Book Notices

Lehi: Portraits of a Utah Town

By RICHARD S. VAN WAGONER. (Lehi: Lehi City Corporation, 1990 x + 469 pp.)

Many town histories in Utah were published in the 1940s as projects of local camps of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Although these compilations remain useful as repositories of information not readily available elsewhere, they are dated. Most of them emphasize the pioneer settlement period and provide little or no context for or interpretation of events.

In the 1980s many new town histories appeared, and the 1990s began auspiciously for local history with this volume. Richard Van Wagoner's history of Lehi looks at the broad sweep of the city's history from Paleo-Indian times to the latest plans of the city council in a well written opening section that gives readers an overview of Lehi history The author places events in this Utah Valley community in the larger context of state, national, and even international events such as the Great Depression and the Vietnam War, packing a lot of historical data into a highly readable format.

Subsequent sections treat such topics as municipal government religion, commerce, industry, entertainment etc , but with a difference Van Wagoner uses the topical approach to history skillfully He draws his information from a wide range of sources (appropriately documented) and, again, sets the building of a store or a brickyard into a broader, often interpretive context As a result, the accounts are informative and engaging, full of facts and figures, people and places, and intriguing details such as neighbors might exchange over a backyard fence.

The books is beautifully printed and bound, a reflection of the author's and publisher's care Both Van Wagoner and Lehi City should be proud of this excellent community history It could serve as a model for other aspiring town historians.

Sagebrush Soldier: Private William Earl Smith's View of the Sioux War of 1878.

By SHERRY L SMITH, (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1989 xviii + 158 p p $18.95.)

Sagebrush Soldier offers an unusual view of the Indian Wars, that of an enlisted man Earl Smith's diary details daily camp life, battles, and an ordinary soldier's preoccupation with day-today comfort and survival Additionally, to provide a more accurate picture of the Sioux War and particularly the Powder River Expedition, the author incorporates many other contemporary accounts in an effort to present a balanced history and a more comprehensive view—one that looks at both military and Indian accounts, officers and enlisted men, Indian allies and enemies

Winged Words: American Indian Writers Speak

By LAURA COLTELLI (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990 x + 211 p p $22.50.)

Ever since the cultural sensitivity of the 1960s, Native American authors have received increasing attention for their efforts to help readers understand the significance of the Indian experience Winged Words is one of a number of recent works that focus on these writers Based on a collection of interviews with eleven literary figures, the book includes conversations with people like Scott Momaday, Leslie Silko, Simon Ortiz, and James Welch Still in the question/response format of the interview, it explores what makes Indian writers different from other authors, how their cultural experience affects their perception, and the way they view non-Indian critics as evaluators of their labors.

The book's strength depends heavily upon the responses of the interviewees, some being more articulate than others Readers who are familiar with contemporary Indian literature will enjoy the creative insights given by writers in the field. The text is particularly helpful to teachers of this topic who want to know how authors view their experiences and works.

A Time to Kill- Reflections on War

By DENNY ROY, GRANT P SKABELUND, and RAY C HILLAM. (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1990 xiii + 288 pp Paper, $12.95.)

This volume chronicles the war experiences of sixty men, almost exclusively Mormon and primarily Utahns. Most of the men are World War 11 and Viet Nam veterans, though representatives of World War I and the Korean War are included A one-paragraph biographical sketch is provided as a footnote for each informant Organized thematically, the book examines seven areas of the war experience: going to war, combat on the ground, combat in the air, killing and being killed, over there, captivity, and leadership The accounts are often dramatic, moving, and provide an intimate glimpse of war for the individual participant.

Waterlity.

By ELLA CARA DELORIA (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990 xii + 244 pp Paper, $8.95.)

Deloria, a Sioux who translated many old Sioux texts and worked closely with noted anthropologists Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict, wrote this novel of Indian life in the 1940s, but it was not published until 1988 when the first hard-cover edition appeared.

An "accomplished ethnologist, [she] sought to record and preserve traditional Sioux ways through this imaginative re-creation of life in the camp circle. It is of special value because it is told from a woman's perspective—one that is much less well known than the warrior's or the holy man's."

Deloria's delightful and detailed exposition of the complex web of Sioux kinship ties, with the rhythms of daily life and the annual cycle of events as counterpoints, tells the reader "more fully and compellingly than any ethnological report" what it was like to be a Sioux woman in the period of earliest white contact Deloria is a fine storyteller, and her novel will engage readers who cannot get past the opening paragraph of an ethnological report.

Cavalier in Buckskin George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier

By Robert M. Utley. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988. xvii + 226 pp. $19.95.)

Robert M. Utley, former chief historian and assistant director of the National Park Service, explores Custer the man as well as the myth that surrounds him. Custer first appeared as the "Boy General" of Civil War fame, proving a superlative combat leader despite his youth He is best known, however, as a premier Indian fighter, hunter, plainsman, cavalier, and celebrated author.

Utley paints the general as a man of contradictions who was constantly involved in a struggle between boy and man, a struggle Custer never fully resolved Shown in the biography for the first time are Custer's obsession with money that fueled shady business deals and possibly fraudulent kickback schemes and a solid marriage that nonetheless, after some stormy interludes, accommodated infidelities.

One Man's Search- Addresses

by Obert C. Tanner (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989 xx + 323 pp $25.00.)

Obert C Tanner is professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Utah, founder and chairman of the board of the O C Tanner Company, as well an author, civic leader, statesman, and philanthropist This volume is a collection of addresses he gave while on the faculty at the University of Utah The addresses he selected for this volume deal with contemporary problems: world peace, truth and education, religion, freedom and democracy, and values.

Exploring the Fremont.

By DAVID B. MADSEN (Salt Lake City: Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah, 1989 xiv + 70 pp Paper, $12.00.)

Produced as an exhibit catalog, Exploring the Fremont is handsomely designed and printed and, more important, provides an excellent introduction to these enigmatic people who lived in the eastern Great Basin and western Colorado Plateau country from about A.D. 650 to 1250. State archaeologist David B Madsen does a fine job of presenting the Fremont people to a lay audience. The text gives readers a lot of information about but no final answers to the Fremont; we learn much about them, but they remain hauntingly illusive. The illustrations of artifacts and sites add to our understanding Anyone interested in Utah's prehistoric peoples will want this book; it is much more than an exhibit catalog.

Blueprint for the Environment: A Plan for Federal Action

Edited by T. ALLAN CoMR (Salt Lake City: Howe Brothers, 1989. xiv, 335 pp. Paper, $13.95.)

Blueprint for the Environment is the result of a conference held by America's environmental community to develop new approaches to environmental issues Some of the organizations included in the conference were the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Oceanic Society Fearful that Americans were already becoming immune to the cries of impending environmental disaster and acknowledging the need for positive federal government involvement, these leaders decided to develop a specific new agenda for domestic and international action.

The book contains 511 approaches to national environmental problems, each one targeted toward a specific concern best addressed by the federal government Each blueprint recommendation is contained on a single sheet of paper and is directed to a specific assistant secretary or administrator within a specific Cabinet office. Included are such issues as Forest Service planning, range management, pesticides, pollution, nuclear energy, food safety, watersheds and minerals, greenways and rivers.

Geronimo and the End of the Apache Wars.

Edited by C. L SONNICHSEN.(Lincoln: University ofNebraska Press, 1990 v + 136 pp Paper, $6.95.)

First published in 1986 by the Arizona Historical Society, this paperback reprint commemorates one of the most significant events in the history of the southwest—the surrender of Naiche, the hereditary Chiricahua chief, and Geronimo, the Apache shaman and war leader, to Gen. Nelson A. Miles on the Mexican border on September 4, 1886 It was the end of an era for both whites and Indians. The documents and articles included herein shed light on the personalities and events that changed the course of Arizona history Perhaps the most interesting of these is editor Sonnichsen's retrospective piece "From Savage to Saint A New Image for Geronimo."