Black Elk Speaks
Book description
More than one million copies sold
2017 One Book One Nebraska selection
"An American classic."-Western Historical Quarterly
Black Elk Speaks, the story of the Oglala Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950) and his people during momentous twilight years of the nineteenth century, offers readers much more than a…
Why read it?
1 author picked Black Elk Speaks as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I was deeply moved by this translated account of the Oglala Lakota holy man, which vividly depicts the tragic history of American indigenous tribes. I was deeply moved by Black Elk's compelling vision for his people, calling upon ancestors and the Divine Spirit for protection and healing.
Despite the simplicity and humanity in his voice, I struggled to reconcile Black Elk’s generosity of spirit with the heartless colonization and cultural extinction of the Lakota Sioux and other tribes. The intertwined fates of the buffalo and Indigenous tribes left me filled with profound sadness and heartache.
Black Elk's story opened my…
From Stephen's list on memoirs that will ignite your soul.
If you love Black Elk Speaks...
Tap Dancing on Everest
Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.
The team attempts a new route up…
Want books like Black Elk Speaks?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Black Elk Speaks.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,898
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Black Elk Speaks, you might also like...
Who Is a Worthy Mother?
I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places…
Secret St. Augustine
Tourists and local residents of St. Augustine will enjoy reading about the secret wonders of their ancient city that are right under their noses. Of course, that includes a few stray corpses and ghosts!
