My knowledge of Native American history is woefully inadequate, so I don't have much background for this book. It is highly accessible -- really nicely researched and noted and easily readable.

It's a devastating story, told as a biography of Chief Left Hand of the Southern Arapaho tribe (for whom the town of Niwot, CO is named), culminating in the horrors of the Sand Creek massacre. Years of efforts by Left Hand at promoting peaceful coexistence between whites and Indians were repeatedly dashed by the incomprehension, misunderstanding, ethnocentrism, greed, and straight-out savagery. It's really depressing, but as one who lives in an area that Left Hand must have at least passed-through, I'd call it essential reading, with broad implications for understanding American history. Highly recommended.