a peaceful and ancient civilization after winning a war under the pretense of freeing another repressed race. What an odd change of core beliefs.

Interesting angle on a well known piece of American history. While comparisons can be drawn between the two warriors, I thought the "parallel" lives aspect was a little forced at points. A very readable book, with many interesting tidbits about both individuals and that period in history, including the peripheral characters.

I really liked this book. I have read many books on Custer,,,,and the people surrounding him in the last few years of his life. This book provides an in depth look at his life and that of Crazy Horse. There is a lot of history on Custer...but obviously less was recorded about Crazy Horse....still a great book and I recommend it highly.

Enjoyed this history of Crazy Horse and the Plains Indians war with the US government. Have always viewed the destruction of the Indian culture as a disgrace. Custer was a extraordinary man of the times, at times amazingly brave, but a man that didn’t always use good judgement thus leading to his death along with his men.

I learned much about the American Indian and their way of life, the good and the bad. I also was surprised by the questionable decisions by Custer and other military leaders during these Indian wars. I have never read an Ambrose book that deserved less than a perfect score.

Fascinating...

This was a great read of an historical event from the view of the enemy. In addition, it is an absorbing insight into the nature and way of life of the American Indian. For me, it was an excellent education as well. Like all good paintings, this author paints with care and intelligence.