Of Uncommon Birth: Dakota Sons in Vietnam

Rating:
Summary: uncommon birth-defect maybe
Review: Mark St. Pierre does not seem to know where his reality and fantasies begin or end. I had trouble understanding where he was comming from and if I should keep reading or head down to the local used book store and find better " used and worn out " books to keep my intrest. I do not wish to say anything further, for fear I might give anyone the unfortunate idea to read this trash for themselves. I hope Mr. St.Pierre does not quit his day job.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful study of race relations
Review: Mark St. Pierre is a writer who understands the world of white culture and the world of the Lakota Sioux. In "Of Uncommon Birth" he brillantly uses the contextual background of the Vietnam War to bring the reader into the world of the Lakota Sioux, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, juxtaposed against a dominant white civilization that exploits both white and Indian youth from backgrounds of modest means. A must read for anyone concerned with the plight of the Lakota. A brillant work by a master storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful study of race relations
Review: Mark St. Pierre is a writer who understands the world of white culture and the world of the Lakota Sioux. In "Of Uncommon Birth" he brillantly uses the contextual background of the Vietnam War to bring the reader into the world of the Lakota Sioux, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, juxtaposed against a dominant white civilization that exploits both white and Indian youth from backgrounds of modest means. A must read for anyone concerned with the plight of the Lakota. A brillant work by a master storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: Universal themes of friendship and pain
Review: St. Pierre is a consumate story teller. He brings the two pivotal characters in the story to life in such a way that you want to simply hang out with them. I am not a Vet (though veterans will resonate with the book deeply), a Lakota Indian, or a man from the Dakotas, but the book spoke to me in a powerful way. Don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: Uncommon Warriors
Review: Two young men from South Dakota cross paths on the way from very different versions of this place called America. They are on a journey to understand manhood and love and family and duty. One is white, one Indian, and they meet in Basic Training. Their paths uncross in Vietnam, where the reader is shown the nature of that war--perhaps any war--with a truth that cannot be dismissed. The impact of this non-fiction novel is more similar to Michael Shaara's THE KILLER ANGELS than to much recent writing about warfare. The reader comes to care about, and to understand these young men, and through them, their worlds.