Lakota Dreams Review by Elizabeth A. Allen
May 07, 2010
Some time after the storied California Gold Rush of the early 1850s, a similar excitement occurred when precious metal was found in the Black Hills of what is now South Dakota. As European-American miners flocked to the region, they clashed with the Lakota Sioux tribe of Native Americans, who had settled there after conquering the Cheyenne in the 1770’s. Bloody conflict escalated, and after the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, where the Lakota killed over 250 U.S. Soldiers, the Lakota were increasingly shoved onto small reservations in western South Dakota.
Lakota Dreams by A.P. Greenwood is set during this dangerous time. It follows Nate Henderson and his family as they strike out from Texas to the Black Hills, determined to sneak onto Indian land in search of gold. Greenwood interviewed professors from the Universities of Texas and South Dakota in preparation for Lakota Dreams. This is Greenwood’s first work of historical fiction; he is the author of several detective novels.
Lakota Dreams has its strong points. Well-researched, it teems with detail of white settler life during the 1870’s and the lives of the Sioux during that time. While the white characters distrust and look down on the Indian characters, Greenwood writes about Native Americans without exoticizing or infantilizing them. The book’s modern sensitivity is noticeable and welcome, but not intrusive.
Lakota Dreams picks up steam once Nate is among the Sioux and the alternate history adventures begin in earnest. Persistent readers may enjoy an original take on this historical period.
