Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-40% $13.88
FREE delivery January 11 - 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$13.88 with 40 percent savings
List Price: $23.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery January 11 - 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery January 9 - 12
$$13.88 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.88
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$9.35
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. See less
FREE delivery January 13 - 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery January 11 - 14
$$13.88 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.88
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse: The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBI's War on the American Indian Movement Paperback – Unabridged, January 1, 1992

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 364 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$13.88","priceAmount":13.88,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"88","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"lSLniK08TsAq5PKjcm2ehutLwGRAWFp%2BHbKBl%2BSGJJ2DeGV5Ud3y4S9PqN4fVPcqZILCctGh1lOuqKP59FGQ%2BL02TGjoHjQTfGIbEOEJwdmtUrCQ44Bsml4FBqjms7ZaGA3FzdMRENE%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.35","priceAmount":9.35,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"35","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"lSLniK08TsAq5PKjcm2ehutLwGRAWFp%2B3GOd3jcldv5SD8NwhW6kxb66TF%2FQoX1c9686teK1CoMpiGK3qvzsvL3vyYtSg96W7J8F94jjfzP%2FpsLjldFebsfE7MDgDN6toaXy3yH0HgHD6RZLWeIwceBmO0HmnR0%2BqIA2vEHXJYqK46jgU1Sx6gOMITx6X6qj","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

An “indescribably touching, extraordinarily intelligent" (Los Angeles Times Book Review) chronicle of a fatal gun-battle between FBI agents and American Indian Movement activists by renowned writer Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), author of the National Book Award-winning The Snow Leopard and the novel In Paradise
 
On a hot June morning in 1975, a desperate shoot-out between FBI agents and Native Americans near Wounded Knee, South Dakota, left an Indian and two federal agents dead. Four members of the American Indian Movement were indicted on murder charges, and one, Leonard Peltier, was convicted and is now serving consecutive life sentences in a federal penitentiary. Behind this violent chain of events lie issues of great complexity and profound historical resonance, brilliantly explicated by Peter Matthiessen in this controversial book. Kept off the shelves for eight years because of one of the most protracted and bitterly fought legal cases in publishing history,
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse reveals the Lakota tribe’s long struggle with the U.S. government, and makes clear why the traditional Indian concept of the earth is so important at a time when increasing populations are destroying the precious resources of our world.
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: In the Spirit of Crazy Horse: The Story of Leonard Peltier and the FBI's War on the American Indian Movement
$13.88
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jan 11
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$16.56
Get it as soon as Thursday, Jan 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$14.29
Get it as soon as Thursday, Jan 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“By the time I had turned the final page, I felt angry enough […] to want to shout from the rooftops, ‘Wake up, America, before it’s too damned late!’ For Matthiessen, in this extraordinary, complex work, powerfully propounds several large and disturbing themes which the white majority in America will ignore at extreme peril.”
—Nick Kotz, The Washington Post
 
“A giant of a book . . . indescribably touching, extraordinarily intelligent.”
The Los Angeles Times
 
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse is really about contemporary America and the way American law is seen through the eyes of American Indians. . . . It is one of those rare books that permanently change one’s consciousness about important, yet neglected, facets of our history.”
The New York Times Book Review

“[Matthiessen] is neither gullible nor uncritical. He realistically portrays individuals, landscapes, customs, and problems that, though wholly American, are unfamiliar to most American citizens.”
The New Yorker

“One of the most dramatic demonstrations of endemic American racism that has yet been written—a powerful, unsettling book that will force even the most ethno-pious reader to inspect the limits of his understanding.”
The New York Review of Books

About the Author

Peter Matthiessen was the cofounder of the Paris Review and is the author of numerous works of nonfiction, including In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Indian Country, and The Snow Leopard, winner of the National Book Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; First Edition (January 1, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140144560
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140144567
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.35 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 364 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Peter Matthiessen
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Peter Matthiessen (May 22, 1927 - April 5, 2014) was an American novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer and CIA agent. A co-founder of the literary magazine The Paris Review, he was a 2008 National Book Award winner. He was also a prominent environmental activist. His nonfiction featured nature and travel, notably The Snow Leopard (1978) and American Indian issues and history, such as a detailed and controversial study of the Leonard Peltier case, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse (1983). His fiction was adapted for film: the early story "Travelin' Man" was made into The Young One (1960) by Luis Buñuel and the novel At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1965) into the 1991 film of the same name.

In 2008, at age 81, Matthiessen received the National Book Award for Fiction for Shadow Country, a one-volume, 890-page revision of his three novels set in frontier Florida that had been published in the 1990s. According to critic Michael Dirda, "No one writes more lyrically [than Matthiessen] about animals or describes more movingly the spiritual experience of mountaintops, savannas, and the sea."

Matthiessen was treated for acute leukemia for more than a year. His death came as he awaited publication of his final novel, In Paradise on April 8.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Melissa Eagan, WNYC New York Public Radio (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wnyc/2565449584/) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
364 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They appreciate the historical context and cultural background. The book is described as sturdy and pristine. Opinions differ on the research quality - some find it well-researched and comprehensive, while others feel it's detailed and difficult to separate truth from editorial content.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

46 customers mention "Readability"37 positive9 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They describe it as a comprehensive review of the 1975 shootout. Readers say it's well-written and researched, making it a powerful historical read.

"...This book is not for everyone. Although very well written (researched and documented, as well) by an author of considerable reputation and experience..." Read more

"...footnoted history of the Leonard Peltier case, admittedly written with a pro-native bias...." Read more

"I suggest reading Indian Country by Peter first, these are very powerful books about very powerful people and the misuse of that power...." Read more

"Not yet read but looking forward to what I think will be a great read!" Read more

22 customers mention "Historical context"16 positive6 negative

Customers find the historical context of the book interesting. It provides a chronicle of events and cultural context for the story. The book covers the history of the Northern Plains nations from the second half of the 19th century up to 1971. Readers say it immerses them in Native American life and offers a human understanding of the effects of colonialism.

"...It covers the history of the Northern Plains nations from the second half of the 19th century up to 1971 and the emergence of AIM...." Read more

"...The book is a detailed and footnoted history of the Leonard Peltier case, admittedly written with a pro-native bias...." Read more

"...doesn't pander to the romantic vision of the " Indian" but offers a human understanding of the effect of the experience by the conquered who were..." Read more

"...It is a wonderful immersion into Native American life and at the same time you get to see the treatment of the so-called "out laws" that have been "..." Read more

5 customers mention "Sturdiness"5 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the book's condition. They mention it's a pristine copy.

"...price for a hardback edition, and even though it's "used", it is a pristine copy with no marks and even jacket is in perfect condition." Read more

"I rated 4 stars because, while the book was not new, it is in very good condition...." Read more

"Came on time, in good condition; beautiful writing, horrendous time in US history." Read more

"...He will be missed dearly by me. The book was in very good condition too." Read more

17 customers mention "Research quality"11 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed views on the research quality of the book. Some find it well-researched and comprehensive, providing a relevant overview of the 1975 shootout. However, others mention that it's detailed and difficult to separate the truth from editorial content, filling the book with unimportant details and misleading information.

"...Truly remarkable work by an astounding talent." Read more

"This book is really well-researched, Matthiessen might know more about the Peltier case than anyone else, even those involved given the sheer amount..." Read more

"...They wrote contradicting reports, fabricated evidence, intimidated witnesses, and coerced forensic experts to lie under oath...." Read more

"...To be fair, yes, this book is meticulously researched, but that is no excuse!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2014
    This book spoke to me, personally, in a number of ways; as a man seeking to learn more of his ancestors indigenous to this continent and as one who, like the men and women of the American Indian Movement, challenged the US government during the 1970s.

    Like what happened to the award-winning documentary of Vietnam Veterans Against theWar’s Winter Soldier Investigations in 1971, the FBI and others sought to suppress this book at the time of its initial publication, a few years after the main events of the story. Like the effort against VVAW, the book was successfully suppressed through a series of lawsuits and appeals during the period during which it was most important to be available. Those suits were ultimately all dismissed and in 1992 the book was finally available again.

    The suppression of that book and the VVAW documentary is but one of the authoritarian actions of many that stem from the FBI-led efforts, using its COINTELPRO capabilities, to discredit, smear and suppress the efforts of both organizations in opposition to repugnant behavior by the US government. The Black Panthers were likewise a target of those same programmatic and largely unconstitutional law enforcement and prosecutorial campaigns.

    This book is not for everyone. Although very well written (researched and documented, as well) by an author of considerable reputation and experience,, the story is very complex and lengthy. Peter Matthiessen allows the story to unfold with events as they transpired and so the ground shifts frequently through the telling to its final conclusion. It is also potentially unsettling for some. The exposure of the conduct of the government will be hard for some to accept. Having been among the targets of similar activities as a VVAW leader, they were all too familiar to me.

    The man who brought the book to my attention (I am embarrassed not to have been aware of it long ago) is a friend of 50 years. He is now a practicing attorney. In the summer of 1975 as a law student at the end of his 2nd year he joined the Wounded Knee Legal Defense/Offense Committee that was the organization providing legal services to AIM. That he recommends the book speaks to its authenticity; at least for me.

    The account is composed of three sections Peter labels “books.” The first provides critical historical and cultural context for the story. It covers the history of the Northern Plains nations from the second half of the 19th century up to 1971 and the emergence of AIM. As one who has sought to learn the ways and culture of my indigenous ancestors, I learned a very great deal about those subjects from what Peter provides in this section, as continued to be the case throughout the other two “books.” I think those who have a desire and openness to learning about those topics will benefit as I did. In order to understand the rise of AIM and related sovereignty and fair treatment movements among Indian nations, that background is critical.

    The second “book” details the events leading up to, during and subsequent to the deaths on the Pine Ridge Lakota (Sioux, as white society refers to those people) reservation on June 26th, 1975 that resulted from a fierce fire fight between AIM warriors and FBI agents, BIA police, as well as county and state law enforcement. It is during this detailed account that Peter conveys the warrior tradition of integrity and courage in defense of the Lakota people and their way of life many Indians were seeking to reclaim. This is a theme that continues throughout the remainder of the book and is the best exposition of what a true warrior and warrior society is.

    The third “book” documents the FBI investigations, numerous arrests and charges, the final apprehension of the three AIM leaders pre-selected as the ones who killed the two agents and the series of trials that followed. The outcome of the first trial, the one involving two of the defendants, was positive for the Lakota. The second trial was not and the book follows the incarceration of that defendant.

    A final caveat. Peter Matthiessen is openly sympathetic to AIM and the peoples it represents. His is not a goo-goo-eyed rendering of modern noble savages. He is very candid about the problems of drug and alcohol abuse and crime that plague the people on reservations and the urban Indians, as well. He is also frank about the failings of AIM and its leaders. The pettiness and infighting so common to “movement" organizations is also discussed bluntly. Since he is sympathetic to the movement he is quite blunt in his criticism of the government agencies and agents, prosecutors and judges. However, those key figures on the government payroll are given opportunity, in fact urged, to let him tell their version of a wide range of events in the story and to convey their points of view. Some take him up and they are, indeed, represented fairly and without editorial denigration.

    If you think this book would be of interest and that you could learn things from it that you want to know, by all means, please do read it. While it is a historical account, it is may be even more important in light of the events and conditions today.
    19 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2013
    If you believe the US is never wrong, and do not have an open mind on the issue, this book will make you angry. If you know that our greatness lies in looking wrongs straight in the eye, you will like it. And it will still make you angry.

    The book is a detailed and footnoted history of the Leonard Peltier case, admittedly written with a pro-native bias. The author interviewed all sides and verified statements with government documents, some originally kept secret. Leonard Peltier was part of AIM as Native Americans, sick of abuse and continued killing of their own with little promise of justice, chose to stand up for basic rights. Strong evidence is presented for why the US government would have many reasons to want Mr. Peltier and other AIM leaders silenced. It also lays out the almost undeniable evidence that the government was also willing to frame him for murder. He remains in prison today, considered by many to be an American political prisoner. Efforts continue to seek his release.
    19 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2017
    I suggest reading Indian Country by Peter first, these are very powerful books about very powerful people and the misuse of that power. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse was immediately in litigation (see Wikipedia) and a copy was impossible to locate. This book has lead to a documentary on the incident produced by Robert Redford, in hopes of getting Leonard Peltier a pardon.
    I find this story so disheartening and am reminded, this has happened in America, these abuses continue to happen in America and I hope the stories of abuse of power continue to get told and those doing the abuses be held accountable. Our freedoms are teetering on being so at best especially since the advent of 9/11 and the construct of the Patriot Act.
    24 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2024
    Not yet read but looking forward to what I think will be a great read!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2014
    This book was very hard to read on 2 levels. On the first level it is simply hard to follow what was happening at the time and on the second level it was hard to read because this is OUR government doing these things to the people that roamed this land long before we claimed it.
    Why do we as whites believe that we have some omnipotent claim on this land? I live in East Texas where I continually see the 'white man' tearing down the magnificent forests that used to encompass all of this land and replacing it with with fast growing trees that they can harvest. By doing that they are taking away habitat for so many species of animals that it boggles the mind.
    I have signed the petition to free Leonard Peltier because I believe he is fighting for the earth, not just to be freed from prison.
    22 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2012
    The Spirit of Crazy Horse is a chronicle of events that offers insight into the plight of the modern Native American. The struggles of the 20th century are brought into focus. The involvement of political movements and powerful leaders are examined in such a way as to heighten one's understanding of the culture and the sincere effort to secure justice. It is so easy for the subject to escape notice or attention in our understanding of the American experience. This book brings the history and the modern reality directly before the reader's eyes. It doesn't pander to the romantic vision of the " Indian" but offers a human understanding of the effect of the experience by the conquered who were truly never conquered even when they were nearly exterminated. From the standpoint of the 21st century, the vision offered by the book is indeed transforming.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2012
    Peter Matthiessen is just phenomenal anyway, but in this book he is able to tell the story of Leonard Peltier while at the same time much of the story of Native Americans at the same time.

    It is a wonderful immersion into Native American life and at the same time you get to see the treatment of the so-called "out laws" that have been "brought to justice."

    Truly remarkable work by an astounding talent.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Dan McLean
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read on the FBI vs American Indian Movement
    Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2024
    Book on Leonard Peltier. American Indian Activist. Allegedly wrongfully convicted of killing 2 FBI agents in a shootout. Prior to Desert Storm, he was the only political prisoner held by the US. Due to shady FBI tactics to have him found guilty, he continues to plead his innocence.
  • Chris Mc
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2023
    Excellent
  • Thomas Putzgruber
    5.0 out of 5 stars ein wunderbares Buch!
    Reviewed in Germany on October 18, 2013
    Wer einen Einblick in die Geschehnisse dieser Zeit in den Sioux-Gebieten sucht, ist hier bestens beraten! Ich habe davon gehört dass dem Autor schon mal angekreidet wird zu einseitig zu berichten, doch nach dem Lesen von unzähligen Bücher über die Ereignisse kann ich persönlich diese Sicht in keinster Weise teilen - wer Interesse an der Geschichte der Sioux hegt, wer Leonard Peltier's Leben verfolgt, wer über den Umgang der USA mit ihren Ureinwohnern Bescheid wissen möchte - unbedingt kaufen!!!!
  • BornToShop
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on the gross miscarriage of justice in the Leonard Peltier Case.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2018
    This is a huge book in every sense.
    A must read for anybody interested in case of Leonard Peltier and his obvious framing for a crime he did not commit...even they said he did not do it!
  • H.-Christian Henning
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
    Reviewed in Germany on June 8, 2018
    Certainly a must-read for anyone who concerns about human rights and justice!
    Jeder, dem die Menschenrechte und Gerechtigkeit am Herzen liegen sollte dieses Buch lesen.
    More than forty years ago, but the fight of Americas natives is not over!
    Über vierzig Jahre her, aber der Kampf der Ureinwohner Amerikas ist nicht vorüber.