Book Reviews of Crazy Horse, Hoka Hey!.

1. "The late Vinson Brown...had a long history of ecological and nature studies in addition to being an ardent admirer of Native American cultural heritage and spiritual strength....Vinson Brown's father had been a physician near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. And a treasured possession in the Brown family is the beautiful beaded pipe and tobacco bag, once the possession of Crazy Horse [now returned to the Lakota at Green Grass, South Dakota]. In 1895, Dr. Brown received this priceless heirloom because he saved the life of a chief's son. Since childhood, Vinson Brown has been steeped in Native American culture, and it was his apparent desire to write a spiritual, historically grounded novel about this great Native American leader.

"In order to help his readers as much as possible, the author placed a glossary of Lakota words and names of the months in the front of the book. This makes it comparatively easy to quickly get the anglo sized term for Lakota words as they appear in the text. In a way this book is also the author's spiritual journey that he began because of his unforgettable experiences while he and others were on the top of Bear Butte, truly a sacred place for both the Lakota and Cheyennes.

"....Readers will find Crazy Horse...unlike any other book that they have ever read. This book emphasizes the gradual spiritual growth of Curly, a Lakota youth, into the established visionary, leader, and medicine man. A wide range of people should read such a book so that as many as possible recognize and appreciate the dramatic differences in which Native Americans and Westerners view and react to different stimuli. There can be little hope to achieve understanding, respect and oneness...without genuine efforts in that direction. And Vinson Brown's Crazy Horse would be an excellent source to attempt such beginnings." (Chuck Hamsa, Campfire: The Living History Newsletter, no. 136, Sept.-Oct. 1996)