Fools Crow

By James Welch.  Fools Crow, James Welch's award-winning novel, tells the mesmerizing story of the author's own people at a critical moment in their history. The year is 1870, and life for a small band of Blackfeet Indians in northwestern Montana unfolds day by day, in keeping with the customs of their ancestors and in tune with the cycles of the seasons. But things will soon change. The ever-increasing presence of the Napikwans--white men--threatens the tribe's land, culture, and very existence. During a difficult winter that brings hunger and disease to the camp, Fools Crow, a young warrior and medicine man of great vision, sets out on a dreamlike quest to discover the secret of his people's survival. He finds himself in a magical and timeless land where he learns of his tribe's troubling destiny. Both burdened and blessed with this knowledge, Fools Crow returns understanding that whether his tribe fights a brave but futile war or simply surrenders its heritage, his children are inextricably bound to a legacy of bitterness, honor and hope.

391 pages - Paperback $13.95