Overview

""Fast-paced and highly absorbing."" —Wall Street Journal A magisterial new history of the fierce final chapter of the ""Indian Wars,"" told through the lives of the two most legendary and consequential American Indian leaders, who led Sioux resistance and triumphed at the Battle of Little Bighorn True West magazine's ""Best Nonfiction Book of the Year"" Winner of the Colorado Book Award Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull: Their names are iconic, their significance in American history undeniable. Together, these two Lakota chiefs, one a fabled warrior and the other a revered holy man, crushed George Armstrong Custer’s vaunted Seventh Cavalry. Yet their legendary victory at the Little Big Horn has overshadowed the rest of their rich and complex lives. Now, based on years of research and drawing on a wealth of previously ignored primary sources, award-winning author Mark Lee Gardner delivers the definitive chronicle, thrillingly told, of these extraordinary Indigenous leaders. Both Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull were born and grew to manhood on the High Plains of the American West, in an era when vast herds of buffalo covered the earth, and when their nomadic people could move freely, following the buffalo and lording their fighting prowess over rival Indian nations. But as idyllic as this life seemed to be, neither man had known a time without whites. Fur traders and government explorers were the first to penetrate Sioux lands, but they were soon followed by a flood of white intruders: Oregon-California Trail travelers, gold seekers, railroad men, settlers, town builders—and Bluecoats. The buffalo population plummeted, disease spread by the white man decimated villages, and conflicts with the interlopers increased. On June 25, 1876, in the valley of the Little Big Horn, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and the warriors who were inspired to follow them, fought the last stand of the Sioux, a fierce and proud nation that had ruled the Great Plains for decades. It was their greatest victory, but it was also the beginning of the end for their treasured and sacred way of life. And in the years to come, both Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, defiant to the end, would meet violent—and eerily similar—fates. An essential new addition to the canon of Indigenous American history and literature of the West, The Earth Is All That Lasts is a grand saga, both triumphant and tragic, of two fascinating and heroic leaders struggling to maintain the freedom of their people against impossible odds. A Denver Post Bestseller A Spur Award Finalist, Best Western Historical Nonfiction Winner of the John M. Carroll Literary Award

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Reviews

A fast-paced and highly absorbing read. - Wall Street Journal Gardner has done prodigious research into the Indian wars, recounting battle after battle, from the glory days to the end for the Lakotas at the infamous Ghost Dance. - Denver Post, Books to Read this Month The most ambitious American history published in 2022. For the first time, a major scholar of the West has distilled the known primary and secondary sources equally with heretofore unused Sioux Indian oral history, correspondences, memoirs, and interviews to create the finest dual-biography ever written about Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. ... Through the final pages readers will have taken a literary and historical journey that will leave them with a greater understanding and perspective on one of the most heralded and written about cultural conflicts and wars in United States history. - True West Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull remain integral to the broader understanding of the Old West. ... Gardner masterfully adds a fresh dimension to the lives of two men he views as freedom fighters. - Wild West Excellent. ... Mark Lee Gardner is one of the best writers around. The pages fly by. ... A great read from a great author. - The Tombstone Epitaph One of the finest books-in all genres-of the year. - True West A stirring account of the resistance campaign led by Lakota holy man Sitting Bull and war chief Crazy Horse in the 1870s. ... Sharp characterizations and evocative imagery...make this a standout portrait of the Old West. - Publishers Weekly Spirited history of the great Sioux war leaders of the late 19th century and their valiant stand against White encroachment. ... A strong work of Western history that strives to bring the Native American view to center stage. - Kirkus Reviews An extraordinary work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship. - Midwest Book Review Masterful. - Manhattan Book Review This well-researched, well-written dual biography of the two great Lakota leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse is a detailed account of their lives beyond their victory over the U.S. Army at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. ... Those who are fascinated by the Plains Indian Wars will not be disappointed. - AudioFile Magazine A well-paced narrative history that traces the lives of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse from boyhood, through the Lakota Sioux Wars with the United States, to the controversies surrounding the deaths of the two chiefs. ... Gardner has very wisely drawn deeply on his primary sources-including oral histories transcribed in the 1920s and 1930s-to let readers see history through the eyes of those who lived it. - Law & Liberty

A fast-paced and highly absorbing read. ... Rousing. -- Wall Street Journal Gardner has done prodigious research into the Indian wars, recounting battle after battle, from the glory days to the end for the Lakotas at the infamous Ghost Dance. -- Denver Post, Books to Read this Month The most ambitious American history published in 2022. For the first time, a major scholar of the West has distilled the known primary and secondary sources equally with heretofore unused Sioux Indian oral history, correspondences, memoirs, and interviews to create the finest dual-biography ever written about Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. ... Through the final pages readers will have taken a literary and historical journey that will leave them with a greater understanding and perspective on one of the most heralded and written about cultural conflicts and wars in United States history. -- True West A stirring account of the resistance campaign led by Lakota holy man Sitting Bull and war chief Crazy Horse in the 1870s. ... Sharp characterizations and evocative imagery...make this a standout portrait of the Old West. -- Publishers Weekly Spirited history of the great Sioux war leaders of the late 19th century and their valiant stand against White encroachment. ... A strong work of Western history that strives to bring the Native American view to center stage. -- Kirkus Reviews An extraordinary work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship. -- Midwest Book Review Masterful. -- Manhattan Book Review One of the finest books--in all genres--of the year. -- True West A well-paced narrative history that traces the lives of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse from boyhood, through the Lakota Sioux Wars with the United States, to the controversies surrounding the deaths of the two chiefs. ... Gardner has very wisely drawn deeply on his primary sources--including oral histories transcribed in the 1920s and 1930s--to let readers see history through the eyes of those who lived it. -- Law & Liberty

A fast-paced and highly absorbing read. - Wall Street Journal In a year crowded with excellent Western history and biography, Mark Lee Gardner's The Earth Is All That Lasts stands above the rest as the most ambitious history/biography in both the Western genre and general American biography. His use of primary resources, especially those of Native peoples, is exemplary. I believe it is the finest dual biography of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull ever written. - True West, Best of the West 2023: Best Nonfiction Book of the Year Gardner has done prodigious research into the Indian wars, recounting battle after battle, from the glory days to the end for the Lakotas at the infamous Ghost Dance. - Denver Post, Books to Read this Month Digging deeply into often-neglected primary sources, Mark Lee Gardner has written a lavish and powerful dual biography. ... Gardner fleshes out [Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull's] stories in nearly cinematic detail, giving us a fresh look into their characters, motivations, and passions. He also paints detailed images of the Western landscape and of all the diverse peoples who have made it - or are fighting to make it - their home. We're gratefully left with a finer appreciation for the tragic struggle and selfless dedication of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. - Big Sky Journal Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull remain integral to the broader understanding of the Old West. ... Gardner masterfully adds a fresh dimension to the lives of two men he views as freedom fighters. - Wild West Excellent. ... Mark Lee Gardner is one of the best writers around. The pages fly by. ... A great read from a great author. - The Tombstone Epitaph With its clear prose and rich narrative ... The Earth Is All That Lasts effectively brings the Native American viewpoint to the fore, and it gives the reader a thorough account of important events in American history. - Military Heritage One of the finest books-in all genres-of the year. - True West The Earth is All That Lasts, a tale of two indigenous heroes, tells the story of resistance and hope in a time when it was most needed. - Buzzfeed A stirring account of the resistance campaign led by Lakota holy man Sitting Bull and war chief Crazy Horse in the 1870s. ... Sharp characterizations and evocative imagery...make this a standout portrait of the Old West. - Publishers Weekly Masterful. - Manhattan Book Review Spirited history of the great Sioux war leaders of the late 19th century and their valiant stand against White encroachment. ... A strong work of Western history that strives to bring the Native American view to center stage. - Kirkus Reviews An extraordinary work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship. - Midwest Book Review

"""In a year crowded with excellent Western history and biography, Mark Lee Gardner’s The Earth Is All That Lasts stands above the rest as the most ambitious history/biography in both the Western genre and general American biography. His use of primary resources, especially those of Native peoples, is exemplary. I believe it is the finest dual biography of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull ever written."" — True West, Best of the West 2023: Best Nonfiction Book of the Year ""Gardner has done prodigious research into the Indian wars, recounting battle after battle, from the glory days to the end for the Lakotas at the infamous Ghost Dance."" — Denver Post, ""Books to Read this Month"" ""The Earth is All That Lasts, a tale of two indigenous heroes, tells the story of resistance and hope in a time when it was most needed."" — BuzzFeed ""A stirring account of the resistance campaign led by Lakota holy man Sitting Bull and war chief Crazy Horse in the 1870s. ... Sharp characterizations and evocative imagery...make this a standout portrait of the Old West."" — Publishers Weekly ""Spirited history of the great Sioux war leaders of the late 19th century and their valiant stand against White encroachment...A strong work of Western history that strives to bring the Native American view to center stage."" — Kirkus Reviews ""A fast-paced and highly absorbing read.""   — Wall Street Journal ""Digging deeply into often-neglected primary sources, Mark Lee Gardner has written a lavish and powerful dual biography. ... Gardner fleshes out [Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull's] stories in nearly cinematic detail, giving us a fresh look into their characters, motivations, and passions. He also paints detailed images of the Western landscape and of all the diverse peoples who have made it — or are fighting to make it — their home. We’re gratefully left with a finer appreciation for the tragic struggle and selfless dedication of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull."" — Big Sky Journal “Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull remain integral to the broader understanding of the Old West. … Gardner masterfully adds a fresh dimension to the lives of two men he views as freedom fighters.” — Wild West ""Excellent. ... Mark Lee Gardner is one of the best writers around. The pages fly by. ... A great read from a great author."" — The Tombstone Epitaph ""With its clear prose and rich narrative ... The Earth Is All That Lasts effectively brings the Native American viewpoint to the fore, and it gives the reader a thorough account of important events in American history."" — Military Heritage ""One of the finest books—in all genres—of the year."" — True West ""Masterful."" — Manhattan Book Review ""An extraordinary work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship."" — Midwest Book Review ""A remarkable contribution to this tragic period in our history. ... A thrilling read."" — The Battlefield Dispatch"

A fast-paced and highly absorbing read. ... Rousing. -- Wall Street Journal Gardner has done prodigious research into the Indian wars, recounting battle after battle, from the glory days to the end for the Lakotas at the infamous Ghost Dance. -- Denver Post, Books to Read this Month The most ambitious American history published in 2022. For the first time, a major scholar of the West has distilled the known primary and secondary sources equally with heretofore unused Sioux Indian oral history, correspondences, memoirs, and interviews to create the finest dual-biography ever written about Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. ... Through the final pages readers will have taken a literary and historical journey that will leave them with a greater understanding and perspective on one of the most heralded and written about cultural conflicts and wars in United States history. -- True West A stirring account of the resistance campaign led by Lakota holy man Sitting Bull and war chief Crazy Horse in the 1870s. ... Sharp characterizations and evocative imagery...make this a standout portrait of the Old West. -- Publishers Weekly Spirited history of the great Sioux war leaders of the late 19th century and their valiant stand against White encroachment. ... A strong work of Western history that strives to bring the Native American view to center stage. -- Kirkus Reviews An extraordinary work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship. -- Midwest Book Review Masterful. -- Manhattan Book Review

Author Information

Mark Lee Gardner is the author of To Hell on a Fast Horse, the story of Billy the Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett. An authority on the American West, Gardner has appeared on PBS's American Experience, ABC's World News, the History Channel, Encore Westerns, NPR's All Things Considered, and BBC Radio. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, American Heritage, Wild West, American Cowboy, and New Mexico magazine. Gardner lives with his family in Cascade, Colorado.

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