Crazy Snake

by Robert J. Conley

Rising to Principle Chief after witnessing the government's betrayal of a treaty that forced Creeks off their lands, Crazy Snake becomes the target of a United States conspiracy to rid the nation of the proud Creek forever

201 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Robert J. Conley was a Cherokee author and enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, a federally recognized tribe of American Indians. In 2007, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas.

Reviews

[Carole Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure where to begin...well, I liked the book and was very awestruck at the story. I was a little disappointed too be honest. The author wrote the book to remain an unbiased third party, just watching the events. I would've preferred the story to stay focused on Crazy Snake's viewpoint. I understand that the author wrote the story this way on purpose to let the reading decide which side was in the right or wrong or whatever, but I felt nothing for any of the characters. I mean I felt bad for the Creek people (among my list of ancestors, in theory I'm also part Lakota, who knows), but I didn't feel emotionally attached with any of the characters. I felt like I was reading a history book.

The story is very interesting and still remains a highly debated topic. Crazy Snake's fate still remains a complete mystery. I would love to learn more about this man who was a leader among the Loyal Creeks and stood up to the United States' government. He tried so hard to fight for his people, but in the end he lost. If you have any interest in Native history or Creek history, you should find this book at a library near you and read it. I really wished that the author had focused more on Crazy Snake's viewpoint and not skip a lot of years and had went more into depth in some of the major events.

Out of five stars, I'll grant this novel 3 stars. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Conley's novels.