R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 5/31/2024 + 1452 more book reviews

Charging Elk is a Lakota Indian who joins Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to travel throughout Europe enacting his way of life on the South Dakota prairies. Dressed in native regalia, he and others perform mock mock battles with settlers invading his homeland and the soldiers protecting them. Exhibiting extraordinary horsemanship, they hunt young buffalo in the arenas for admiring crowds.

In Marseille, Charging Elk becomes ill and falls from his horse during a performance only to wake up in a hospital as the show leaves him behind. Due to French bureaucratic error he cannot travel back to Dakota or rejoin the show. He speaks little French, doesn't understand the culture and finds himself alienated from all he knows. His life is filled with tragic incidents as he realizes he may be marooned in France for life. It's a fine read that illustrates living hand to mouth, avoiding missteps to elude the police while searching for a way to adapt to a this strange culture. As I read I wondered if he would survive in a country where his skin is much darker than others and he towers above those around him.

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