“The truth is always made up of little particulars which sound ridiculous when repeated.” So says Jack Crabb, the 111-year-old narrator of Thomas Berger’s 1964 masterpiece of American fiction, Little Big Man. Berger claimed the Western as serious literature with this savage and epic account of one man’s extraordinary double life.After surviving the massacre of his pioneer family, ten-year-old … pioneer family, ten-year-old Jack is adopted by an Indian chief who nicknames him Little Big Man. As a Cheyenne, he feasts on dog, loves four wives, and sees his people butchered by horse soldiers commanded by General George Armstrong Custer. Later, living as a white man once more, he hunts the buffalo to near-extinction, tangles with Wyatt Earp, cheats Wild Bill Hickok, and fights in the Battle of Little Bighorn alongside Custer himself—a man he’d sworn to kill. Hailed by The Nation as “a seminal event,” Little Big Man is a singular literary achievement that, like its hero, only gets better with age.
Praise for Little Big Man
“An epic such as Mark Twain might have given us.”—Henry Miller
“The very best novel ever about the American West.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Spellbinding . . . [Crabb] surely must be one of the most delightfully absurd fictional fossils ever unearthed.”—Time
“Superb . . . Berger’s success in capturing the points of view and emotional atmosphere of a vanished era is uncanny. His skill in characterization, his narrative power and his somewhat cynical humor are all outstanding.”—The New York Times
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A great read. Hard to put down.
I first read this book after the film with Dustin Hoffman was released. So glad I did. The basic story is the same: Jack Crab, survivor of the battle of the Little Big Horn, tells about his life on the frontier. The book gives characters much more depth and provides a picture of the settlement of the plains from a dual perspective – Jack as a …
A compelling read! An inside look at one man’s life thru historic events.
I loved it. The movie followed it very well and I could “see” little Big Man as I read the book. Quite a character, sort of a prequil to The movie Forrest Gump, where Tom Hanks won the Academy award . Think about that!
Even though this not a current book. I really enjoyed his insight into the white and Indian cultures.
Even better than the film, which was great.
While the overall story is just that. It did capture and report true history that took place. A sort of we were there story
Better than the movie, which was awesome
Far, far better than the movie.
The movie was great, but the book is incredible!
There just isn’t enough words to describe this book. It’s like Last of the Mohicans. Just epic books written by authors on the top. Superb.
Great book, I have re3ad and reread this book many times and would highly recommend it/
A favorite in our family. We have read it several times, and still find surprises.