Little Big Man Author:Thomas Berger Believe it or not, Jack Crabb is 111 years old. He is also the son of two fathers, one white, the other a Cheyenne Indian chief who gave him the name Little Big Man. As a Cheyenne, Crabb feasted on dog, loved four wives, and saw his people butchered by horse-soldiers commanded by Custer. As a white man, he helped hunt the buffalo into extin... more »ction, tangled with Wyatt Earp, cheated Wild Bill Hickok--and lived through the showdown that followed. He also survivied the Battle of Little Bighorn, where he fought side by side with Custer himself--even though he'd sworn to kill him. The basis of a popular film, LITTLE BIG MAN, was hailed by "The Nation" as a "seminal event...the most significant cultural and literary trend of the [1960's]."« less
A very entertaining historical novel, weaving a (fictional?) central character in with actual people and events of the American West. Jack Crabbe encounters Sitting Bull, Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, General Custer and others, and is present at many memorable events.
This was made into a popular movie in 1969 starring Dustin Hoffman.
Excellent novel of the west during the time of Custer, Wild Bill Hickok, and Wyatt Earp. This, of course, is the story of Jack Crabb who was adopted into the Cheyenne tribe as a young boy and went on to be the only white survivor of the Little Bighorn massacre. This novel was made into one of my all-time favorite movies starring Dustin Hoffman. And even though the move was superlative, the novel is even better -- fleshing out the character of Crabb, his life among the Cheyenne, his encounters with Hickok, and his time spent with the 7th Cavalry and the climatic battle at the Little Big Horn. The novel gives some wonderful and accurate descriptions of Cheyenne and frontier life. A very high overall recommendation!
I love this book. I've already read it 4 times, and hope to reread. Each time I read it, I find a new nugget of information or description. It was the door that led me to exploring more serious works by and about Native Americans.
