I wouldn't presume or pretend to know anything about the Native American plight, either in the past or now. I have read a bit about the history of the Americas and some about indiginous Americans. They didn't have it easy, needless to say. The Native North Americans were proud and strong until they were cut down by the white man - mostly by diseases and displacement. There is something about their history that draws me. I have been to a lot of historical places - Little Big Horn, Puebloan site in New Mexico and Colorado, Indian Nations in Montana, Wyoming, and Washington State. I've seen all the tourist stops and bought jewelry. That makes me interested but not knowable.
Empire of the Sumer Moon is subtitled Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the most Powerful Indian tibe in American History. It is a book rich in all things Comanche. This book is set around the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker and the rise of her son Quanah. Well, that was the most interesting part for me - I remember seeing The Searchers (the movie was based on the story of Cynthia Ann) with John Wayne and Natalie Wood when I was just a kid and really loving it. It is a great account of the state of affairs in the mid 1800s through to the early 1900s. The warrior tribe, the US military debacles, the love of a mother for her child and a son for his mother, the decimation of a proud nation. This book has it all.
It is also an easy to read story full of emotion and character. Gwynne has done his homework and is not afraid to announce it but that doesn't detract from this good account. If you are interested in Native American History at all this is one you should read.
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