Status
Available
Local notes
PB Bor
Collection
Publication
Laurel Leaf (1984), Edition: Reprint, 304 pages
Description
Historical Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: A young Native American walks between the lonesome forest where he was raised and the complicated modern world he must navigate to survive Thomas Black Bull's parents forsook the life of a modern reservation and took to ancient paths in the woods, teaching their young son the stories and customs of his ancestors. But Tom's life changes forever when he loses his father in a tragic accident and his mother dies shortly afterward. When Tom is discovered alone in the forest with only a bear cub as a companion, life becomes difficult. Soon, well-meaning teachers endeavor to reform him, a rodeo attempts to turn him into an act, and nearly everyone he meets tries to take control of his life. Powerful and timeless, When the Legends Die is a captivating story of one boy learning to live in harmony with both civilization and wilderness..… (more)
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1963-04
Physical description
304 p.; 4.21 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member lunacat
Tom Black Bull was a Indian reservation child, now a man, with a past that leaves him full of hurt and anger. He battles against his past, the stigma of his ancestry as a Native American Indian, and carries his rage within him, only taking it out on the horses he rides as a bronco rider.
This book
Tom is forced away from the life his parents wanted for him, and expected to conform into a way of life that he didn't suit, and that didn't want him. The pain and the anger he feels isn't told to us through descriptions of his emotions, but shown through his actions and his responses to the people around him. And despite his obvious failings as a man, you cannot help but want him to find what he needs.
It's a stark, down to earth book that pulls no punches, showing the harsh realities of life as they are. The evocative, searing tastes and smells of the rodeo circuit, the landscape of New Mexico and the bitter chances Tom has are all vivid and draw the reader in. Not only this, but the descriptions of nature and the ways of the seasons are real and stunning.
Despite the fact this book is partially about the fight of man and horse against each other, instead of working together as I strive to do, I have loved this for years and will continue to do so. Instead of a dreamy look encompassing feelings and thoughts, this is a blood, sweat and tears book that makes you feel every blow life deals.
This book
Show More
starts with the quote "When the legends die, the dreams end, When the dreams end, there is no more greatness" and by the end of the book it becomes apparent how true this is.Tom is forced away from the life his parents wanted for him, and expected to conform into a way of life that he didn't suit, and that didn't want him. The pain and the anger he feels isn't told to us through descriptions of his emotions, but shown through his actions and his responses to the people around him. And despite his obvious failings as a man, you cannot help but want him to find what he needs.
It's a stark, down to earth book that pulls no punches, showing the harsh realities of life as they are. The evocative, searing tastes and smells of the rodeo circuit, the landscape of New Mexico and the bitter chances Tom has are all vivid and draw the reader in. Not only this, but the descriptions of nature and the ways of the seasons are real and stunning.
Despite the fact this book is partially about the fight of man and horse against each other, instead of working together as I strive to do, I have loved this for years and will continue to do so. Instead of a dreamy look encompassing feelings and thoughts, this is a blood, sweat and tears book that makes you feel every blow life deals.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mrsdwilliams
Thomas Black Bull and his parents return to the wilderness to live in the old way after Thomas' father kills a man. When his father dies in an accident and his mother follows as a result of illness and grief soon after, Thomas is left alone. He has no desire to return to the white man's world and
Eventually, he is discovered and forced to attend school in town, where he is miserable. The teachers and officials at the school, some well-meaning and some not, try to "help" and "civilize" him. In the process, they make him ever more angry and miserable as they take away his connection with the old ways.
I loved the first and last parts of this book, but the middle, where Thomas becomes a brutal bronco rider known as Killer Tom, lost me. Readers who enjoy action may well like this part, but I was appalled at Thomas' brutality and had a hard time feeling sympathetic towards him.
In the end, Thomas is redeemed and manages to recapture his connection to his past. While the "happy" ending may be perceived as a bit too neat, I like to believe that this is how life is--that we all have the ability, however deeply it hides inside of us, to be true to ourselves.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
Show More
lives peacefully on his own for several years, befriending an orphaned bear cub along the way and renaming himself Bear's Brother.Eventually, he is discovered and forced to attend school in town, where he is miserable. The teachers and officials at the school, some well-meaning and some not, try to "help" and "civilize" him. In the process, they make him ever more angry and miserable as they take away his connection with the old ways.
I loved the first and last parts of this book, but the middle, where Thomas becomes a brutal bronco rider known as Killer Tom, lost me. Readers who enjoy action may well like this part, but I was appalled at Thomas' brutality and had a hard time feeling sympathetic towards him.
In the end, Thomas is redeemed and manages to recapture his connection to his past. While the "happy" ending may be perceived as a bit too neat, I like to believe that this is how life is--that we all have the ability, however deeply it hides inside of us, to be true to ourselves.
Overall, I highly recommend this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TomTomCO
This book is told simply, but has an angry, tragic tone. However, the story gets off to an exciting start when Thomas Black Bull's father murders a fellow Ute Indian who stole from him. I never felt like I wanted to put the book down, especially as Tom moved from Horse Mountain, where he lived like
Show More
his Native American ancestors, to Pagosa, Colorado as a student in the reservation school, and later when he became a rodeo rider. When the Legends Die is about Tom's restless search for his own identity. Many Native Americans probably felt the same way as Tom did as whites tried to rob them of their Indian identities and "civilize" them on the reservations. An excellent book. Show Less
LibraryThing member speedy74
An interesting novel about a young boy who is raised in a traditional Ute family and knows the Ute traditions, but is then forced to live at a school for Native Americans that teaches the ways of the "white world." As the main character matures, he struggles with his inner of conflicts of the
Show More
traditional ways of life and the new ways learned in the school. An interesting book to teach about empathy. Show Less
LibraryThing member wadehuntpc
Disclaimer: I review books on how they stand alone without regards to anyone’s personal views about the author. I review based upon readability and how the book affects my life for good, and less upon literary style.
This book is probably for ages 14 and up, as it deals with animal cruelty. I
This book is probably for ages 14 and up, as it deals with animal cruelty. I
Show More
really liked this story, based upon what I think it teaches. First, that revenge, if not against the nature of God, is definitely against the laws of nature. Indeed, much of the problem of bullying is based upon the 'need' for one to exact revenge. In the case of the bully, often he/she is being abused in some way either at home or elsewhere, and the only way that he/she can think of to handle that anger is to pass it on to other people and bully them. In the case of Tom (Brother of Bear), he took his anger out on the broncos he rode in the rodeo. The story also shows that one who is in that kind of a dilemma can overcome it, as Tom did by listening and heeding the Spirit in becoming one with nature, which teaches against anger and hatred. Show Less
LibraryThing member branjohb
The book is about an Indian boy who was raised in the mountains the 'old way'. Circumstances led him into the modern world where he really never fit in. He spent several years butting heads with others and hating life. I will leave the ending for those of you who plan on reading the book.
I love
I will not say this about too many books, but this book was hard to put down. Two thumbs up.
I love
Show More
the way the author wrote this book. The author wrote in a very simple, yet descriptive manner, making it easy for words and sentences to flow from the pages to the reader's imagination. The author's words were well chosen, fitting well in the context of the story and characters. I will not say this about too many books, but this book was hard to put down. Two thumbs up.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
A sad novel of an AmerIndian struggling to find balance in the white man's world. Rejected by one world and betrayed by the other, this makes a great children's book about choice and facing reality.
LibraryThing member fuzzi
Tom Black Bull is raised in the old ways of the Ute, by his mother and father, but when tragedy strikes, he is forced to live in the white man's world, living, but never belonging.
This was an intense read, the story that could be that of any of us, with pain in our past, confusion of who we are,
This was an intense read, the story that could be that of any of us, with pain in our past, confusion of who we are,
Show More
and fear of what we are to become. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Michael_Rose
I read this in high school, and since that was awhile ago now, some of the details are fuzzy. It's a good look into the time period through the eyes of a Native American, although a tragic look (perhaps not unsurprisingly).
LibraryThing member zjs
best book ever
LibraryThing member over.the.edge
This is the story of Tom Black, an Ute Indian, set in the western hills. It tells the story of a young warrior that is slowly forced into a white man's world, and losing his identity as a warrior. He became a rodeo star by riding his broncos to death, becoming a legend for this. Forgetting his
Show More
lessons of respect for all living things.....Finally he finds his way back to his inner peace, and reunites with his heritage and past, learning from the lessons he learned as a young warrior, and from the white mans world. Very good story and lesson. Awesome book. Show Less
Similar in this library
Blue Heron by Avi
Pages
304