A wise and interesting read.

books:


	• Black Elk Speaks, New Edition John G. Neihardt Bison Books, 2004 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A wise and interesting read.

I have to disagree with some people's assessment of this title. I found this book to be very insightful and very intimate in nature. I suppose for non-fiction I do tend to a have preference for books that have an approachable, if not conversational style. And that is really what this feels like. Black Elk recounts his life and spiritual experience with beautiful imagery that proves to be quite profound in its simplicity. While the Native American culture is highly romanticized through many works by people not of that ethnicity, I think this book gives readers something that the others don't. A look into the lives of Native Americans through their eyes. Real, flawed, but genuine. While many might think that Black Elk may despise the white man for his ways and the treatment of his people, there is a great understanding that underlies his words that displays a great respect for his fellow man regardless of skin color. Neihardt and Black Elk were kindred spirits and this comes through. In the end, like Chief Seattle said before him, Black Elk serves to remind readers of man's connection to the earth and to one another.

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In Depth Wisdom

This book is very different from many others that I have read about Native Americans. It feels as though Black Elk is there having a conversation with you. A very personal book. Provides valuable insights to life no matter what your ethnic background.

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Black Elk Speaks

It's nice to read a book these days that's actually well written.
Easy to read. Love Black Elk's sense of humor!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Black Elk Speaks is the story of the Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950) and his people during the momentous twilight years of the nineteenth century. Black Elk met the distinguished poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt (1881-1973) in 1930 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and chose Neihardt to tell his story. Neihardt understood and conveyed Black Elk?s experiences in this powerful and inspirational message for all humankind.

When Black Elk received his great vision, white settlers were invading the Lakotas? homeland, decimating buffalo herds, and threatening to extinguish the Lakotas? way of life. The Lakotas fought fiercely to retain their freedom and way of life, a dogged resistance that resulted in a remarkable victory at the Little Bighorn and an unspeakable tragedy at Wounded Knee. Black Elk Speaks offers much more than a precious glimpse of a vanished time, however. As related by Neihardt, Black Elk?s searing visions of the unity of humanity and the earth have made this book a venerated spiritual classic. Whether appreciated as the poignant tale of a Lakota life, a history of a Native nation, or an enduring spiritual testament, Black Elk Speaks is unforgettable.

This new edition features two additional essays by John G. Neihardt that further illuminate his experience with Black Elk; an essay by Alexis Petri, great-granddaughter of John G. Neihardt, that celebrates Neihardt?s remarkable accomplishments; and a look at the legacy of the special relationship between Neihardt and Black Elk, written by Lori Utecht, editor of Knowledge and Opinion: Essays and Literary Criticism of John G. Neihardt.

For more information on John G. Neihardt, visit www.neihardt.com

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