Terry Mort, the author of Thieves’ Road: The Black Hills Betrayal And Custer’s Path To Little Bighorn, was born in Poland, Ohio, where he then shortly moved to Morristown, New Jersey. It was in this town that his fascination of United States history began; stemming from the close proximity of the Jacob Ford Mansion, as well as the abundance of Civil War monuments littering the town. Throughout his primary schooling, Mort credited many books given to him during this time as inspiration for his motivation to pursue writing as his career- most notably, Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price, and Palmer Cox’s Brownie Book. After high school, Mort went on to earn his Master’s degree in literature from both Princeton University and the University of Michigan.
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To give the reader background knowledge, Mort discussed the severity of the debts caused by the Civil War, as well as the United States government’s response, and the reasoning behind the lust for gold in the West. Mort then delved into the ethnocentrism of both Sioux culture and American culture, and the effects of the Fetterman battle. Mort then described the Seventh Cavalry, the Yellowstone expedition and following battles, and the economic crash of 1873. Custer’s preparation for the Black Hills expedition was then examined, as well as the expedition itself. Finally, Mort discussed the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, the Battle of Little Bighorn itself, and the aftermath of the …show more content…
I agree with Mort’s findings in that I believe the Battle of Little Bighorn was caused by a multitude of conflicts of many different reasons. I especially enjoyed his attention to the cultural differences that arose throughout the timeline instead of just focusing on the physical confrontations that occurred. The content discussed expanded and supported my knowledge on the subject by providing the same details I was given in the lectures and textbook, but delving into even more specifics. I do believe this book could have been improved by creating more of a focus on the content being discussed. At times it felt as though too much information was being relayed all at once. I did enjoy this book for the most part. At times, Mort’s writing read like a textbook with little style or variation in tone. What stood out to me the most was his description of Custer. Mort’s portrayal of his character and personality made it seem more like a historical fiction novel than a nonfiction book, which made it much easier to read as well as more enjoyable. I would recommend this book to others only if they showed interest in the content being discussed. It was difficult at times to get connected and interested with the book in areas where what seemed like a minute part of the book was stretched into such great detail, and made the book less enjoyable overall. I feel as though the intended audience for this novel is directed towards those with
To give the reader background knowledge, Mort discussed the severity of the debts caused by the Civil War, as well as the United States government’s response, and the reasoning behind the lust for gold in the West. Mort then delved into the ethnocentrism of both Sioux culture and American culture, and the effects of the Fetterman battle. Mort then described the Seventh Cavalry, the Yellowstone expedition and following battles, and the economic crash of 1873. Custer’s preparation for the Black Hills expedition was then examined, as well as the expedition itself. Finally, Mort discussed the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, the Battle of Little Bighorn itself, and the aftermath of the …show more content…
I agree with Mort’s findings in that I believe the Battle of Little Bighorn was caused by a multitude of conflicts of many different reasons. I especially enjoyed his attention to the cultural differences that arose throughout the timeline instead of just focusing on the physical confrontations that occurred. The content discussed expanded and supported my knowledge on the subject by providing the same details I was given in the lectures and textbook, but delving into even more specifics. I do believe this book could have been improved by creating more of a focus on the content being discussed. At times it felt as though too much information was being relayed all at once. I did enjoy this book for the most part. At times, Mort’s writing read like a textbook with little style or variation in tone. What stood out to me the most was his description of Custer. Mort’s portrayal of his character and personality made it seem more like a historical fiction novel than a nonfiction book, which made it much easier to read as well as more enjoyable. I would recommend this book to others only if they showed interest in the content being discussed. It was difficult at times to get connected and interested with the book in areas where what seemed like a minute part of the book was stretched into such great detail, and made the book less enjoyable overall. I feel as though the intended audience for this novel is directed towards those with