An intriguing, often unsettling look at the lives of Crazy Horse (Tasunke Witco) and George Custer from their childhoods to their encounter at what the Lakota called the Battle of the Greasy Grass and the U.S. government called the Battle of Little Bighorn. By adulthood, both were headstrong, ambitious men who loved horses and warfare, were fearless against the odds, and were natural leaders who inspired some and repelled others. Each excelled within the context of their own culture, motivated by how that culture and their experiences shaped their outlook. The Lakota saw the white settlers as intruders and wasichus (“greedy ones”). Crazy Horse fought to retain their independence, and fought back against the efforts to destroy them. Custer was a soldier raised in the context of Manifest Destiny to believe in the superiority of white people and their “right” to claim whatever they wanted in America for themselves. This well-documented history includes quotes from Kate Bighead, an Oglala Lakota girl who witnessed events leading up to the legendary battle in which Custer died. A little more than a year later, Crazy Horse surrendered because his people were starving. He was killed while in custody. The illustrations are a combination of photographs, contemporaneous paintings and drawings, and Nelson’s own drawings, inspired by Lakota Ledger art. A fascinating author’s note recounts his family history as a descendant of a Lakota woman who married a man who had served as a foot soldier in Custer’s regiment. (Age 11 and older)

With photographs and stunning illustrations from acclaimed author/artist S.D. Nelson, this thrilling double biography juxtaposes the lives of two enemies whose conflict changed American history: Crazy Horse and George Armstrong Custer.

In 1876, Lakota chief Crazy Horse helped lead his people’s resistance against the white man’s invasion of the northern Great Plains. One of the leaders of the US military forces was Army Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The men had long been enemies. At the height of the war, when tribalism had reached its peak, they crossed paths for the last time.

In this action-packed double biography, S. D. Nelson draws fascinating parallels between Crazy Horse and Custer, whose lives were intertwined. These warriors were alike in many ways, yet they often collided in deadly rivalry. Witness reports and reflections by their peers and enemies accompany side-by-side storytelling that offers very different perspectives on the same historical events. The two men’s opposing destinies culminated in the infamous Battle of the Greasy Grass, as the Lakota called it, or the Battle of the Little Bighorn, as it was called by the Euro-Americans.

In Crazy Horse and Custer: Born Enemies, Nelson’s gripping narrative and signature illustration style based on Plains Indians ledger art, along with a mix of period photographs and paintings, shines light on two men whose conflict forever changed Lakota and US history.

The book includes an author’s note, timeline, endnotes, and bibliography.