About the book
"I Am a Man": Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice
Hardcover edition
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN-10: 0-312-53304-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-53304-5
272 pages
Paperback edition
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN-10: 0-312-60638-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-60638-1
288 pages
Ebook edition
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN-10: 1-4299-5330-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-4299-5330-6
272 pages
Get the book
In 1877, Chief Standing Bear's Ponca Indian tribe was forcibly removed
from their Nebraska homeland and marched to what was then known as Indian
Territory (now Oklahoma), in what became the tribe's own Trail of Tears.
"I
Am a Man" chronicles what happened when Standing Bear set off on a
six-hundred-mile walk to return the body of his only son to their
traditional burial ground. Along the way, it examines the complex
relationship between the United States government and the small, peaceful
tribe and the legal consequences of land swaps and broken treaties, while
never losing sight of the heartbreaking journey the Ponca endured. It is a
story of survival—of a people left for dead who arose from the ashes of
injustice, disease, neglect, starvation, humiliation, and termination. On
another level, it is a story of life and death, despair and fortitude,
freedom and patriotism. A story of Christian kindness and bureaucratic evil.
And it is a story of hope—of a people still among us today, painstakingly
preserving a cultural identity that had sustained them for centuries before
their encounter with Lewis and Clark in the fall of 1804.
Before it ends, Standing Bear's long journey home also explores
fundamental issues of citizenship, constitutional protection, cultural
identity, and the nature of democracy—issues that continue to resonate
loudly in twenty-first-century America. It is a story that questions
whether native sovereignty, tribal-based societies, and cultural
survival are compatible with American democracy. Standing Bear
successfully used habeas corpus, the only liberty included in the
original text of the Constitution, to gain access to a federal court and
ultimately his freedom. This account aptly illuminates how the nation's
delicate system of checks and balances worked almost exactly as the
Founding Fathers envisioned, a system arguably out of whack and under
siege today.
Joe Starita's well-researched and insightful account reads like
historical fiction as his careful characterizations and vivid
descriptions bring this piece of American history brilliantly to life.
Source:
St. Martin's Press
Joe Starita on I Am a Man
Q: Since I Am a Man was One Book, One Lincoln, what
are your expectations for One Book One Nebraska?
A: My expectations are that this powerful story, one that
emerged from the soil of our own state, will be read by more and
more Nebraskans. And that they will come to understand the
perseverance and fortitude and love of country and family, the
belief in a higher authority and the deep attachment to honor and
courage that this story embodies. And by doing so, they will come to
a better understanding and appreciation of what the Ponca endured
and overcame to still be with us today. —Joe Starita, Nebraska Center for the Book interview excerpt, November 2011
- - -
Q: What particularly has given you satisfaction in the many
[book] discussions held?
A: At this point, I have given more than 130 talks on
Standing Bear and this book and I continually have been struck - and
deeply gratified - by the quality of the questions that audience
members ask. Whether it's Fort Robinson, Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney,
Neligh, Miami or Chicago, the questions often are so thoughtful and
so sincere and so insightful that it leaves you completely humbled.
They are questions that could only have emerged from a very focused
reading of the book and so I am very thankful for that - thankful
that reading is still something that has meaning and value to
Americans. —Joe Starita, Nebraska Center for the Book interview excerpt, November 2011
Awards
- Finalist, 2011 One Book One Nebraska, sponsored by the Nebraska
Center for the Book
- Winner, 2010 Nebraska Book Award – Non-Fiction Category,
sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book
- Winner, 2010 One Book One Lincoln, sponsored by Lincoln City
Libraries
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