A Sorrow in Our Heart

by Allan W. Eckert

Book Overview

A biography of the famous Shawnee describes Tecumseh's plan to amalgamate all North American tribes into one people, his role as statesman and military strategist, and his death in the Battle of Thames. 35,500 first printing.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553080237
• ISBN13: 9780553080230
• Release Date: February 1992
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 862 Pages
• Weight: 2.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

A nice dose of perspective.

Next to Geronimo and Powhatan. He was probably the most important Native American.

Good Read, Amazing Life

I highly recommend this biography for older children (15+) or anyone interested in the early American history. It is about Tecumseh, a Shawnee warrior in the Ohio territory in western America during the period from 1768 to 1812. He was witness to the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The book reads like a colorful novel with plenty of "amplification" notes for extra historical detail. Life was rough in those days for Indians and settlers. There was a lot of distrust on both sides. During this time England, France and America are vying for control of the new world and the various Indian tribes were in the middle of it all. Much of the story takes place in locations familiar to many of us; Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois for example. It is the story of Tecumseh's amazing life and his efforts to unite native Americans to defend all Indians against the white settlers and their government. It is brutal at times. The narrative is told from the perspective of the Indian. But I found Eckert to deal pretty evenly with both sides. That was one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much. Indians and whites both had their fair share good and evil characters. Hope you check it out! Here is a quote that I really liked: "So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home." Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation

great book about great man

I have a new hero. I recently came across this excellent biography of the great Indian leader Tecumseh, and I'm stunned. First, by Tecumseh. This brilliant warrior and visionary understood that civilization is insatiable, and that one must never make peace with the culture that uses any means necessary to kill the indigenous, and to kill the land. This is a powerful account of necessary resistance to the depredations of the dominant culture. I'm stunned also by the writing. Allan W. Eckert is an extraordinary writer, and tells Tecumseh's story beautifully and movingly. The book is very hard to put down.

A Masterpiece of Algonquin Historical Writing

Eckert's A Sorrow in Our Hearts is nothing short of a masterpiece, and will assuredly stand the test of time, perhaps as no other "Native American" history book before it. I have read many hundreds of books on Algonquin history, and nothing I have seen comes close to A Sorrow In Our Hearts in being fair to the individuals involved. Eckert's portrayal of Tunskwatawa as a misguided opportunist may irritate some, but it holds together as the most credible explanation of how things turned out. I turn to this volume over and over again and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of useful information that it contains. It maintains a high level of historical accuracy without losing the mystical feeling of standing in Tecumseh's presence, seeing the world through his eyes, and the bracing sense of strength, courage and upliftment that those around him must have felt. If there were a sixth star to award this book, I would not hesitate to add it to my review. I have stood by that battlefield where he died and heard the accounts of his demise and burial from a descendant of those who were there and I sense the greatness of the man, and somehow Eckert has managed to do him justice through a medium that is not always compatible with the Algonquin way, and it makes me feel that sorrow to which he refers. We all must die sooner or later, but Tecumseh was still a young man (younger than I am now) when he died at the battle of the Thames. When I am buried, let them lay me to rest with only a well worn copy of Eckert's A Sorrow In Our Hearts in my hands. Evan PritchardProfessor of Native American History, Marist Collegeauthor of Native New Yorkers, The Remarkable Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York; No Word For Time, the Way of the Algonquin People, etc.

ALLAN ECKERT MAKES FICTIONAL HISTORY A JOY TO READ!!!!!

GROWING UP ON THE BANKS OF THE OHIO, I'VE HEARD EVERY LEGEND THERE IS CONCERNING TECUMSEH. I USED TO WALK TO THE SHAWNEE BURIAL MOUNDS WHICH ARE AN ARROW SHOT FROM MY PARENT'S HOME IN SILOAM, KY. I OFTEN TRIED TO IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE TO LIVE BACK THEN. WHILE NO HISTORIAN WILL EVER BE ABLE TO DECIFER WHAT IS TRUTH AND WHAT IS FOLKLORE. ALLAN W. ECKERT IS ABLE TO SEND YOU BACK IN TIME AND PLACE YOU AMONGST THESE HISTORICAL FIGURES. AND WHILE THIS WORK IS FICTIONAL IT IS ALSO BASED ON REAL CHARACTERS. ALLAN W. ECKERT IS TRULY AN ARTIST. WITH THE PAGE AS HIS CANVAS AND FACTS, MYTHS, AND LEGENDS, AS HIS INKS. HE PAINTS AN EXCELLENT PORTRAIT OF THIS LEGENDARY SHAWNEE'S LIFE.EXCELLENTLY WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED.

riveting biography of Tecumseh--Shawnee warrior and prophet

A review and recommendation by Elizabeth Brock A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh is a riveting biography of one of the most important men in the United States' history. However, those who want to read about Native Americans only to be politically correct should look elsewhere. Eckert seems unafraid to write accurately about the history of our country. He glorifies neither the Native American nor the white man. He graphically describes savagery of both Indians and whites. Eckert's impartial account of how both sides partook in the spiral of revengeful, horrific acts can be difficult to face, but it is a testament to his willingness to delve into both the glory and ugliness of the past. Eckert's impressive list of other titles and his willingness to identify and explain in this book mistakes he made in previous books assures the reader that he is dedicated to documenting the truth. Eckert's passion for accuracy and meticulous documentation (as evidenced in 172 pages of Amplification Notes) of how he arrived at his account of actual events are fascinating in themselves. This book unravels layer by layer. The author thoroughly explores the Ohio River Valley, the expansion of the United States, the mysticism of Tecumseh as a Shawnee leader and prophet, the treachery of sibling rivalry, the paradox of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's mutual enmity and admiration, and the stunning contributions of native peoples to the culture and vocabulary of America. (He also weaves in some incredible accounts of the tenacity of the legendary frontiersmen Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone.) The reader's persistence in overcoming the book's volume and the difficulty of so many Native American names is well rewarded by the gains in knowledge and appreciation for the people and events that shaped North America during the turn of the 19th century. The reader's time is not wasted.<P