Brave Bird at Wounded Knee: A Story of Protest on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Book Review

Brave Bird at Wounded Knee: A Story of Protest on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

By: Rachel Bithell

Publish Date: 01 Jan 2023

Publisher: North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press

Historical Fiction/Middle Grade

#BraveBirdatWoundedKnee#NetGalley

I would like to thank both NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

It’s 1973, and in Denver, Colorado, Patsy Antoine doesn’t usually give much thought to her relatives living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. After all, her classmates don’t even know she’s part Lakota. Then she learns the tiny town of Wounded Knee has been occupied. Now Patsy’s relatives are stuck amid the conflict between American Indian Movement activists and Oglala Lakota tribe members on the one side, and federal marshals and FBI agents on the other. When Patsy visits her relatives on Pine Ridge, she learns more about her heritage and the clashing perspectives on the Wounded Knee occupation. As she connects with her roots, Patsy must grapple with the complexities of the conflict and of being biracial. It’s the storytellers that preserve a nation’s history. But what happens when some stories are silenced? The I Am America series features fictional stories based on important historical events about people whose voices have been excluded, lost, or forgotten over time.

Book Review:

I gave this book 4 stars. It was a quick read and hard to put down. This is a great way for children to learn about history because it is simple and brought to them in a real-life context. I would also recommend this book for adults if you wanted to brush up on some history in a simple and easy way.

This event really happened but the main people are made up. I really liked the way that Patsy wasn’t sure of herself when it came to her heritage and feared how her peers saw her. I enjoyed the family stood behind and taught her things that she didn’t know. Once things came out, they didn’t hold back telling her.

In the end she learns about her heritage and wants to continue to learn so she can maybe share it with those she cares about.