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Geronimo: His Own Story: The Autobiography of a Great Patriot Warrior
In the early 1900s, when Geronimo was taken prisoner, Barrett commissioned an interpreter to interview the Native American warrior. Told in his own words, this is the story of his life and people.
Paperback
,
208 pages
Published
March 1st 1996
by Plume
(first published 1906)
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I wrote a short piece on Geronimo on my Blog The Evitable, (
http://theevitable.blogspot.com)which
was based on a close reading of a couple of chapters and a skim of some of the rest, but I'm now reading it through, having bought a copy second hand at a church book sale last week along with a biography of Tecumseh I plan to read soon as well.
I read about him first because a columnist in a Toronto paper, in passing, referred to him as a 'futile intifadist' who was implacable in refusing to accomo ...more
I read about him first because a columnist in a Toronto paper, in passing, referred to him as a 'futile intifadist' who was implacable in refusing to accomo ...more
Sep 06, 2009
Dr. Carl Ludwig Dorsch
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lives
Excellent commentary on the occupation and cyclical violence thus engendered.
The entirety of the 1906 edition can be downloded at:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Geronim...
From S. M. Barrett's Introduction:
On June 2d, 1906, I transmitted the complete manuscript to the War Department. The following quotation is from the letter of transmission:
“In accordance with endorsement number eight of the ‘Brief’ submitted to me by the commanding officer of Fort Sill, which endorsement constituted the instruc ...more
view all 3 comments
Memoirs told largely in the words of Geronimo himself with the help of a trusted Indian translator. As a result, the reading and syntax are simple making for quick reading.
Geronimo's memoirs open with the Apache account of the beginning of the world, which involves one divine creator named Ussen. The number four figures prominently in the Apache creation account and becomes personally important for Geronimo as he is the fourth of a family of four girls and four boys. It's a sign of his destiny. ...more
Geronimo's memoirs open with the Apache account of the beginning of the world, which involves one divine creator named Ussen. The number four figures prominently in the Apache creation account and becomes personally important for Geronimo as he is the fourth of a family of four girls and four boys. It's a sign of his destiny. ...more
A very brief overview of the life of Geronimo, told by him to S.M. Barrett. He goes through the origin story, according to the Apache, some of the raids he led against the people of Mexico and his dislike of the Mexicans, also many other customs of the Apache, as well as the treaty/surrender he agreed to, and how the US Government did not keep their end of the deal. At the time of this telling he was 76 and a prisoner of war at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where he stayed until his death in 1909. A qu
...more
Jun 07, 2014
Lis
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2014-reads
,
non-fiction
Imagine you could sit an old Geronimo down and just let him talk and tell you all about his life, in his own words. Well, someone did just that, and wrote it down, with just the occasional editorial footnote for clarification and to claim no responsibility for any shit talking Geronimo did along the way. I recently spent a lot of time in Arizona, which I'm not crazy about but too the opportunity to see some of it's museums and natural beauty (e.g. Grand Canyon, Superstition Mountain). Couldn't l
...more
Aug 03, 2015
Marlies
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
autobiography-biography
The autobiography of Apache leader Geronimo is an interesting historical document as it tells the story of Geronimo's life from his own point of view. He has had a fascinating life in a world that changes so fast it's hard for anyone to deal with. And it's sad to see how his world falls apart, how his people are driven from their own lands.
The book is also very short and not very in-dept, unfortunately. A quick and interesting read, although I wish it would cover more subjects, he must have had ...more
The book is also very short and not very in-dept, unfortunately. A quick and interesting read, although I wish it would cover more subjects, he must have had ...more
Sometimes I wonder: did he want to say more? Where in the process did he lose his fighting spirit? Would Cochise, Victorious, Lozen, Mangus and the other warriors have been ok with his ending...
The good thing about reading this book is you are hearing the warrior Geronimo's perspective which is a welcome change. Where has that fierce fighting spirit gone? I wish he had died a warrior's death instead of becoming ill as the result of getting drunk and falling asleep in the rain and not being disco ...more
The good thing about reading this book is you are hearing the warrior Geronimo's perspective which is a welcome change. Where has that fierce fighting spirit gone? I wish he had died a warrior's death instead of becoming ill as the result of getting drunk and falling asleep in the rain and not being disco ...more
Jan 09, 2013
Jerry
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in the history of Native Americans
Superb book! First and foremost it is a story of a great man, who believed he had been done wrong by first Mexicans and then Americans. He developed a hatred for Mexicans because of what was done to him and his family. He went to war with The US, but always had respect for our government and way of life. Later in life Geronimo because a Christian. This I did not know. In reading this book, we see through Geronimo's eyes the ways of his people. To the average American, this would be a hard life,
...more
I remember the Wes Studi movie with some fondness, although I don't think it's survived time terribly well, so when I was searching for a biography by which to put my wife to sleep, I thought, hmm, an interesting Native American biography might be a nice switchup from the mostly Anglo-Europeans we've been reading for her pre-snore sleep-induction - yes, I read my wife bedtime stories, so she can get to sleep before I do. However, this biography while Genonimo's own story, seems lacking in detail
...more
May 17, 2008
Janice
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Janice by:
People who love the history of the Native Americans.
Shelves:
western
,
historical
I read this when my husband was going to BYU and was taking American Indian History or something like that. It made me sad for Geronimo and his people.
Geronimo's fascinating story begins with an Apache creation myth. He discusses his early life, his family, his battles against the Mexicans, his conflict with United States forces, and his life as a prisoner-of-war under U.S. military control. I was especially interested by his descriptions of the military tactics he used. Geronimo also discusses ...more
Geronimo's fascinating story begins with an Apache creation myth. He discusses his early life, his family, his battles against the Mexicans, his conflict with United States forces, and his life as a prisoner-of-war under U.S. military control. I was especially interested by his descriptions of the military tactics he used. Geronimo also discusses ...more
It's difficult for me to feel any sympathy for this man on a personal, one-on-one level. A man who says "On our return through Old Mexico we attacked every Mexican found, even if for no other reason than to kill." is not one I find to be pitiable. To the very end of his freedom, he was a murderer, a looter, and a plunderer, taking what he wanted and killing to get it. However, lamentable is the fact that he and his people were so treacherously treated by the United States Army and Government. Mo
...more
A powerful story
This factual account reflects a period when the west began to be occupied by the white man. Reading his book one will find much that may be verified with other writings of the Apache.
This factual account reflects a period when the west began to be occupied by the white man. Reading his book one will find much that may be verified with other writings of the Apache.
Fast read. Always good to have two sides to every conflict. By the time he died , he was a beaten down man. Only wished to return to ancestral lands in Arizona.
It's really sad what we did to native Americans and interesting to hear the story from one of the most famous of them
I like it, but I did not learn a lot about Geronimo, even though this is auto-biographical. You may feel differently, enjoy!
Good
good read very interesting given the native Americans point of view of the history of the Arizona territory. would read again.
good read very interesting given the native Americans point of view of the history of the Arizona territory. would read again.
I have mixed feelings about Geronimo's words. (His real name, Goyaałé, is never mentioned in the tranlastion.) His journey from warrior to side show attraction is heart breaking in its naivete -- his terror and confusion at an elevator ride to a lookout tower at the World's Fair is particularly poignant -- but I also find the violent actions, both his and his US and Mexican adversaries, deplorable. It was a terribly violent time by most standards, yet little more than a lifetime ago. It doesn't
...more
Really interesting. That geronimo was a wacko, but he had a crazy life.
Interesting perspective from Geronimo but the book requires more editing because it doesn't flow too well.
Good Book, I wish this story about Geronimo was longer.
Geronimos story is a good one too short though...
Macalester Alumni Book Club April 2015.
A fascinating historical document, told by Geronimo in his own words, from his perspective. He told his story through a native interpreter to S. M. Barrett, an Oklahoma school superintendent. Barrett explains in his introduction, "I wrote to President Roosevelt that here was an old Indian who had been held a prisoner of war for twenty years and had never been given a chance to tell his side of the story, and asked that Geronimo be granted permission to tell for publication, in his own way, the s
...more
Very interesting so far. It is his auto-biography as told to an interpreter. 3/28/10- I have finished the book. It is an easy read. It sheds Gerinomo's light upon how his people were treated by the US Government. What was really cool is that he talkes a lot about the areas of Arizona that his people inhabited and I know of those areas from a recent trip there. I wish that he would have spoken more about his day to day life. He talks mostly of his frequent skirmishes with the Mexican people.
Come tutte le autobiografie di nativi americani raccolte tra la fine del XIX e l'inizio del XX secolo, anche questa è molto disomogenea, nonostante il tentativo del curatore di creare un filo conduttore etnico-cronologico. Il fatto è che deriva da diverse interviste ricche di divagazioni, racconti in parte poi modificati, punti di vista diversi della stessa persona su fatti accaduti magari 50 anni prima.
Come lettura è molto interessante, ma non bisogna prendere per vero tutto ciò che è scritto.
Come lettura è molto interessante, ma non bisogna prendere per vero tutto ciò che è scritto.
Very interesting read about the treatment of the Indians. It would appear that all have some fault in not getting along but for the most part the US Government signed an agreement and broke it numerous times. This has been a reoccurring problem with all treaties with the numerous tribes.
Side note-- to all those that oppose immigration reform-- All of us except for the Indians are Immigrants. It is a black mark on the US in how they have dealt with the true people of the land.
Side note-- to all those that oppose immigration reform-- All of us except for the Indians are Immigrants. It is a black mark on the US in how they have dealt with the true people of the land.
Written in the words of Geronimo himself with the help of an interpreter, this book is very enlightening. If you are interested in the history of the Native Americans journey as told by a famous warrior himself, you will love this book. You will learn his thoughts about how his tribe, the Apaches, were treated by US Generals and even past Presidents.
I'm not an American and I started reading this book out of pure interest for the history of US and Indian population. I was not disappointed, but full title seems a bit misleading to me -- I didn't see a lot of ferocity in Geronimo's actions. It's rather a story of small nation (or tribe, if you like) that got ground by historic processes.
Historic, fascinating, thought provoking!
An interesting story told in a very direct and un censored way. I found the reailty of life in the west at that time to be little like the movies and fictional books I've seen and read.
The book drags on a little and in the end leaves you wanting more.
The book drags on a little and in the end leaves you wanting more.
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“I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes. I can go everywhere with a good feeling.
— Geronimo 1829 – 1909 Apache”
—
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— Geronimo 1829 – 1909 Apache”
“During my many wars with the Mexicans I received eight wounds, as follows: shot in the right leg above the knee, and still carry the bullet; shot through the left forearm; wounded in the right leg below the knee with a saber; wounded on top of the head with the butt of a musket; shot just below the outer corner of the left eye; shot in left side; shot in the back. I have killed many Mexicans; I do not know how many, for frequently I did not count them. Some of them were not worth counting.”
—
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