Reference Reviews
Reference for Students
Sitting Bull: A Biography. By Edward J. Rielly. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. 1 vol. 137 p. $35.00. ISBN 10: 0-313-33809-4; 13: 978-0-313-33809-0.
Some historians consider Sitting Bull one of the most influential figures in history, the most influential American Indian leader. Others say he and Abraham Lincoln are the greatest American leaders of the 19th century. A 2-page timeline begins the book. Chapters are in time periods of his life: Chap 1 (1831-1845), 2 (1845-1859), 3 (1851-1867), 4 (1867-1873), 5 (1873-1876), 6 (1876) the year of the Battle of Little Big Horn, 7 (1876-1881), 8 (1881-1885), and 9 (1886-1890). The final chapter (1890-the present) details the efforts made after his death to give him the honor he deserved, and a college on the Standing Rock Reservation, the Sitting Bull College, is named in his honor. Students will learn that this was a great warrior but also a deeply religious man and his legacy is much more than defeating Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He is sometimes remembered as a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and, while he was, it was only for a short time. Because students need accurate information about our Native American history, this is a particularly important book.