Son of the Morning Star

De: Evan S. Connell

Narrado por: Adrian Cronauer

This national best-seller vividly reconstructs one of the most unbelievable and controversial battles in American military history—General Custer’s Last Stand in 1876. Why would a seasoned leader like Custer lead 200 U.S. Army soldiers into battle against 2,000 Native American warriors? The answer lies in this book, which captures in stunning detail the heroism, foolishness, and brutality that led to this legendary battle.

©1984 Evan S. Connell (P)1985 Recorded Books, LLC

Well researched

The book does jump around a little. I thought the narrator was great occasionally inserted some humor but if your interested in the history of the west this book is a must read

Intriguing account of this famous and infamous American figure

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which provided an in-depth account of this flamboyant historical figure, George Armstrong Custer. It also provided a fair and balanced account of the flip side story of the Native Americans. Both sides very tragic indeed. Well worth the read.

Wonderful Narration and Prose

I loved this book. The narrator is marvellous, the writing is superb, and the story is compelling. The detail in this work about both Custer and the many people involved is rare, interesting and important. I learned a lot and highly recommend it.

Poetic prose

Beyond a typical or expected historical account, the writer Evan S. Connell writes with a clear passion for the subject and has a provocative style that gives life to a story from the 1800’s. I was skeptical if I would like the book and waited months before getting the audiobook. Now I would say that I liked it so much, I might read it again in the future. The flowing timeline could be challenging to those who prefer linear story-telling. However, it can be enjoyed if you treat it more like poetry than a rigid retelling of history.

great book tons of information

this book is full of every tidbit of I formation surrounding Custer and his men, family, and acquaintances. if you value information and history it's a great read/listen.

A well researched and written narrative.

This was my second time through this book. I've always been intrigued by the battle at the Little Big Horn and this is one of the better narratives out there. The other being The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick which is a more recent, updated narrative. As a side note Son of the Morning Star is narrated by the late Adrian Cronauer of Good Morning Vietnam fame. He does an excellent job.

captivates and directs your interest in subject

very interesting presentation of the historical facts and the genuine love of process of presenting his work.

Very well written!

An incredible account of the Battle of Little Bighorn, and the cultures and histories of both Native & American peoples. a great account from key players such as Chief Sitting Bull,Chief Rain in The Face, Captain Benteen, Major Reno, Lt. Bradley, Elizabeth Custer, General Terry and the list goes on! The author uses very true facts on all subjects. This book should be read by all who want the truth about the Battle and people that were involved!

Top notch

Tremendous work of “creative nonfiction “ - although I dislike that term. Meandering at times, but never dull. Adrian Cronauer is the perfect voice for Connell’s prose.

Violent descriptions of history in a neo-realist tone, and a balanced report.

A balanced report I say as it’s not all against Gen Custer and it is not all against the native tribes. This historian has a way of telling the story with both facts in a non-biased way , which is rare by today’s standards indeed. I think I was referred to this book while reading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Also a violent report of the genocide of the native peoples but in that case it tends to lead all upon the protagonist being the poor natives and the wicked incredulous white man. I say this as much as I agree with Bury my heart at Wounded Knee. I have just realized that the history is not all one sided, and like war or any war there are rules and codes and ethics and just like today lifestyles that clash and when they do violence always followed. And war is hell, not a pretty hell but the most gruesome thing that nature and man can be held guilty . But my point was the bury your heart or my heart at wounded knee was published at just the right time when the counter culture was witnessing the destruction and horror of Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement. Similar to that Bury my heart at wounded knee fits the narrative and compassion or comparison with what was happening at the time in history, but then it was current events not history.

So the reason I mention that other book so much is that anyone who knows the story and would agree that there were violent crimes committed by natives as they were tribal peoples and many were if not warriors fighting tribal conflicts they would be fighting against the white supremacy of white Americans, and yes the Mexican Americans too were violent against the same natives, but as we learn the natives did not hold the African black Americans in contempt but saw them as the buffalo soldier in honor of their hair looking like their sacred buffalo on the range that was being depleted by the American hunters killing just to kill. But I digress. The reason I mention the African Americans was because they were integrated into the Army and yet they were very different from the white soldiers having been released as slaves to free but finding the army life to be a step up than the work on the deadly railroad or other hard labor. But again this book is more detailed than the history of today and it should be read in schools I believe because of this history with facts and contradictions layered out side by side with each other so the reader can ascertain the facts and the fiction. This is why I am writing this review.

Again this is why I write this review. It shows that history can change over public opinion and the public will understand history only by the current opinion polls and not by the facts and the grey area that word of mouth always has colored the facts into myths and stories from news organizations and the media tendency like Mark Twain was famous for pointing out in his satire the unethical and unfair treatment slander and misinformation has always been rampant and the sensationalism sold papers and word of mouth whether in native tribal communities across the plains and frontier or with the newspaper and local gossip in churches and other places where locals have always spread gossip and rumors and sensational stories about one sided versions, always seem to change over time and never stay true to the reality in purity but always change over time.

This is why I think this book is important because it has Custer letters as well as his wife and other military personnel who surrounded Custer the good the bad and the ugly. And what this book shines a light upon is the heroism that was bestowed upon Custer as a martyr for the USA and yet it also shows the details of character flaws that he had, and how the natives were treated and influenced over time to report sensational versions of the story of the battle as well as atrocities that occurred from their own experience. This like Bury my heart at wounded Knee showcased many translated speeches of the natives that have been documented better to shine light upon the natives and the many tribes that disagreed with each other but usually unified against the so called Union when the walls started closing in upon them. And the more they did what the white man wanted the more they became depressed and unhealthy in a welfare state with alcoholism and lack of pride in their meaningless lives inside the Indian agencies. Many of them starving to death if not dying from other diseases surrounded by wickedness of their agency prison ward as they should be called.

But I must end here as these two books are not my books but this should be a review I hope to connect with current affairs today with the biased media and the biases of the people of all colors and backgrounds.

To read or listen to this book about the entire story with the multifaceted characters both with traits of good morality and evil or lack of morality.
And as it seems to reveal yet again and again that in war that becomes more and more violent there is always one side that bullies or starts the fight but in history it may be recorded that the other side was guilty of striking the first blow. The point in this case is that nobody knows who started the scalping of victims and nobody can blame the other side because they both appear to have been guilty of the same violence.

Compared to the ww1 gas warfare the Germans were to blame in most historical records but the facts sho otherwise. The French had been guilty of this too. And so they blamed and pointed at the other side of the trench and nobody knew what really happened until the smoke and gas cleared but there were always dead bodies everywhere. So likewise always dead bodies at the Massacre of Black Kettle, and the Massacre of the Battle of Little Big Horn. War is not about being morally superior, but rather about survival and justice.

This book showcases the reality of just how different the native tribes and cultures were from the settlers with their technology of iron horses and disregard for the herds of animals that were slaughtered or genocide against them too. For rotting wasted meat was nobody’s gain. Nobody could eat the meat or use the skins. And I mention this because the climate change activist that are vegan might not have empathy for the natives who hunt and kill animals to eat their flesh and bones and use them more efficiently than any modern technology or riot or protest movement would have any power over ideology. Today it appears the activist movement would condemn the natives just like the New England people did loving the idea of the natives who were very far away but as soon as they were in their homes and property they would call them savages like anyone else.

This is the reason the book is being reviewed by me because I think a current generation only focusing on the current affairs and especially the blonde sided version of their current affairs with their own narrative and misinformation.

History cannot be the 1619 project alone without the 1776 version of events too.
For a one sided narrative of history is erasing the truth and the lies that remain in all history and government documents as well as the actual events that moved the public opinion and the ideology of the Crowd. For it can be controlled by the media snd the politicians and the activist who were educated by a narrow bandwidth of the real world facts.

This book will be a mirror upon the history of this event and what happened before and after not biased against one side for all the chapters but successfully gives a full honest report of the events with facts and evidence as well as the evidence that there is no real facts and evidence in other research and historical literature and documents. If you get one thing from this book and from this review it should be that history is not always what it appears to be and there is more gray matter than the black and white that many people preach from the pulpit or shout from the front of the classrooms at liberal universities that are not unbiased in their curriculum.

Only the very few professors in any of these institutions have been able to stand against the masses or school boards policies.

This book will educate the reader about how to write history as well as tell a story about how gray history has always been.

Characters are flawed and everyone makes mistakes. This book is proof that this statement is true.